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HUGE UPDATE: Dexcom G5 Three-Month Transmitter Battery Life

TorqPenderloin

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,599
Location
Texas
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Huge update on the Dexcom G5 Transmitter 3-Month Battery Life.

Contrary to what Dexcom told me, it looks like the G5 transmitter doesn't automatically shut off at a certain point.

My transmitter was activated on 9/24/15 which means today 12/24/15 was the 3-month anniversary.

Long story short, the Dexcom app just gave me this notification: "Your transmitter battery is low. The transmitter will stop working in about three weeks. Check your email inbox for more details."

I know many people were eager to know what happens and wanted to share this update as soon as it occurred. I'll update this thread with any additional updates as they come.
 
Nope and no emails yet. Side note- I also just installed a new sensor earlier today, too.
 
Very interesting. I am seriously considering self-funding a G5 and in the UK each transmitter is £350, so the longer they last, the better.
 
So it seems 112 days is the magic number, but it's still unconfirmed if the transmitter can be restarted or not after that.

The transmitter seems to have a 22 day "grace period" which was confirmed in my situation as well as 3-4 others. That equates to 112 days (90+22). (My receiver has a countdown that started at 22 days.)

However, it's still not confirmed if the transmitter can be restarted again to "reset" that clock or if it's a hard shutoff.
 
TorqPenderloin said:
However, it's still not confirmed if the transmitter can be restarted again to "reset" that clock or if it's a hard shutoff.
Click to expand...
I am afraid I am not understanding this. Could you elaborate on what you mean by a "reset" of the transmitter.

I assume you have already tried telling the Dexcom monitor that it's working with "new" stuff, yes? How did that go? Or is there some other type of transmitter "reset" you are considering?
 
John, not sure if you have the Dexcom G4 system, but on both the G4 and G5 there are three basic parts: receiver (handheld device), transmitter (sends the Bluetooth signal), and sensor(what's actually inside your skin.

The sensors will automatically stop after 7 days but you can reset them without having to replace with a new one. That's how people are getting 2-3 weeks out of a sensor.

The G5 transmitter is the big one in question. So far this is what I know: after 90 days, you get an alert that essentially says "low battery". Then a 22 day grace period starts to give you time to order a new one.

The unknown is around what happens at the 112day mark. We don't yet know if the transmitter shuts off for good at that point or if it can be restarted to use longer (similar to the sensors)
 
TorqPenderloin said:
The unknown is around what happens at the 112 day mark.
Click to expand...
Yes, I understand all of what you mentioned in your note. What is (still) not clear to me is precisely what you are thinking of when you talk about a reset.

Because you have not mentioned any other way of resetting a Dexcom I am assuming you have been referring to the 7 day receiver reset your described. But since you don't actually state this, I can't be sure.

I had assumed that at this point in time someone (you?) had already reached and passed the 112 (90 + 22) day point in the life of a G5 transmitter. Apparently either they/you have not or have not tried to perform the 7 day reset. Is that what you were talking about?
 
I seem to be further along in the lifecycle than anyone else I've talked to online.

At this point, I'm somewhere around day 100.

As far as my comments about the transmitter reset- Its still unclear if you can stop and then restart the transmitter to go past the 112 day window. No one (I've seen) has reached the 112 day point yet.

To answer your question, no. Im not aware of anyone that has tried to perform the (transmitter)reset.

Hopefully that answers your question. If it doesn't I must be still misunderstanding.
 
Update- my transmitter has now been replaced.

Yesterday, I received a final notification to replace the transmitter. The transmitter continued to function but only displayed the trend line graph (did not show the current reading). Technically, I could have worn in longer but the partial functionality was quite annoying.

Bottom line:
G5 transmitter- lasted me 104 days before losing partial functionality.

G4/G5 sensors- I still average about 10 days per sensor but could easily go longer if I needed to.

G5 receiver- I never use it. In fact, I don't even bring it with me even when I travel.

Don't freak out with the reading, it's in my/dL (divide by 18 for mmol/l)
 
Thanks for that information @TorqPenderloin. It puts the costs squarely in perspective for those of us that have to self fund.
 
Hi, you don't happen to have your used transmitter left? I would like to try to change the batteries and see if it will/could get re-activated.
I still have 2 months left on mine but I'm eager to try this on an expired one. Let me know if you have it and would like to "donate".
 
I do have my first transmitter, but plan to experiment with the same thing when I can eventually sit down and devote some time to it.

Unfortunately, the transmitter seems to automatically shut off so I'm skeptical that replacing the physical battery will do any good. My guess is that you'd need to somehow change the transmitter serial number or erase the serial number history to extend its useable life.

The other possibility is that the transmitter info is only stored in the receiver, and you might be able to "trade" transmitters with a friend in order to effectively get a longer life out of the system without buying a new transmitter.
 
Hi TorqPenderloin... really I agree with your words... a working transmitter (seven plus or g4) measure 20mv in the plates, easy to check. When batteries dies... this measure goes to 10, 5 or less, replace batteries and then you get 20mv again (and works fine)... but a "dead" G5 transmitter shows 20mv¡¡¡¡¡ and it´s dead. Then, seems a software shutdown.

Really, every step from Dexcom, it´s back (to us)... seven plus was better (a transmitter can last 3-4 years, in fact, I have one WORKING and not batteries replaced¡¡¡¡), then G4 with one year lifespan.... and now 3 months.... next... will be a transmitter for every sensor. This is terrible.

Regards
Pablo
 
This is a business, they need to sell as many units as possible to make money. Like the Freestyle Libre which is 14 days once your hooked you are in. We need to start thinking of these people more like the people that call you up and say you maybe entitled to PPI back.
Like Charlie and the Chocolate factory were is the money in the ever lasting gob stopper? Diabetes is big business as it says on this web site in the UK its over £13 billion.
 
They need to be careful however, the three month sensor was nearly a make or break in the decision to purchase a G5, while I am glad I did go for it, I still feel slightly robbed.

If they price themselves out the market, insurance companies will one day claim its not viable and self funding people would also be priced out. This then leaves the door open for the other CGM/ startup companies to get there foot in. They need to tread the line carefully.

Also in the UK we get shafted with inflated prices. Is it true that in the US you get two transmitters versus our one? There is no excuse for that one if that is the case.
 
ElkBond said:
Also in the UK we get shafted with inflated prices. Is it true that in the US you get two transmitters versus our one? There is no excuse for that one if that is the case.
Click to expand...
That is correct, but that seems to be an issue with the U.K. distributors rather than Dexcom.

The other issue is getting FDA approval and individual countries' approvals to license and market their products in other countries. It's not cheap to do that.

It's unfortunate how inflated the prices are, but it's just the basic economics of the healthcare system. Remember, we are still waiting on the Libre to get here and Freestyle submitted for FDA approval more than a year ago. Who knows if we will see it in the states anytime soon.
 
I sometimes think you work for Dexcom!


I am aware of approvals and fully understand and accept that the high price of medical devices is due to the millions spent to get them through approvals. Not an issue.

There is only one (licensed?) distributor in the UK and they are extremely friendly with Dexcom so it would be pretty easy to sort an issue like that. Anyway nothing we say will change the current situation, we in the UK pay more for everything compared to other countries, iphones, computers... The list goes on.

But as it goes can you put a price on it? Its made life so much more easier and worth its weight in gold.

Have you had any luck with bringing a transmitter back from the dead yet?
 
Hi
This is an interesting conversation. I agree with the opinion already stated that Dexcom have made a mistake with the 3 month transmitter life with a £350 replacement price tag. I have been using Dexcom self funded for some years but unfortunately this transmitter replacement cost puts the G5 out of my price range. Very interested to hear if anyone has managed to replace the battery in a used transmitter and then re-use that same transmitter?

Thanks
 
The earlier post from @pablodr shows it's not a battery issue. They are still showing 20mV across the contacts, which means that the software has shut the device down. In other words, even if you replaced the batteries, you may not be able to restart the device, unless replacing the batteries totally resets it. It may be that somehow software hacking is required. Maybe by trying to create a buffer overrun using the bluetooth comms.
 
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