One of the things I have learned is that you have to always be thinking ahead. I know at some point, Dexcom will stop making the G6 and I will be forced to use the G7.
And yes, the G7 has already been added to the available Loop versions that are out there. But I looked at those, and I really dislike the new versions. They do not allow you to control your insulin duration like the older version I am using allows. (My version is based on FreeAPS.)
In addition to allowing total control of insulin duration, my own version has a bunch of other customization I have added to it, which I really like. So I wanted to stick with my own custom version.
Since FreeAPS has been sunsetted, I needed to do this myself.
I got the code from a new version of Loop and started pulling out the G7 code from it, and putting it into my version.
I am trying to get a G7 sensor so I can test it out. I won’t know if it works until I actually have a G7 sensor to insert and use. But at least it built okay and it looks like it has a chance of working.
@Mariethm, you are a gem! Thanks! That’s very kind of you and much appreciated.
I was looking online to see if I could get one black-market. I did not want to try and get a prescription yet, because that always screws things up.
Like your insurance approves the G7, and then you can’t switch back to the G6 without going through so much stuff with the insurance and prescription and all of that!
Thanks for your offer! I would love to get one to try!
Let me ask you a few questions about it. I have heard that you can actually silence the alarms on the G7 phone app. And I mean silence ALL alarms! Is that true?
I think that would be a wonderful feature. Possibly a reason for me to actually switch over to the G7, because I hate being in a quiet place like church or a movie and that non-sense alarm going off!
How is the G7 working for you? Do you like it better than the G6?
If the G7 works well with my Loop app, I would actually consider switching over to it before they stop making the G6.
On the down side for me, the BlueJay watch does not work with the G7. So that would be missed.
Yes, you can silence all alarms, or have them on vibrate, without having to go through each setting. That is actually a new feature; it seems like they’re updating the app quite often. G7 is way better than G6. More consistently accurate readings. The sensor failures are generally when it knows that its wrong and just gives up. Or when readings are out of the blue, like when I go out into the frigid weather and my BG plummets within minutes, it will assume that it is at fault, go to sensor error, then come back after a few readings. Alert bugs seem to be getting worked on constantly. Also, since I’m bad about rotating my hoard, I’ve used a couple newer ones, and they’ve made the hole in the overpatch a tiny bit bigger recently so it is much easier to put on.
Congrats! I think you are going to fall in LOVE with the G7. No more 2 pieces. No more 2 hour warm ups. You get 30 min warm ups instead. Much smaller and more discrete. When it works, it is much more accurate. I just can’t seem to get the G7 to last 10 days. But I was having similar issues on the G6 so it might just be my body chemistry. My arms are too oily to have the sensors stay on my arms, so I use my stomach like the G6 which Dexcom said is fine with approval of endo. Let us know how it goes!
I’ve been on the G7 since a little after it came out. I posted my initial review here way back when I first tried it. I’m very happy with it. The app is indeed more configurable. The sensor reads more accurately for me, and the warmup time plus 12-hr grace period at the end give me much-needed flexibility and improve my control. I’m still not thrilled with the applicator, mostly because I still find it hard to get very precise placement, but that’s a small complaint. Putting on the overpatch can also be fiddly but I have never had a sensor fall off despite my exercise regime. I would only go back to the G6 under duress.
I’ll send you one of each, underlined and not. Just in case they’re that different. (When I get them at pharmacy, they’re the new version. When replacements direct from Fedex, older.)
I appreciate the feedback from everyone. And Thanks @Mariethm for the sensors to test!
If I go with the G7 long-term, I will have to get a new receiver, since the G6 receiver does not work with it. (I prefer the receiver at night instead of the phone, because unlocking the phone at night when you are asleep is more of a pain.) And the BlueJay watch would go away, which sucks.
The 12 hour grace period sounds great though!
The smaller size would be helpful for travel. That is the thing about the G6 I hate the most. Trying to pack those things for travel is ridiculous!
So the smaller size of the G7 is a pretty big plus for me.
If I remember correctly, find a post by Marion (or whoever you need to send private message), click on her/their name, then select “Private Message.” I’m assuming you’ve already tried going on Loop’s Github page and looking at their code for the G7, compare to your own (that’s probably how you got as far as you have already, forgive a neophyte).
