Medtronic 670G - Alarm Fatigue

[DeputyDawg]

Hi everyone! First post here! T1 Diabetic here for 30 years.

I've been using the Medtronic 670G and sensor for 5-6 years. What started as a minor irritation with alarm fatigue has become a full-on problem for me; considering my HBA1C is close to perfect, its alarm rings relentlessly through the night. According to my Fitbit, for about a quarter of the week, I sleep around two hours a night, and even that is interrupted. Not only has it affected me mentally quite severely at this point, I was so exhausted driving to work the other day that I almost crashed my car. I've admittedly put off seeking help for a while. Still, while waiting for my endocrinology appointment, I wondered if anyone else who may have suffered from this has any pointers. I slept much better when I turned off the sensor. Still, I wonder if that will affect my medical insurance in any way for getting supplies or a new pump, as when I have to apply for things, I'm frequently asked if I wear a sensor or how many times a day I test.

Any help is appreciated! Thank you!

 

[Juicyj]

Heya @DeputyDawg The alarms are a nightmare... I am on Tandem Slim and Dexcom so get alarms for high/low, when insulin levels are running low, when sensor is expiring, transmitter needs replacing, if I didn't complete a bolus etc etc, and I get them on both the pump and on my phone, I have to admit night time isn't a problem as my pump keeps me in range during the night, but I urge you to call Medtronic and try and work out a solution - I have turned my phone on silent during the night and have my BG ranges set outside the normal parameters to give myself a big buffer against the alarms, but despite this wonderful technology they can be energy zapping, your not alone.

 

[DeputyDawg]

Thanks @Juicyj ! I appreciate the advice. I adjusted my highs to about 280 at night, and I've been fine for the last few days; if it has gone up, it will return to normal by the time I wake up. I'm still having problems with lows, though, for some reason, I'm going low a few hours into sleeping quite regularly. I've tried ignoring the alarm and letting it sort itself out, but it never does. I'm already seeing an improvement, though.

 

[Justin04]

How old is your transmitter? I know a few months ago I was being woken several times a night, sugar was apparently spiking and dropping yet I didn’t feel it. Couldn’t work it out and Medtronic replaced my transmitter that wasn’t all that old and haven’t had a drama since.

 

[Prancy]

Hi everyone! First post here! T1 Diabetic here for 30 years.

I've been using the Medtronic 670G and sensor for 5-6 years. What started as a minor irritation with alarm fatigue has become a full-on problem for me; considering my HBA1C is close to perfect, its alarm rings relentlessly through the night. According to my Fitbit, for about a quarter of the week, I sleep around two hours a night, and even that is interrupted. Not only has it affected me mentally quite severely at this point, I was so exhausted driving to work the other day that I almost crashed my car. I've admittedly put off seeking help for a while. Still, while waiting for my endocrinology appointment, I wondered if anyone else who may have suffered from this has any pointers. I slept much better when I turned off the sensor. Still, I wonder if that will affect my medical insurance in any way for getting supplies or a new pump, as when I have to apply for things, I'm frequently asked if I wear a sensor or how many times a day I test.

Any help is appreciated! Thank you!

I use a Medtronic 670G and have for five years. Until a few months ago, I had a lot of alarm issues, especially during the night, but that has almost stopped completely. I‘m not sure exactly why, except that I went into Automode. It really has helped bring my A1C down 11 points in 3 months! I was still getting low once during the night, even on auto mode, but fixed that by having a 15 carb snack before bed. I used to run high too much. I’m so pleased with the way it’s working now, that I’m probably going to get the 780G soon.

My sensor updating notifications almost disappeared! I have no idea why. I’m using a super old transmitter, but it’s working well.

I have been super careful with carb counting and have lost 21 pounds, but I’m not sure how that matters. I’m not doing super low carb, just moderate.

I was so frustrated with the 670 at one time that I was depressed and livid. I’m grateful something changed. I wish I knew how it happened. I hope things turn around for you. I’ll just say there is hope for brighter days. Hang in there.