First Time Automode Medtronic 670G

Hello! I’m new to this forum. Last night was one of the worst nights I have had as a type 1 diabetic. I put my new 670G in auto mode for the first time last night. I was supposed to get trained on how to use it, but my Medtronic trainer didn’t show up and so I was stuck learning myself. Which is fine with me, I’ve had diabetes for 22 years. I can adapt. But I am getting all of these alerts and it constantly is telling me to enter a BG or calibrate, after I had done it 2 minutes prior. I guess I need some advice or help in how to make the alarms halt or stop because this is very overwhelming. Im getting zero sleep, I can’t do my job right, because this thing won’t let me correct myself when BG is high! I’m currently having to teach my father also how to use the 670G, and he will need to know what I know eventually! I have read some of drbbennett posts on here, and they are very helpful to me. If there is anyone who can help me out, you would be a complete lifesaver. I am struggling. Thank you

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Hi Haylie,
Welcome to FUD!

There are several 670G users here, but let’s see if @Nickyghaleb can help you with some info! She is one of our most frequent posters and knows a lot about that pump.

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Oh thank you so much! I really appreciate it!!!

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Hi @Haylie!

I hear you’re having some trouble with the 670G. I would be happy to help you try to figure things out if you’d like. I’m familiar with the issues you’ve mentioned, so if you want to let me know where you’d like to start, we could go from there.

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Yes! I tried watching some of your YouTube videos this morning but i was short on time! I am wondering about all of the dang alerts! I understand that this pump is trying to learn my body and how it works, but i dont understand why literally everytime i check BG and calibrate, it tells me to do it again 10 minutes later. i was up all night checking BG, wondering why in the world i had to do it so much! And i would also love to know why it will not correct or let me correct my highs. It goes from Safe Mode to Manual Mode without any correction, or any way of letting me correct myself.

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Be right back…I’m gonna need my keyboard. :grin:

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There are some rules that will help you avoid these, but I’ll start off by telling you Medtronic is releasing a new transmitter that will supposedly alleviate some of this. If you have not already requested one, I’ll try to find you the link. It sounds like they will begin sending it out in January and hope to have them to everyone by August. I have no idea what the scope of this is as a remedy, but Medtronic has hinted that it should fix the “BG Required Loop” at the least. That is what you are describing with the calibration/BG Required notifications. For now, however, understanding two rules can help you get some control. @Mamastayzfresh has just joined my group and is also new to the 670G. She has learned the rules and is having pretty good luck so far—- or, at least, according to her last update. The two rules are the 35% rule and the calibration factor rule. The most important one is the 35% rule. If you don’t meet that, nothing else is going to work. You give your pump 2 numbers that don’t meet this requirement and try to calibrate, and you will be told to change your sensor. I have been in the habit, since getting this pump, of just calculating this every time I go to put in a number that wasn’t glaringly apparent in its proximity. Because I’m willing to do these calculations up front, I’ve saved myself a lot of grief.

Anyway, here’s rule 1:
The BG value you are going to enter MUST BE within 35% of your current SG value. If you attempt to put in a value outside of that range, you will be told your calibration is not accepted. The way to figure this out is to multiply .35 times your current SG and then to add/subtract that value from your SG to get your range.

Example: SG 100
100 X .35= 35
100-35= 65
100+35= 135
Acceptable Range= 65-135

Now let’s say you do a fingerstick and get a 78. It’s in your range, and it is an okay number to calibrate with. If, let’s just say, you get a 137, it’s not. You get one strike— but you’re out on two. Just remember that. :slight_smile:

That’s rule 1. If you meet those requirements, there’s still one more thing to check before inputting the number. This is the part they’re hoping to fix with the new transmitter, but until then, it’s best to calculate your calibration factor. In Auto Mode, the acceptable range is 3-8. Manual Mode is about 2-10, but that top number is a little soft. It’s pretty much a hard 8 with auto though, so it’s worth knowing what you’ve got before heading in.

Rule 2:
Calibration factor, in Auto, must fall between 3-8. The way to calculate your calibration factor is BG/Isig=Calibration factor. BG means a current BG from a finger stick, and your isig can be found under Status:Sensor (and then scroll down until you see it).

So now let’s say we’re about to put in our 78 from the finger stick. We pull up our isig and see it’s a 14.18. We divide 78/14.18 and get a 5.5. That’s great. Calibrate. If we had seen something like an isig of 9.5, that would give us a calibration factor of 8.21… and would most likely cause a failed calibration.

These are rules for AUTO MODE only. There IS no BG Required Loop in manual mode. It just doesn’t exist. I’ll also tell you that in general a HIGH BG or a rapidly rising one is just not a good time to try to calibrate. Those kind of values are going to make for high factors. So it’s best to try to catch a low/falling BG and then just trying not to put in other numbers needlessly. At this time, the 670G, and auto mode in particular, is a finicky little bugger, but it’s possible to just calculate your way through it. Pretty much. :slight_smile:

I know it’s a lot to process, so take your time, and let me know if you have questions… I expect you will!

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You may be interested in this link. Some Guardian 3 transmitters are being replaced due to issues.

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Thank you so much!!! You have helped me more than Medtronic definitely has!!! I will definitely have questions when I study some more on this!! You are awesome!!!

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Hello @Haylie! I’m Kim.

I’m glad you found us and I know @Nickyghaleb will be able to give you lots of great info. I went ahead and added Medtronic 670G to your post title just so other folks who need help might find it easier. I hope that’s okay!

If you manage to have spare time amid the beeping and alarms and new technology, head on over to our Welcome post and introduce yourself.

We are always happy for new members and it sounds like you’ve got lots of experience to share. :grin: We’ve got a thread for combined years of D experience too!!

Welcome!

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Thank you so much for welcoming me!!!

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And if you’re ready, I’ll come back in a few to talk about that correction bolus. There’s much to say…

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Hi @Haylie! Just wanted to check in on you. How is everything going??

I’d like to add that entering a BG into the pump no more than once an hour (roughly) greatly reduces the chances of getting stuck in the “calibration loop” for me.

I usually ignore the request for a BG if it asks me for one immediately following a calibration.

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