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Medtronic 670G - Alarm Fatigue

D

DeputyDawg

Newbie
Messages
2
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
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!
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
DeputyDawg said:
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!
Click to expand...
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.
 
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