CGM advice please

[nmb264]

Hello

I am trying my hardest to get my diabetes under control (as we all are) and recently had a cgm from the hospital for a week. This was the first time i had used once since going on the pump last April and loved it.

As it inked to my pump and had alarms etc I thought best to look at self funding the same one I got from the hospital but it's about £500 just for the cgm and then £55 for the sensors. Is it worth it? It's the medtronic one I am looking at.

Thanks.

 

[Spiker]

It's worth it. My CGM gets my HBa1c, average blood glucose and standard deviation down very significantly. When I can afford to run it.

Mine is a Dexcom and you can "stretch" (re-use) the sensors say 2-4 times if you are careful, which really brings the cost down. But even then it's expensive.

 

[Flowerpot]

It depends what problems you are having with your control. The low suspend on the Medtronic is fantastic if you don't have any hypo awareness and it's what I rely on to keep me conscious. If you have hypo awareness but want a constant record of your glucose levels there are other methods that would work out cheaper if self funding. The Dexcom CGM users definitely get much longer extended use from sensors although you need a receiver to see the results or Animas Vibe pump. Also the Abbotts Libre shows you interstitial glucose results when swiped but doesn't alarm to predict hypos/hypers.

My Medtronic transmitter lasted 3.5 years before needing replacing but I have only managed to get a maximum of 7 days from each sensor. The benefits are fantastic, like @Spiker my HbA1c has reduced significantly and stayed there plus I haven't lost consciousness for a couple of years.

 

[tim2000s]

If you can't afford a cgm and don't need alarms or the link to your pump, the libre is a decent option, although it's worth reading the topic on the forum about these as its not all sunny.

 

[alexs]

Spiker any tips on how you manage to re-use your dexcom sensors more than twice as that is the most I have ever managed.

 

[DunePlodder]

I do pretty well with the sensors. My "secret" seems to be that my body tolerates the sensors better than average.
My worst sensor life was 18 days. My record is 49 days though I'll admit there were a few "???"s towards the end. I normally get 3 to 4 weeks. The only skin irritation I've had seemed to be caused by some Hypatape rather than the sensor, though I'd often used it before without problems.

It is important to keep the sensor firmly attached, you dont want it to move around. I use Skintac as the adhesive starts to lift. In the later stages I add the Hypatape but am thinking of trying some alternatives such as Tegaderm or IV300 which other people like.

Sometimes you can successfully Stop then Restart a sensor which seems to be dying & get a few more days out of it. As long as nothing is infected you have nothing to lose by trying it.

None of this is recommended by Dexcom of course!

 

[Chas C]

I use the Dexcom and get between 4 and 5 weeks normally. Rarely do I get the Dex failing on me but replace due to length of time its fitted to avoid infections etc.

I use Skintac to keep it on, paste it on first, let it dry then insert the sensor through the skintac - been doing this for over a year.

 

[alexs]

I follow the same pattern i.e. adding hypatape as the as the sensor adhesive starts to come loose but the average I get is about 11 days and the few times I have managed to reset it for start of week 3 it always fails that day. Obviously big savings to be made if I could get the average up to 20 days. This is the end of my first year with the Dexcom and still on my first transmitter which I thought was only going to be good for 6 months so that's a bit of a saving as well.

 

[CarbsRok]

To get the best life out of the sensors, I have found no 1 rule is do not get the tape wet.
I clean area for insertion, use skin tac on the tape going as close to the sensor as I can, wait until it goes tacky then place on arm. I then soak the tape on top with more skin tac and the surrounding area of skin. once that goes tacky I add some hydrofilm or tegaderm, (pre-cut) Making sure the film fits as close as can be to the transmitter so that when having a shower the tape underneath is nice and dry. I do change the film once a week and replace it.
The secret is to set the sensor in concrete so it doesn't move. Once movement starts you are on a hiding to nothing.
My last sensor went 47 days

 

[iHs]

To get the best life out of the sensors, I have found no 1 rule is do not get the tape wet.
I clean area for insertion, use skin tac on the tape going as close to the sensor as I can, wait until it goes tacky then place on arm. I then soak the tape on top with more skin tac and the surrounding area of skin. once that goes tacky I add some hydrofilm or tegaderm, (pre-cut) Making sure the film fits as close as can be to the transmitter so that when having a shower the tape underneath is nice and dry. I do change the film once a week and replace it.
The secret is to set the sensor in concrete so it doesn't move. Once movement starts you are on a hiding to nothing.
My last sensor went 47 days

How do you go about pulling the hydrofilm off the sensor if its stuck down with SkinTac? Do you use adhesive remover spray to pull it off without dislodging the sensor adhesive?

 

[CarbsRok]

How do you go about pulling the hydrofilm off the sensor if its stuck down with SkinTac? Do you use adhesive remover spray to pull it off without dislodging the sensor adhesive?

I make sure I peel off from the sensor out otherwise everything will lift

 

[nmb264]

Thank you for all the information. As I have a pump I don't really want to wear another device which I think you do with the dexcom?

The Medtronic minlink just suited me when I borrowed it from the clinic but it's very very expensive.

 

[Spiker]

Thank you for all the information. As I have a pump I don't really want to wear another device which I think you do with the dexcom?

You don't need another device if your pump is an Animas Vibe. And even if not you don't need to 'wear' another device, as the Dexcom receiver is wireless.

 

[crashinduction]

Spiker, what do you reckon it costs you then per year/month. I presume you self fund? I tried one for 4 weeks and thought it was amazing.

 

[Spiker]

Hmm sure there must be some threads around here about the costs. One of the Freestyle Libre threads had some pretty good comparisons of costs of Libre vs Vibe vs other CGMs.

Have a look if you can find the thread if not I will dig around.

 

[CarbsRok]

Spiker, what do you reckon it costs you then per year/month. I presume you self fund? I tried one for 4 weeks and thought it was amazing.

If it's a stand alone device you want then give Advanced Therapeutics a ring they provide the Dexcom. Sensors though you can make last a lot longer than 7 days. Dexcom is the only make that allows this to happen though.
I see you have a pump.
If you have a pump that can be integrated with a CGM then it's a lot cheaper obviously as the receiver is already built into the pump.
If you have the Vibe let me know and I will happy to provide my costing's in that dept.
Medtronic users hopefully will assist you regarding the Enlite sensors.

 

[tim2000s]

When I did the maths, it was £1300 to get set up then £256 for every pack of four sensors after that. Depending on the life you get from a sensor, this may be £256 per month or £256 for four months. I estimated it to be three months, but others have made the sensors last longer than this. Your mileage may vary.

I worked on a three month estimate for sensor packs, 18 months for the transmitter and 24 months for the receiver. On this basis I estimated the monthly cost to be around £130-£140 per month.

 

[alexs]

I have just done my first year, average sensor 12 days, transmitter lasted 12 months and receiver still going so the cost has been £3000

 

[CarbsRok]

I have just done my first year, average sensor 12 days, transmitter lasted 12 months and receiver still going so the cost has been £3000

Wow more practice in the art of keeping sensors up and running is needed

 

[lockforward]

thanks everybody most informative.