Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Andy on March 30, 2011 at 8:31am

Calibrating the Dexcom is a fun game isn't it? I think we all do it differently but here's my take on it, which I have found to be very accurate, and I've been using this for a little over a year now. When I start it up, I take one BG reading, and if that number seems to be accurate, than I put that in twice. I believe the only reason why Dexcom asks for two is to make sure that your BG meter is being reasonably accurate. Putting in two very different numbers like 5.8 and 8.2 will only throw it off, and might even ask for another calibration right then. It sounds like your meter had an issue if 2 readings were similar and one was much higher.

As for the 12 hours, I just ignore those. I've tried all sorts of things, and overall the most accurate numbers come from when I put in very few calibrations, usually about 5 a week. I only calibrate when I know my sugars are fairly level too, since putting one in when you are rising or falling just throws it off because the Dexcom will be delayed.

I know it might sound counterintuitive to put in calibrations less frequently, but it works for me much better than the first few weeks of use when I was following Dexcom's directions. I just tested BG and checked the Dexcom which I haven't calibrated since about 24 hours ago, and it's just a few points off, as usual. I keep hearing that people still test ~5-10 times a day to make sure, but I find that rather pointless. Even if the Dexcom is "having a bad day" it still always gets the trends right for me. This past year has been a great new freedom to not have to test my fingers all the time, and my a1cs just keep going down - last was 5.3%.

Permalink Reply by Sandy Palmer on April 6, 2011 at 6:20am

Andy, what you say here I found to be true for mine as well. I haven't had the privledge of being on the 7+ as it was all self pay for me and evtl I couldn't afford it any longer. :o( My sugars have been all over the place so I 'm thinking about getting started back up again. What are the out of pocket? Thanks

Permalink Reply by Kelly WPA on April 6, 2011 at 6:41am

Sandy, the last I saw anyone post, Dexcom charges $325 for a box of 4 sensors. Keep in mind that most people get more than 7 days – that doesn’t mean you will though! They have had several programs going that you could get the system plus 4 sensors for about $1k. I just looked and American Diabetes Wholesale has it for $956.80 and sensors for $349.99. You can get them cheaper from them if you sign up for the auto ship program.

Permalink Reply by Sandy Palmer on April 6, 2011 at 7:21am

I used to get an average of 14 days out of my Seven. I know the prices weren't any cheaper for me back then for self pay but maybe they have changed it. I will call them and ask.

Permalink Reply by KevinS on April 28, 2011 at 10:56am

How do you get more than 7 days out of your Dexcom? Mine goes dead when it expires after 7 days

Permalink Reply by Kelly WPA on April 28, 2011 at 11:09am

All you have to do is hit restart and it starts up like a new sensor. As long as you are using good tape and the adhesive is not pulling out, it should work OK.

Permalink Reply by Andy on April 6, 2011 at 6:44am

Call Dexcom and ask. They have different pricing if you pay cash instead of through insurance, and I would assume wholesale programs are still adding markup as well. When they thought my insurance expired, the bills sent for sensors was much less than what insurance was quoting.

Permalink Reply by MarcusD on May 9, 2011 at 11:44am

I'm going through some of the same issues with this. I enjoy everyone's comments, and appreciate everyone sharing.

One quesiton I do have though.. Am I correct in assuming that even though you aren't 'calibrating' the Dex very often, you still check your FSBS before meals and boluses? Right?

Permalink Reply by Andrew Ortolano on May 9, 2011 at 12:07pm

I do not. Once the Dexcom is dialed in (which typically takes 2-3 days) and reporting generally accurate results, I bolus for meals based on the Dexcom readings, and don't take a fingerstick reading unless the Dexcom's reported BG looks suspicious to me, or it's time for one of the twice-daily calibrations. During the first couple days of a new Dexcom sensor, I check my BG 7-10 times a day; once the Dexcom is reporting reliable numbers, that drops to maybe 3-4 times a day.

Permalink Reply by jims on May 9, 2011 at 12:38pm

I find the comments here surprising.

I find I need to do about 4 tests a day an dmore when the dexcom seems to be hovering too long on a value that should have changed..

Once in a blue moon even if - "accurate" does not cut it and in fact the 4 times a day keeps the Dexcom on target.and tracking good with handheld.

The joy of responsive interstitial tissue on small bodies.

Long as I am getting lots of exercise machine tracks better. Gut had the worst where the gut was miles off from the fingertips. Fingertips could be 240 while gut was humming along at 160.

Permalink Reply by Rebecca on March 30, 2011 at 8:34am

When I enter calibrations I use the same finger prick for both (you just need to make sure you get enough blood to do two, which isn't usually a problem for me!). If I get two start up tests that are more than about 20 points apart I usually do a third and then put the two closest in. That helps avoid mis-calibration. Also, if I put in a blood glucose and then realize that it was a bad test I've found it can usually be fixed by 2-4 correct calibrations at 10-15 minutes apart. You don't want to feed it to many numbers but if it's off you do definitely want to correct it (it doesn't do you any good to have wrong numbers!) If it's reading correctly there's no real reason to do it more often though. And don't worry to much about the calibration fluid, I think most of us miss the normal calibration recommendations! If you're worried you can call the meter company though and order a new bottle of the stuff to see if it's still working right.

Permalink Reply by Andrew Ortolano on March 30, 2011 at 8:43am

My experience is a little different than Andy's - your mileage may vary.

I always do the double fingerstick as Dexcom suggests, for the plain reason that I don't want to calibrate my Dexcom using an inaccurate fingerstick reading. I take readings from different hands. Then, if the two readings are more than 10mg different, I take a third, and enter the two closest readings, discarding the third as an error.

In your case, I definitely would have taken a third reading, because one of your two was way off - possibly due to a bad strip, a bit of rubbing alcohol or food on one of your fingers (false high), maybe one of your hands was wet (which would provide a false low). Since your startup readings were so far apart, I might suggest restarting this sensor.

During the first 24-36 hours of a new sensor, I enter a calibration before eating, 2 hours after, and 2 hours after that. What I find is that, during the first 24-36 hours, the Dexcom may exaggerate trends. For instance, it might report that my bg has gone from 80 to 200, when in reality it's gone from 80-150. So, at that peak, I enter a correction/calibration. Then, when the postprandial high is wearing off, the Dexcom may report that my bg has fallen from 150 to 30, when in reality it's only fallen from 150 to 90, so - again - at the bottom of the trend, I enter a correction calibration. 

In general, I try to only enter calibrations when the Dexcom is reporting that my bg is level; entering a correction during a rise or fall practically guarantees inaccuracies. And, keep in mind, that Dexcom recommends against entering more than one calibration in a 15-minute span after the initial startup.

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