Thats always possible with the abdomen placements…I am now on upper arm so time will tell if things improve. When my waistbands or pads have squeezed/rubbed a sensor in the past it has caused enough movement to kill the sensor and pull it off, I don’t remember any that went sort of wonky and then continued working, it seems like the hockey abuse on the sensors is an all or nothing situation.
In the long run we come out OK with Dexcoms easy replacement policy…use a sensor for 8 days and get a replacement that might go for 8 to 10 days or more. It gets tedious dealing with bad sensors every 8 days but Dexcom is good at shipping replacements out quickly. Here’s the form in case you don’t have the online form, no phone call required: Product Support Request (custhelp.com)
We definitely have more wiggle room now that we are refilling 90 days vs 30 days. But the past 6 months we had a hideous amount of failed sensors. Of course my 12 YO is at least independent enough to change her pods and sensors as needed (which I’m very grateful for) but when she puts on the last sensor, it can leave me scrambling to check Clarity and start counting failures. Maybe it’s time to show her how to fill out that replacement form.
If my sensors don’t last the full 10 days…I’m talking about even 1 minutes shy of 10 days, I call and get a replacement. I’ve never had issues. If you advertise 10 days, 10 days is what I expect for tech that’s so expensive. Not a minute less.
@Mel529 If you’ve tried Dash and liked it and then moved to the O5, I wonder if trying an AID system using Dash would be to your liking. You’re obviously familiar with the Dash settings and it sounds like you’re relatively technically savvy, so something like Loop might be feasible for you. There are several versions available: one using Omnipod Eros with an Orange/Riley link and easily downloaded Loop program. Another, Loop-dev, is the same program but still being worked on (will be Loop Version 3 sometime in the foreseeable future), works with Omnipod Dash and an iPhone (no Orange/Riley Link), but you need to use a Mac to build the program yourself (there’s a script that walks you thru the download and build process that almost does it for you, but there more steps and you can customize it with various add ins if desired. The Loop-dev works with the G6 and G7 now. There are also versions called AAPS, FreeAPS, and FreeAPS X that work with Android phones, but again they are build yourself. With the later versions, there’s no PDM to carry in addition to a phone, the phone serves that purpose. You still need to enter a bolus for meals, though there is an almost completed mod in development that prompts for missed boluses; all versions have their own set-able/suppresable alarms. There are “follow” apps available the provide for remote bolusing, etc., so you can monitor and have your own alarms set separately from your daughters. Note: the apps will NOT resolve a Dexcom failure to connect, but the alarms of the primary and follow apps would advise your daughter, and if her’s is turned off, your follow app of the situation your present. I’ve been using Loop-dev since April and it’s been a “game changing” experience well worth my efforts and learning curve. IF this is appealing to you, check out https://loop.zulipchat.com/, LoopDocs, and https://www.loopandlearn.org/ for further information. I think it might be a solution to your liking, but the other advice you get here on FUD is well worth your time as well!
At first I thought you were speaking greek then I remembered back to all those Vandy education classes and a nurse was talking about the growing genre of parents creating looping software to run medtronic pumps. With the knowledge I have now, compared to how absolutely ignorant we were concerning anything diabetic back then, I remember thinking - Uh no thank you I don’t need that level of pressure. Apparently it was such a frightening idea I completely allowed it to leave my memory. It’s amazing what 3 short years of chasing after ‘correct’ numbers can change a person’s perspective about a topic. I’m going to have to give this some investigative time over the upcoming school break. You may just have given me a way to quit my job
My son’s G6 sensors as of late seem to last only about 7-8 days before becoming completely inaccurate or giving sensor errors, readings without arrows, false lows, etc. As a user of the Omnipod 5 as well which delivers or suspends insulin based on CGM readings, I don’t even wait any more before telling him to stop the sensor and pull it off as the fear of what happened during your hockey game is enough to push me to call Dexcom tech support each and every time. I told the last guy on the phone that I felt bad about calling every week to say it only lasted 7 days again, and he kind of laughed and told me not to worry about it…I honestly can’t remember the last time one lasted the full 10 without issues.
Having a similar problem with the ‘new’ Libre3. Suposed to last 14 days, but every one I’ve had (about 6 so far), has started to give me low glucose warnings (below 55) at around day 11 (‘corroborating’ finger sticks show 75 -85), and I have yet to have one last the full 14 days before total failure and necesary replacement. Very annoying, especially at the price they cost on my plan. Still, IMHO, better than the Libre2, which never worked well for me (while the prior Libre 14 day never presented a problem). Don’t know if it’s declining QC or the tech is still catching up with itself.
So,read this thread last month identifying with the problem. Know all three sensors in my last box had the problem of false dives down followed by no readings for 20-30 minutes. Two were bad enough took off and had replaced on 8th or 9th day, 3rd probably should have. Had had the problem before a few times in recent months. I think it was worst when transmitter low.
But this month’s box seems fine, no such problem at all, so far, am on 3rd. I’d been used to sensors working well on me, no calibration usually needed, use lower abdomen, not on waist, keep pump (t-2) close. Hoping, hoping this will continue
I didn’t have false dives, but all three sensors in my last box consistently read about 2 mmol higher after Day 3 or 4, despite calibrations, and I ended all three sessions early. But I’m halfway through the first sensor out of a new box and it’s behaving perfectly well.
You’d think I’d be used to this by now…just happened again. For some reason when the sensor errors out on Day 8 it still comes as a surprise. Dexcom has definitely lowered their manufacturing standards at least based on my anecdotal sampling. The guy with the excel spreadsheet who figured out how to save $0.05 per sensor by cheapening them up probably got a decent sized bonus. So we patients just deal with it by requesting replacements, the payers don’t care, who knows if the FDA cares. Maybe my standards are too high, I keep expecting the next sensor to actually last 10 days. If Eversense would communicate with any pumps I would switch over in a heartbeat.
Yesterday I had a sensor start crapping out on me a day early, so I took it out a few hours early. Started the next sensor and it immediately gave me wrong numbers (read LOW when I was 140). Then after about 2 hours I needed to sleep so put in a new one. The needle didn’t retract so I had to bang on it with my hand and it eventually came off. Seems to be working ok, 12 hours later, shockingly. I’m so annoyed with Dexcom recently after using them for almost 10 years.
It’s the old normal; 95% of sensors last 10 days. This is somewhere in the manual. So the chance of getting past 9.5 days on average is zero.
There’s no magic here and no conspiracy (sorry to repeat myself); 1 in 20 sensors will fail before the Dexcom end of life. In countries (country?) where we have to battle for every sensor that means we have to report the thing to Dexcom and get a replacement every time a sensor fails.
95% is a routine number used by scientists for statistics. It’s not a routine number used by engineers for reliability, but apparently Dexcom want to be scientists not engineers. Don’t blame Dexcom:
That would be acceptable. Some 50% sensors start failing at 7 days, with ever increasing problems by days 8 and 9 approaching a failure rate of 95%. I have had 1 sensor last 10 days in the last 6 months. That one I restarted and got 4 days before it crapped out.
I try to grin and bear getting 9 days only reporting and getting a replacement about every 5 sensors. This has built out a surplus.
You would think Dexcom has noticed an uptick in reporting of bad sensors… maybe that’s why they made the online portal easy to use to request new ones. I can’t wait for G7 (as long as it quickly is compatible with the Tandem pump)!
Certainly 95% is not an acceptable standard for medical devices.
My most recent sensor experience had me finally giving up on the sensor after about 18 days - I reused it but then it began a slow process of failing, where it just limped along on the bottom of the bg range - occasionally completely giving up but mostly just running around 60 or 70. It was a bit unnerving to get some consistently wrong, but plausible, readings from the CGM.
I am not complaining about this batch, just observing - as I got a really long life out of this particular sensor before it finally gave up.
It’s easy to imagine the kinds of problems that will arise when people over-trust their sensor readings. And of course these problems will result in an inaccurate A1C reading if you rely on your CGM to generate an A1C.
At what point will it become a significant potential legal liability?
Apparently it was such a frightening idea I completely allowed it to leave my memory. It’s amazing what 3 short years of chasing after ‘correct’ numbers can change a person’s perspective about a topic. I’m going to have to give this some investigative time over the upcoming school break. You may just have given me a way to quit my job 
