I will be switching from the G7 10 day sensor to the 15 day sensor in the next few weeks and was wondering how people who are using it, feel about it. I appreciate your feedback.
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The main thing is to get the gist of the correct application and make sure the sensor is applied properly, especially during the first 24 hours. I recommend keeping a backup fingerstick meter handy in case you ever need to double-check your readings.
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I find the 15-day sensors MUCH better than the 10-day ones - I haven’t had to get them replaced like I regularly did with the 10-day ones.
I usually insert a new one when the 12-hour grace period starts on the old sensor. It’s been several months and I’ve been very happy with them!
Be sure to use an alcohol wipe to clean the skin before you apply so the adhesive sticks better. I don’t use the overpatch unless it’s really having trouble, like if I’ve been swimming a lot.
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I assumed everything about the G7 15 is the same as the G7 10 with the exception of the length of useable time. Is the insertion process different? Is the app different? I hadn’t even thought about these things.
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That was my impression. I got two endo samples and neither of them lasted 15 days. They started generating “sensor error” at day 12 or 13 and those errors got more and more frequent. I was getting just one reading every 15 minutes at one point (on day 15 IRC). I use an AIDS and I don’t consider that reading frequency sufficient; it may be safe for some people but I don’t think it is for me.
I did see that all the Dexcom G7 transmitters, G10 and G15, got a whole lot more reliable around the time the G15 was released but I doubt that’s related. I suspect they just improved quality control as a result of the FDA pressure. These days I pretty much always get 10 days from a G10, before maybe 5-10% would only manage 9 days.
Even if the sensor hasn’t changed going to 15 days is a major treatment change. You should check with your endo whether doing a couple of sensors as a test first would be better and whether there will be a problem if you have to swap back to the G10.
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The only thing that is different is that if you are using the Dexcom receiver (I use my phone AND the receiver), it requires a software update that is easy to do: How do I update the software on my Dexcom receiver? | Dexcom
If you aren’t using a receiver, nothing else changes!
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I’ve now gone from 10 day G6 to 10 day G7 and then 15 day G7.
Accuracy wise they all seem similar to me. It is very very rare for me to not go full advertised number of days.
The glue on the G7 is very very sticky. I have the mental model that the 15 day glue is even stickier than the 10 day glue but don’t have any measurements to back that up.
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I tried 1 G7 15D and it seemed no different from the 10 day. It lasted the full 15 days and was accurate throughout. I also get the full 10 days out of the g7 10 day sensor.
I will start the 15 day once my 10 day stock runs down.
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Thanks everyone for your feedback. I’ll let you know how things go…
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I’ve heard good things about the 15-day one so far. The biggest plus is obviously fewer sensor changes, and Dexcom says it’s slightly more accurate than the regular G7. Just keep in mind that not every sensor necessarily makes it the full 15 days.
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@funk One difference to note is the warm-up time: G7 15 is 1 hour, G7 10 is supposed to be 30 min. That said, many people note both take a longer warm-up period before accuracy kicks in and some folks use some/much of the 12-hour grace period as actual warm-up time.
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I asked my Endocrinologist about this. She said that 75% of patients prefer the 15 day; 25% prefer to change sensors after 10 days.
I decided to wait for the newer g8, supposed to be out next year.
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And 100% of patients under 18 have no choice and are stuck on the 10-day.
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I went straight from the G6 to the G7 15 day and can’t imagine now having to change sensors every 10 days. I always use the full 15 days plus the 12 hour grace period to the bitter end wıth better performance than the G6 throughout. And as a Medicare patient who can only get replacement sensors on a strict 30-day schedule, the extra 12 hours adds up to cover those instances where pharmacy(ies) may be a day late due to holidays, etc. As for sensor errors which appear infrequently for me, a BGL reading usually appears soon after and session continues. No issues with adhesive aside from occasional difficulty removing the old sensor. My main complaint is the lag tıme in the pop-up screen that allows you to check “Okay” in order to silence alarms.
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I went from the G7 10 Day to the G7 15 Day then back to the G7 10 Day. The reason for me is that not one 15 Day sensor lasted the full 15 days. It started getting wonky around the 10 day mark so I didn’t see the point of using it if it was only lasting 10 days for me. Also, my insurance company was sending two 15 day sensors per month compared to three 10 day sensors per month so the rate I was going I would run out of my monthly sensor supply. That’s why I always keep a stash of sensors just in case. 
I’m currently wearing a 15 day Freestyle Libre 3 Plus that my endo gave me to try. Insertion was easy, and the sensor is smaller/flatter. I’m curious to see if it lasts the full 15 days. I’m wearing for 5 days, and there have been no issues yet.
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@drrps3 Thanks for the idea! My DIY AID Trio now works with with the Libre 3/3+. I’ll ask by Endo if he see’s any reason to change with what we know works decently (the G7-10).