Today I had a Dexcom G6 transmitter die on Day 87 since activation. Actually not a big deal because I had a spare on the shelf ready to go. I went ahead and submitted the online request to Dexcom for a replacement. Not sure if they will send a replacement or not because their warranty language says “Dexcom G6 transmitters are under a limited warranty for the first 90 days from activation provided that activation was within 5 months of the shipping date.” and I have no idea what the shipping date or expiration date on the box was for this transmitter. I threw the box away 87 days ago… Product Support Request (custhelp.com)
This transmitter dying early got me thinking so here are my random thoughts/findings that hit me during my 2-hour sensor warmup with a new transmitter. In all my years of using G5 and now G6 I’ve never before had a transmitter die before the 90 days + grace period. When I used Spike I was getting an extra 1-3 months out of every G5 transmitter.
I guess those days are gone.
I used to always carry a spare transmitter along with all my other spare D supplies when I travelled. I gradually gave up that habit for short trips but now will start doing that again. Coincidentally I had a trip planned for right now that I ended up cancelling…if I had gone I probably would have neglected to carry a spare transmitter on this trip and would have paid the price when this transmitter died. So I inadvertently dodged a slow moving bee bee by cancelling this weekends trip.
I am starting to miss the Eversense despite the minor hassle of recharging the transmitter daily. Once the sensor is inserted in your arm and is up and running there are no more parts that have to be replaced for 90 (and now 180) days. That simplicity has an appeal. It seems like the only device where we are not constantly re-supplying ourselves, changing pods or sensors, etc. But the chances of Eversense being supported by Omnipod 5 any time soon seem pretty remote so no change is planned.
That’s very strange. I’m used to a transmitter lasting at least 110 days. That’s why I always have a couple of spares.
Just a off topic question about eversense that I’ve always wondered- Can you sleep on it? I would just love skipping the first day of warmup cause it’s so annoying for the dex. But I’m not sure I could sleep on one side for 6 months.
Yes you can sleep on it. The transmitter is actually a little thinner than a Dexcom, or at least it feels thinner because of the shape. I can’t remember if it gives those false alarm lows from sleeping on it like a Dexcom though. The #1 thing I liked about Eversense was you can leave your phone turned off or out of range and the Eversense buzzes on your arm for alerts. You can set the alerts just like any CGM and then it buzzes in a pattern like Morse code. I found that very handy. Plus like I mentioned above, you get it inserted in your arm and then it lasts for 6 months, no more “stop sensor start sensor” or re-ordering supplies constantly.
But beware, the Eversense is not for everybody. I still have a scar about half the size of a raisin from each of the 2 Eversenses I wore a few years back.
And the whole thing with the G6 transmitter dying early…today my devices were all rebels. My pod ran out of insulin after lunch even though I usually get about a half day more out of each pod. And getting changed for dinner I ripped the G6 sensor/new transmitter off my arm. I think my devices were trying to warn me that its a good thing I wasn’t sitting on a 5 hour flight when they all went sideways.
i, similar to john58, used eversense for 2 90 day sensors, and i agree it is not for everyone, however, their 1 year sensor should be approved soon, and when that’s approved, i may consider it. in order for it to loop, you would have to use a dash, xdrip, but i slept on it constantly and never had any compression lows ever…but remembering to charge it daily was a little annoying, as its somewhat difficult to have car chargers, work chargers, etc
As an update…Dexcom responded to the online form “Product Support Request” promptly. The response was 3 questions:
Are there any other Bluetooth devices within the vicinity? YES or NO
How long has the loss of connection/signal loss message been on the screen? (Less than 15 minutes, 15 minutes to 1 hour, over 1 hour but less then 3 hours or over 3 hours).
Are you able to return the transmitter using the return kit we’ll send?
After I replied to tech support with the answers Dexcom is sending both a new transmitter and sensor. This is even though the faulty transmitter worked for 87 days out of 90.
After discussions with Dexcom some time ago they base their warranty replacements on the date the prescription is filled. Regardless of the manufacture or expiry date on the box they will replace if the transmitter is used within, IRC, 150 days of the prescription fill date and it is still within the 90 day period. Nevertheless they replaced one of mine when it was past 150 days; I was using them in order of the box expiry date, they explained I had to use them based on receipt date, not the dates on the box which were, effectively, irrelevant marketing.
Thank God for the G7. No warmup, no waiting post warmup for the damned device to get its act together. No stupid juggling with expensive boxes of cheap $1 bling that have to be used with 150 days.
I’ve never been asked whether a transmitter was expired, when shipped, or anything regarding the prescription. Just the insertion date, serial/lot number and what happened or the message I got. I’ve had 4 that got replaced. Early on one wouldn’t stay in the sensor cradle, a couple that died before the 90 days, both of those were less than a week before the 90 days, and a brand new one that made 3 sensors immediately fail in a row (that was this last spring and very aggravating).
I know at Libre it used to matter what rep you talked to on how easy they were to get them to send a sensor replacement. Now they have made it pretty easy but at the beginning it felt like an inquisition. Maybe it’s sometimes the same with Dexcom.
Funny (not really), but I just had one die early after losing the directional arrows several times and maybe making me think the last 2 in-a-row sensors were bad. I truly wonder why - this has not been typical in my experience.