Dexcom G6 Day 1

ZaraSophia said:

Hi, I’m trying the Dexcom on the month trial and am not sure what I think. Once the sensor warmed up after the 2 hour period it automatically alerted me to being low so I took glucose. It kept saying I was low but I knew I’d had glucose so I took an actual blood glucose to double check. My BG was 5.9 yet the Dexcom said I was low. After 10 mins it said it was 5.9 and rising so felt a little more reassured but just wondered if this is normal? Is the glucose reading it takes instant as if so, mine is either totally out or my BG machine is wrong?

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I'm trying the Freestyle Libre cgm (just two days in), so will watch your post with interest. I had to create a spreadsheet and model to calibrate mine. It's reading higher than my Freestyle Lite which always matches my blood tests. I used three data points and modelled it on a quadratic so I have a conversion formula as the difference was 4 points in the higher range, two in the midrange and 3.3 in the lower range.

Hi @ZaraSophia it takes a day for the G6 sensor to settle in so best not to act on readings unless confirmed by your BG meter.

I’ve been using the G6 for around 10 months now, I much prefer it to the Libre as it’s more accurate and not a flash sensor, also if you use the clarity app with it then you get information about patterns which can help you correct your insulin ratios, I use mine alongside my pump so can really drill down into problem areas like overnight highs and keep my control very tight.

ZaraSophia said:

Hi, I’m trying the Dexcom on the month trial and am not sure what I think. Once the sensor warmed up after the 2 hour period it automatically alerted me to being low so I took glucose. It kept saying I was low but I knew I’d had glucose so I took an actual blood glucose to double check. My BG was 5.9 yet the Dexcom said I was low. After 10 mins it said it was 5.9 and rising so felt a little more reassured but just wondered if this is normal? Is the glucose reading it takes instant as if so, mine is either totally out or my BG machine is wrong?

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Hi l had both but do prefer the g6.. you can also calibrate the g6 but not the libre.. l have gone for the subscription

ZaraSophia said:

trying the Dexcom on the month trial and am not sure what I think.

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Hi, Zara, cgm are wonderful devices, but they are not "plug and play". It takes a few months to figure out how they work.

I'd recommend reading on kindle books like:

Sugar Surfing by Stephen Ponder

Beyond Fingersticks by William Lee Dubois

Pumping Insulin by John Walsh

Those books all make the point that cgm is good, but only if you can learn the ways they explain of making it good by calibrating it well, doing a "reality check" against things like where you expect to be against your last bg, bolus, carbs, exercise, etc. instead of just reading the number st face value, and understanding when to "trust" your cgm and when not to.

Sort that stuff out, especially being able to identify when not to trust it, and it'll pay back very well, even though cgm of any type has flaws.

I've used the Libre, G5 and now G6.

The G6 is miles ahead of the other two, especially with accuracy, and even after a year I still cross check low alarm readings as a matter of course. The upside is that I have such a good understanding of how Type 1 works with me, how my diet and exercise affect my blood sugars, that I rarely go low. I do still take a random finger prick test to satisfy myself all is well and correct.

The other thing to remember is that the G6, like the G5 and Libre, uses interstitial fluid for it's measurements and the reading you see at any point is actually what was happening ten to fifteen minutes ago. A finger prick is reading now, so to speak.

Continuous CGM is one of the best things that have happened for diabetics.

Hope this helps.