I have to have an angiogram in the morning. I found out I have to take my Omnipod off due to X-rays being used. Do I also need to remove my Dexcom?? I failed to ask.
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The dexcom transmitter and receiver must not be exposed to x-rays.
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@BKH if it covered by a lead vest thing can they stay in? According to the Dr they are going in through my wrist and the machine comes down a little past my breasts.
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I don’t know. It’s possible that the lead vest would block all the x-rays from reaching the transmitter, but in my ignorance I’m unable to rule out the possibility that there would be some x-ray scatter that would reach the transmitter and cause damage. I do know that years ago I accidentally exposed a dexcom receiver to airport x-rays and the receiver died within a week. Could be cause and effect, or could be coincidence, but Dexcom says don’t expose the transmitter or receiver to X-rays or backscatter whole-body imagers at airports. Personally I’d remove the Dexcom equipment to keep it safe, because if I burnt out the transmitter that would be a problem. On the other hand, if your transmitter expires next week, then maybe you could risk it. Or you depending on your beliefs, you could risk it and if anything goes wrong you could pretend you didn’t do it, and call Dexcom for warranty replacement.
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I’ve popped off the transmitter on my G5 and gave the transmitter and the receiver to the x-ray tech to hold for me until after the test. After it was all over, I popped it back on. I found this video on how to do it with a G6. Someone else who uses the G6 might have a better suggestion.
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Thanks @Tapestry! I’m on G6 but have never removed the transmitter while preserving the sensor. This video is very helpful.
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For the Dex G6, don’t you replace the transmitter with each sensor? In that case, I’d honestly probably not worry about, see if it still works (my guess is it will) and if not, ask Dexcom for a replacement (they will replace it if you have to remove it for a scan or such).
All the no x-ray thing means is that they do not guarantee they will still work if x-rayed. Doesn’t mean x-rays destroy them. They say that about the receivers too, and yet back when I used one, I x-rayed mine at airports plenty of times with no ill effects. Not like an MRI, which I would imagine would kill the transmitter (although hard to say—I’ve made it through a ferromagnetic detector wearing my Dex G6, so there’s nothing ferrous in there so there shouldn’t be a risk of it getting ripped out or such, but doesn’t mean there’s nothing sensitive to magnetism in other ways). They won’t let you wear it into an MRI as a patient anyway.
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The Dex G6 transmitter is reused for 3 months. The G7 (next year?) will have a combined transmitter and sensor that is entirely disposable.
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I just took everything off this morning instead of taking a chance🥰
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Ah right. So yeah I wouldn’t risk it then for the transmitter. The sensor would have been fine, I imagine, but Dexcom will send you a replacement for free for stuff like this.
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I am having a HIDA scan in the morning at the hospital and they told me that I could leave on my pump and transmitter since they are taking pics of my gallbladder. I hope it will all be ok???
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They can easily cover these items with a lead shield if they aren’t in the direct path of the images being taken you should be just fine.