Yeah it says that I have to pay for them!
If you have to pay for the Medtronic CGM, then all the more reason to make sure you get your money's worth when you use it!
With the Enlites I use in the US, there is 180 days between the date of manufacturer on the box and the day the sensors are as dead to Medtronic (aka the expiration date). The warranty period for the transmitter is 1 year.
I am assuming, but
actually do not know, that the same periods apply in the UK.
The Transmitter:
My (US) experience is that Medtronic automatically starts the transmitter warranty clock ticking on the day they
ship your transmitter to you.
However ... there is a fudge factor which I advise you to pursue.
I learned that Medtronic will adjust the start of the warranty date for the transmitter if you can prove to them that you started to use it later than what they have on record. One obvious way is to point them towards the UPS or FedEx or whomever's shipping record and ask them to use the delivery date, not the shipping date as the warranty start.
In my case there was period of two weeks or so before I was trained. I did not start using the transmitter until after this training. I was able to prove when the training was via an email I had received from my trainer scheduling the appointment . I was able to use that to have my warranty start date adjusted.
This was important in my case because my transmitter died. I tested it and it failed to pass Medtronic's diagnostic tests. When I called this in to their HelpLine, it was only one day before the
adjusted end of warranty date.
If I had not been able to move the end of warranty date, then the transmitter would have been out of warranty & I would have been out of luck and forced to obtain a new transmitter on my own.
But since I had updated the warranty end date, Medtronic overnighted me a replacement transmitter under warranty.
If you are paying for this out of your own pocket, I encourage you to get those warranty dates sorted while you still have proof at hand for when the transmitter was first used. In particular, if your consultant is holding off on your CGM and you have not actually started using it, then get your transmitter warranty date moved out to when you actually are trained and start to use it.
The Enlite Sensors:
The expiration dates for the sensors are important because if you do not get a full six days of use out of a sensor you can call this in to Medtronic and they should replace it for you at no charge. They'll want you to ship back the "bad" sensor in exchange for the replacement/RMA one.
Calling it in is typically tedious because you have to walk them through the failure. But, to repeat, if you are paying for this yourself, then it pays to do this, no?
With all my other meds I tend to build up a small "cushion" of extras. I like to be slightly ahead of my needs so that if "life happens" I won't end up forced off the pump because I ran out of supplies.
But the time before the expiration date to use a sensor is short. Usually when I get "new" box of sensors there is only about 4 months (or even less!) left before that box "dies".
So I have learned to not try to "cushion" my supply of Enlites. I try to run closer to empty with them. There is simply no advantage to buying ahead of time. Something closer to an old school "just in time" approach is a better fit IMO.
Currently I am trying to keep
at most one open, partially used Enlite box plus one unopened box in the house at the same time. I reorder one box at a time and do so only when I have two or three unused Enlites left.
One final note. You
can (maybe) extend the time you use an Enlite beyond six days. The sensor will be out of warranty if you do this, but if you can get more than six days use out of an Enlite, you will help lower your average cost. But if you are able to do this it is another reason why you would not want to keep "too many" Enlites in your home storage.
Oh. One additional "final" note. You can still use expired sensors. No, you can't get replacement support for them from Medtronic. But just because the date says they are expired does not mean they won't work at all. Something to consider asking the staff of your consultant about. If they happen to have ostensibly "expired" Enlites on hand and are willing to give them to you, that can also cut down on your total cost. When it comes to CGM, my feeling is any little bit can help, no?