CGM accuracy- any tips?

It would help to know which CGM you were given, and when in doubt I think it would be better to give your DSN a quick call rather than waste a week's CGM time.

but the pump doesn't alter the results based on what my meter says so what's the point in calibrating at all?

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I think you completely missed what calibration means in this context: What we are mainly interested in are blood glucose levels, which we usually measure by pricking fingers and taking a capillary blood sample. CGMs work differently and measure sugar levels in interstitial fluid instead - by "calibrating" how the actual blood glucose relates to interstitial fluid measurements, allowing it to estimate BG levels.

This process can take up to a day (considerably longer if you screw up callibration tests - having BG change too much near calibration tests renders the result useless). If the problem persists for another day, I would definitely suggest you contact your DSN/consultant.

It is possible to connect insulin pumps to CGMs, but I don't think it would really help if you only have the CGM for a week.

Hi Lilyfleur

I use Enlite sensors and often find approximately the first 6 hours give me a bigger difference between interstitial glucose levels and blood glucose. It then usually settles down and is pretty accurate after that increasingly so the longer the sensor has been working.

If the difference in glucose meter and CGM readings are vastly different you will get a calibration error message after which the sensor warms up again for a short period. I haven't had many of those but usually it resets at a more accurate level. If the accuracy doesn't improve and you can't contact your DSN I would give Medtronic a ring as they have helped me out with sensor problems before. I hope you get better accuracy from it soon.

I've never seen a Dexcom G4 sensor be out by 6 mmol/L even right out of the box. 2 maybe, in extreme cases 3, but not 6. The calibration is pretty smooth and seems to get progressively better over the first 24 hours and then continue improving for the first few days. In the first 6 hours I would definitely be taking the reading with a pinch of salt, but

BIG BUT

You are never supposed to make any treatment decisions on a CGM reading. Always use a fingerstick reading to calculate any insulin dose. This is important!

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