I’m having a run of bad G6 sensors, each from different lots and different expiration dates etc. Tonight was almost the last straw on day 8.5 of this sensor…hockey game started at 4:15 (sensor error) and went until 5:45. I was gulping down the glucose gel between shifts and snacked on shortbread cookies after the game based on the BG 39 the G6 told me about halfway through. All this time the Omnipod 5 was giving me zero insulin based on what the G6 sensor told it. Got home and determined that I am at BG 273 !!
I am averaging 9.21 days per sensor myself. I started tracking them about a year ago. Both sensor life and sensor adhesive life appear to be on the same vector
Location, location, adhesion. I’m averaging 10+ days and the key for me has been finding the right location and Skin-Prep (brand name) and at times a Hypafix tape overpatch.
We average around 13 days. But we have similar issues occasionally…also the permanent issue of the CGM never (hardly ever) being accurate for high highs and low lows.
We don’t use any adhesive on the bottom, only an overpatch on the top. We rotate right and left arm for Liam’s CGMs.
I am confused. My G6 sensor seems to be set by the software to last 10 days. I have not been measuring time between sensors, as I assumed that it was set at 10 days by the software.
So now I’m scratching my head and wondering whether I’m the only one who relies on Dexcom notifications (and mandates) to change my sensor. What am I missing?
@John58 - there have been several threads in the past on Dexcom sensor failures. I get the kind of behavior you described about 20% of the time - but for me it is only at the time of insertion - when the sensor will start normally and after about 6-8 hours will take a dive to the lowest ranges of blood sugar readings.
In previous threads, someone suggested that this was caused by ‘site trauma’ which resolved itself after a period - maybe 24 hours. I’ve had one that was knocked out for about 18 hours - I thought it was defective and Dexcom told me to remove it and sent me another one. I kept it in and eventually it recovered.
I haven’t had this happen at the end of the senor life though, so I don’t know if ‘site trauma’ is an adequate explanation for what you’re experiencing.
@bostrav59
I usually get the 10 days and I just use the receiver, so it warns me when a sensor will end.
I often try a restart especially if the sensor has been “good.” I dislike having to find a new location, I run out of places, and I dislike having to muddle through the initial wonkyness of a new sensor. So, I try a restart hoping to preserve the good “behavior” of a sensor. It doesn’t always work!
YES! I feel like mine have only been giving me good data consistently for about 9 days and then some (but not all) start to get very intermittent on me. So frustrating.
Sometimes my sensors become a bit erratic starting around day 7! And then once in a blue moon a sensor is very reliable through day 10 so I actually restart it. The inconsistency is annoying and is one reason I haven’t tried looping again.
Likewise for me. I am OK with a predictable sensor duration but the unpredictable behavior of these during day 8 and 9 is causing me to rethink everything. Unfortunately my pump choice, Omnipod 5, does not support Eversense CGM so I can’t switch CGM’s. I will muddle through and hope for some better G6 longevity…or I will start replacing sensors on Day 8 consistently if these issues persist.
I’m getting 10 days with good results. The current batch of sensors I’m using is about 9 months old, so might be different batch than what you are using.
My accuracy issues went away when I moved from placing the sensor on my abdomen to now using my arm.
I still trust but verify with a finger stick on readings that are way out of my normal range. So a 39 BS on dexcom would have prompted a finger stick.
I have found the same thing (arms seem to last longer than abdomen). But arms limit the “line of sight” placement choices for pods so I have been using abdomens a lot lately…maybe based on everybodys comments I will go to arm placements for a few sensors and see what happens. That linear 39 reading happened in the middle of an ice hockey game! I quit bringing my fingerstick meter out to the bench about 5 years ago so it was not an option…since I did not feel super low I went for the 45 grams of glucose gel and kept playing.
This is what we do also. If we have had a good 10 days with no issues, disconnects, noisy data, etc, then we restart the sensor and get as much “extra” time out of the new sensor session as we can get…usually two or three days extra. If there are any issues at all during the initial sensor session (there first 10 days), we just change it out with a new sensor.
I used to always get an average of 26 days. With a percent going into the 30 plus days. But lately I have been having more go around 14-16 days. Maybe as much as 50% only lasting 12-16 days. I have noticed that if the transmitter is expired or close to expiring I have more issues with the sensors not lasting. It’s possible in my case that older sensors don’t want to last as long as newer ones. I keep meaning to try the newer ones to see if that makes a difference, I just keep forgetting.
To restart a sensor:
Stop the sensor.
Use a test strip (some people suggest a guitar pick works well) to unhook the transmitter from the sensor.
Leave the transmitter out for ~20 min.
Put the transmitter back in the sensor and start it just like a new one. You can use either code or no code.
It goes through the same 2-hour warm up period.
You can also slip a test strip end the space at the narrow end of the sensor. This disconnects the sensor from the transmitter. It is a bit easier than tripping the latches if the strip is narrow enough to fit.
Remove the transmitter while the sensor stays on your arm,
use a Contour test strip, hairclip, thin card or guitar pick. I like a
guitar pick the best. There is a clip on both sides slip the pick etc
in between the sensor and the transmitter on both sides and the
transmitter will pop up . She explains how to pop it up from the end
Wait at least 15 minutes
longer is okay
Snap Transmitter back into the sensor
Start new sensor session using your original code
Using a strip might be easier for some, I still think removing the transmitter is just easier.
Here is a video using a strip to block the signal without removing the transmitter.
My sensors get wonkier the closer the transmitter gets to its death.
And if I place my sensors someplace that just happens to get too much pressure (under waistbands), then I get tons of false lows and signal loss.
Otherwise, my sensors have been lasting their typical duration for me. Do you think any of your hockey gear was squeezing the sensor area? Just curious.
The app or the receiver will give alerts as you approach 10 days. This is fine for people who get consistent data for 10 days. Some actually restart the sensors and get much more than 10 days. However, the issue of this tread is people who have data loss, failures and false readings starting on day 7, 8, or 9. The app or receiver is not telling us the sensor is expired. It is just not working correctly.
When it does this in the night, the alerts wake me up. Here’s a screenshot of my last sensor on day 9.
Notice the sudden drops into the low or urgent low and then a loss of data. Both the urgent low and than the loss of data generate an alert waking up the house. These lows are false and not caused by compression. I’ve had them occur while walking around.
Besides the loss of sleep, it plays Hell with my pump deliveries using C-IQ. And it causes raised eyebrows by my endo when he sees those lows and urgent lows which aren’t real.
Yes, we are too averaging only 8 days per sensor. every 90 days insurance fills 9 sensors. 6 of the last 9 haven’t made it 10 days. I spent yesterday submitting replacement requests to DEXCOM. We are 30 days from being able to refill.
