Crappy G6 sensor experience

I inserted a sensor yesterday in what looked like a good spot on my right thigh and experienced a bit of bleeding at the site….but went ahead with this sensor after a few hours of “presoaking”. Long story short, I was up off-and-on all night with what looked like compression lows (but weren’t) and random drops when fingersticks showed that my BG held pretty steady. More of the same today so I just pulled that #@&$@#$ sensor and started a new one (on abdomen, where Leo, of course, will sit on it). Paws crossed I get better results.

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When I get on the recliner, Manny O’ always want to lay on the pump, no matter which side it’s on. It loses connection sometimes with the G6, sometimes with my phone.

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tricep area on my arm has always worked for me…i tried the thigh, but often had too many issues…not as accurate, nothing in the pockets on that side, driving issues…my abdomen i just use for insulin, but i concurr, the thigh just doesn’t seem to work

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I’ve used my right thigh at other times and the sensor worked fine (but there was no bleeding). I dunno…I am thin and running out of “real estate” for devices. :crying_cat_face:

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2 weeks ago, I had similar experience and the next morning changed sensors. the new one and a third one wanted to give me false lows. Finally after going the next evening without a sensor, the 4th worked fine. I wonder if somehow the faulty one threw off the next ones??? It is a mystery to me as I have never experienced anything like that before. Since then, everything has worked fine.

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Two nights ago, on night 2 of a new sensor and session, Liam experienced false lows for about two hours. It kept reading low when he was constantly between 140 and 160. Calibrations didn’t work, it didn’t bring itself back up it just stayed low.

Today, day 4 of the sensor session it read 130 then a sensor error occurred and when he did a finger stick (twice to confirm) he was really 350. When it started working again it kept trying to tell us he was 145 and finger sticks continued for another hour and a half showing he was still 300s, eventually coming back down into range.

Sometimes they act very bizarre.

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Sorry to hear that! What did Dexcom tech support have to say in response?

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Didn’t call them. Giving the sensor 1 more issue before i take it off and request replacement

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You and Liam are a LOT more patient than I am!

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What makes me patient are all the wonderful stories of the old timers here who had zero technology for decades and managed just fine with little long term effects. So, when our tech craps out we just roll with it as long as we can!

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That’s awesome! I came pretty close to turning my phone off completely’cos I was so annoyed with the situation. I didn’t ‘cos I’m still dealing with some residual anxiety left over from the nasty low I had in December. Sigh…

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This sounds suspiciously like my story! I had a sensor on the stomach ( “where it belongs” according to Dexcom Tech Support). Usually I hate to waste
This territory it is so precious. And I have scarring there from when they removed my pancreas, 7 years ago. But sensor was not in a scar area. At day two of the sensor it was acting like a sensor on day 8 or 9; erratic lows and Sensor Warming Up notices. Day three was worse so I called Dexcom Tech Support. Mostly I hoped they would replace it for me because Medicare buys my sensors and a 3 day sensor life would really mess with my supplies!

Tech support said to leave it in and perform a calibration: three readings, each reading 15 or more minutes apart. Okay. Did that. But as I suspected nothing changed (but I proved to myself that the erratic sensor readings had nothing to do with my BG levels). As I suspected.

It was late by then so it was end of day 4 of sensor life the next day when I called to continue the Tech Support discussions. They asked a few questions then agreed to send a new sensor. I put the subsequent sensor on my inner upper thigh where I like to keep it. I generally have good results there, and I have few compression lows because it is sheltered somewhat from compression points while I sleep. Same sensor behavior exactly. By day two the readings were erratic with several drop-outs per day.

I now suspect I had three sensors from the same box that were all defective. Have not done the experiment (yet) on third sensor from that box

I left the 2nd erratic sensor in. I had noticed with the first failed sensor (4-day failure) that once I stopped moving around and settled in a chair, or after going to bed, the sensor magically became well behaved. A few finger pricks showed it tracking well. And by day five or so the 2nd sensor settled down and behaved nicely for the full day, and continues to perform well as it nears completion of the 10-day nominal lifetime!!

Bad manufacturing lot? Box mishandling in winter (maybe it got too cold during shipping)?

I am a seven year user of Dexcom. I am not a rookie in the world of Dexcom. I am a mechanical engineer by training and by degree and keep good records. This is Not my First Rodeo

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This shouldn’t have had any effect, the enzyme (Glucose Oxidase) can be frozen and still work fine, although perhaps there is something in the layers they add on top that doesn’t handle the freezing well. Heat can kill GOx really quickly though.

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I live in the Denver area. Heat has not been much of a problem for us! The sensors in question were delivered to me late in December

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