Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by barbraann on March 6, 2012 at 2:36pm

Interesting how many people have cut back on testing with their Dex. I am still testing 10 times a day! sometimes it's right on and sometimes it can be off by 20,30 or 40pts. and to take a bolus with that kind of difference is a little scary for me.

Permalink Reply by Jgos on March 8, 2012 at 2:06pm

I am interested in the number of times you guys are finger pricking to test when wearing the Dex. On Navigator I only calibrate 3 times in 5 days. It's very accurate. Is it because the Dex is not giving a true reading sometimes ??

Permalink Reply by DEA on March 8, 2012 at 4:28pm

The Dexcom 7 Plus asks you to calibrate twice a day. My educator said she does it 3 times a day. Any time I have reported very "off" readings (anywhere from 40 to 100 off a finger stick BG), I have been told that the solution is to "calibrate more."

I miss my Navigator.

Permalink Reply by dale on March 10, 2012 at 2:04pm

Most of you have had the opod and then recently gotten the Dex. I have had it in reverse. When I got my Dex in 11/10 I loved only testing twice a day. Then I started realizing how on the first day and last day the Dex can be "off" by quite a margin of error. The reason I stayed with it was the trending. However Since starting opod just this week, I am testing before every meal (which I wasnt doing with Dex alone, upon waking, after meals and before bed. I am testing at least 10 times a day. I seem to be back to where I was before Dexcom. How are you ladies and gents getting away with only testing a couple of times a day with opod? I feel at this point other than trending, Dex is redundant.

Permalink Reply by Jgos on March 10, 2012 at 4:41pm

DEA - I think that unless people have used the Navigator, it's difficult to fault the Dex. But being a constant user of the Nav and using all the options - hi to low sensitivity settings, desk to hard endurance cycling. It is versitile and covers all my issues and prevents the "falling off" issues. The inclusion of the Omni for the past year and the ability to take bolus down by 75% for the 6 hour ride but bolus at the same time is fantastic. I don't know why Abbott have dropped the ball and only hope they have a long term plan. Ie many more users on the Dex, then sell to the established user base ??

Permalink Reply by DEA on March 10, 2012 at 6:05pm

If they had a long term plan, I think they lost a lot of ground in it by, essentially, paying people to use a different product when they bought back the Navigators. On the Nav, my BG readings would be within 10 points of my finger stick, and usually right on the button. With the Dexcom, it's sometimes right on, sometimes wildly off. I really miss the kind of consistency I had with the Navigator. I guess, though, that the Dexcom is better than nothing, especially for early warnings about rapid drops.

Permalink Reply by smileandnod on March 9, 2012 at 10:16am

I'm going on OmniPod in 4 days (finally!!). I've been using a Dexcom since September and would never give it up.

Using a Dex has almost completely eliminated lows for me because of the ability to see the trend line. If I'm trending down, that's my cue to be more alert and finger stick more often to avoid a low. It works.

Yes, sometimes the readings are spot on and sometimes it's a little off, but it's saved me more times than I can count in the middle of the night from both highs and lows.

I am also hypo unaware and have a tendency to drop fast, so the Dex has been a lifesaver for me.

I still test with a meter just as often as I did before (10-12 times per day). I made the mistake early on of treating or correcting based on the cgm and that can result in a rollercoaster ride...been there, done that, not again. Always fingerstick before treating or correcting.

Permalink Reply by Betty on March 9, 2012 at 11:53am

Started on dexcom back in 2008. Before pumping with the pod, and it is amazing the difference it can have in your day to day life. Pods are wonderful, but the CGM is a lifesaver. Literally IMO.

Permalink Reply by Lindsay on March 10, 2012 at 10:26am

I just changed from medtronic to Omnipod Yesterday.. The Dexecom I have been using for over three years and LOVE it... it is annoying at times... especially in the middle of the night..., but without it I would never have survived my pregnancy with a 5.2 A1c. It's weird having two things taped to my body now.., but it beats the wire that came with medtronic.

Permalink Reply by dale on March 10, 2012 at 2:05pm

Yes, my husband and dog are not good friends with middle of the night Dexie!

Permalink Reply by KevinS on March 19, 2012 at 3:01pm

I think the Dexcom is better than the pod even. I love knowing my BG's all the time, it is the best thing I've done for my diabetes.

Permalink Reply by Eddie Urenda on March 19, 2012 at 4:06pm

I have been using both devices for almost 2 year (Dexcom for 2 months prior to the Omnipod). Today, they are helping to manage different avenues of diabetes (though we keep on hearing that they will be unifying soon -- Dexcom seems to have partnerships in progress with everyone these days).

All things being equal (and I do enjoy the flexibility that both devices provide despite some of the caveats you may read in other thread given both devices) we have to remember that these are 1st/2nd generation devices that will only get better with time. If I had to choose between not taking injections and knowing my glucose trends (+ or - 15-20%), I will tell you that I would choose the glucose trending provided by the Dexcom CGM -- this is of course a personal opinion, just like I think you will find people for whom the OmniPod provides a greater value and they can manage things perfectly with the finger sticks on the OmniPod PDM.

The devices are a good combination in my opinion, I am currently exploring how I can export the data and combine it since both devices use different and incompatible management software. Other than that, the Dexcom is a decent solution to knowing your trends taking into consideration that you may have to err on the side of caution by adding a correction factor when you suspect things may be running awry.

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