FreeStyle Navigator System or DexCom 7

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Permalink Reply by jm on July 10, 2008 at 9:27am

I have the Dexcom for about 1.5 years now and the sensors have been lasting approx 14days...it is a useful tool for checking the trends and for sometimes checking my sugar level..i find that the meter has been off about 100-150 points 3-4 times per week...and i am thinking this is because of a couple of reasons,..i am triathlete and the sensor moving will cause problems,...but the strange thing is the sensor when i am on the bike, i am not using the stomach muscles and i think the sensor is not moving and i will see my readings on the Dexcom flatline for about 2 hours, and i check my sugar every 30minutes, and they are exactly what my Dexcom is saying...but then when i sleep, i must be moving my sensor, because i will see the readings go from 200 down to 100 and miss readings...and then i wake up and the Dexcom is not accurate with my finger stick....but then on some nights, i will see a good "trend value"...my personal opinion is that the guy that wrote the Algorithm for this Dexcom was not a diabetic...the good news is that in the near future you will be able to use your own BSmeter and insert the data by hand..this is supposedly coming soon for all Dexcom owners...another thing, i don't care what BSmeter you have, the allowable tolerance for BSmeters is +/-10%...so once your dexcom has been warmed up for 2 hours, i would take 3 finger sticks and average them myself and then plug that value in to calibrate the meter...i tried an experiment with AccuChek, OneTouch, and Keynote(supposedly a very accurate meter)...and all of these showed variance of greater than 10%...to me the Dexcom device is only good for trending or when i am in very stable and my meter is flat-lining(for example when i am driving or flying for business or in a long boring meeting...) then i will look at the meter and know my sugar level is probably +/- 20points of what the Dexcom is saying...

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Permalink Reply by Danny Weems on September 7, 2008 at 11:25am

I have been looking at the CGMS available. The Navigator looks good until I found out the price was $1500 for the receiver/transmiter and $500 for the sensors. Then the Dexcom 7. Wow! price was great, sensors (with resetting time) really good. I was ready to apply and fork over my hard earned money until I noticed the transmitter battery is non replaceable. $350 for a new transmiter was just too much to pay for a new battery. Who in their right mind would buy a glucometer that lasted only until the batteries died, forcing you to buy a whole new meter? Plus, I want to choose which meter I use for calibration.
Grrrrrrr, I just can't justify the expense. It will be out of my own pocket, so I just can't justify the "investment" at this time.

disapointed in Texas
danny weems

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Permalink Reply by Rickst29 on September 8, 2008 at 11:25am

Danny: they say that the "life" of the Transmitter is only 6 months, but my first one lasted for about 17 months. (And it was the 3-day version, which went "obsolete" before it died.) This was in 7x24 use. I'm now using the waterproof "upgrade", which I bought as a package (new receiver AND new transmitter AND a couple of Sensors.) So, in continuous usage since May, 2006, I have never replaced a worn-out Transmitter with the same model.

In fact, when I look at unhappy reports from Minimed users, the non-rechargeable Dexcom transmitter seems to be lasting longer than the rechargeable Minimed. Dexcom charges $350, you don't have to mess around with recharging it, and Minimed charges about twice as much.
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As to your second complaint: Dexcom has already released the software update to allow you to type in the callibration number from your meter, ANY meter, without a cable.
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BUT, I think you've come to the right conclusion: If the prospect of throwing $700 a year into the garbage can is too upsetting, then your diabetes case isn't DESPERATE enough to mess around with these flakey, unreliable, and expensive gadgets. Good for you, and keep up the good work!

BTW, I have a question for you: how many Sensors was Abbott going to give you for the $500 price?

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Permalink Reply by Lloyd on September 30, 2008 at 10:00am

I have the Navigator and have had great luck with it. It is usually within 5 points or less of my onetouch ultra 2 readings.

-Lloyd

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Permalink Reply by nilufer on June 8, 2009 at 2:16am

Hi,

I had rented the Freestyle for 5 days before I decided to purchase the Dexcom only due to its size, sensor longetivity and its connection with omnipod

Though the Dexcom 7+ is about to drive me mad! The ??? occurs every time I put on a new sensor sometimes for like 6 hours...though the dexcom manual does say you can insert it anytime in the evenings it is just a nightmare. I have had it more than a couple of times that the readings for off like by 150 points....which does scare and make you wonder if you have lost all your senses for feeling highs or lows!

So as a conclusion I would say the navigator seems much more reliable though I have had it only for 5 days

Hope this helps, meanwhile has anybody else had similar experiences on the dexcom like I have had...as I am a new user on to my 6th week now

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