Dexcom g7 newness frustration

@daisymae Like you, I am very happy with the switch to G7.
Yes, putting those overpatches can be quite a challenge. I’ve ruined so many straight away.
I do like that the G7 knows when its so inconsistent that it just dies. Usually day 4 for me. I have a ton if you ever need some in a flash…

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I might just take u up on that…(i cant begin to tell you how many of them i have totally destroyed while trying to place them on properly! Even my husband has a difficult time.)
Thanks

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I meant sensors. Unfortunately they don’t have the overpatches separately yet. But they will send out a new sensor if you can’t get the patch on right. Silly, right?

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Dexcom seems really adamant about us using the G7 overpatch, while with G6 it was optional, and I rarely used or needed one. The adhesive pad attached to the G6 sensor was bigger than G7. Why did they reduce the size of the adhesive pad and demand we apply ridiculously hard to maneuver overpatch every time? The basic design of the G7 inserter doesn’t seem to preclude applying an attached pad of larger diameter, even if the inserter might have to be made a bit bigger.

The included overpatch would be so much easier to place if it was designed like every other overpatch on planet: the backing comes off in two pieces. Even one-handed this would help.

I also have another issue with the G7 inserter. How am I supposed to tell if the plastic ring on the thing is depressed when I’m holding it on the back of my arm? Once pushed mildly against the flesh, it sinks in enough that (using a hand mirror) I cannot see if it is depressed. So I push really hard and hope for the best.

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I don’t understand. The backing does come off in two pieces. They cover about 1/3 and 2/3 of the adhesive side, the 2/3 part comes off first.

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Looking at one now and you are correct. I remembered the problem wrong: the 1/3 part covers part of the opening so I can’t hook it around the sensor body to get the alignment right. That’s the whole point of having 2 flaps.

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The video from Dexcom makes applying the patch look easy, one-handed.

Practice makes perfect?

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Thanks @bkh, I never watched that video. She makes it look so easy. At least I know now I have been doing it right! Gotta work on placing the mirror better so my hand doesn’t block the view. That may help.I wonder if she can see what she is doing? The camera has the good angle.

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I was allergic to the G6 too. I complained to Dexcom in 2020 and they assured me the G7 would be better – and so far it is!

I’ve been using the G7 for about 40 days now and haven’t had any allergic reactions. I use Cavilon first to help prevent adhesive sensitivity. The G7 main sensor adhesive is much smaller and weaker (which probably helps with allergies), but the overpatch has been plenty strong for me.

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Thanks, @RachelMaraii! Dexcom told a financial conference call that they had taken one ingredient out of the G7 adhesive. Hope it works for me too.

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New to Forum and G7. I share some of same issues as mentioned here. My biggest concern is the inability to “calibrate” this device. Frustrating. Why include a place to insert latest fingerstick data only to ignore it? Then, to suggest the G7 does not need to be calibrated is insane. Some times mine says blood sugar is 40 when in fact it is 90! Also, I’ve seen 250 when finger stick said 130. G6 allowed you to re-calibrate to bring readings closer to finger sticks…within 10-15%.

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I’m also experiencing calibration problems with the g7. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. Most recently I have had problems of my entered values not calibrating at all. I get a “calibration in process” notice that goes on for days. The only way I can cancel is to delete the Dexcom app and reload it. I wonder if there is a software bug in the Dexcom app.

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Yes, have not experienced an allergic reaction with the G7 as of 2 months into using it.
The G6 was a nightmare for me - so allergic it was craziness! Spoke with a woman in the US about the G6 allergic reactions and she stated ‘off the record’ that many, many people experience allergic reactions to the G6 adhesive. Am so glad the G7 doesn’t have it either!

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I have not used the G7 yet. Is there no ability to calibrate it?!

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Yes, one can calibrate it. I just did this morning, when it woke me up at 2 a.m., saying I was at 60. I put in the real BG, 89, and it went to 84. Sometimes it doesn’t accept the number, and sometimes it does. Looking at my history, there’s a bunch that are still “in progress”. It seems a bit “smarter” than the g6, as it doesn’t just use the mean.

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Thanks.

BTW, I have not started the ones you sent me yet. I still have to fix my code to recognize them. I can get it in the Loop app, but the app does not know yet how to find the G7.

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Boo! I wish I could be of any help in that area, but I’m sure you’ll crack it!

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My post was unclear. The G7 certainly has a place to “calibrate” using your BG data. However, in my case it rarely accepts the data. I get messages saying “not used” or “ processing”, etc. Therein lies the frustration. If the variance is greater than say 20%, seems a calibration is in order. Yet…”not used” is the prevailing message.

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Thanks for the clarification, @Lorenzo!
:+1:

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I usually get “Calibration not accepted” which, like many of you, I want to know if there is a reason because the sensor has not failed

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