continuous glucose monitor for insulin pump

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Hey everyone-

I just recently began using the continuous glucose sensor with the minimed 530g insulin pump and am really having difficulty working with it. Anybody have any positive or negative reactions using this? I'm trying to at least use it for a month to see how it is but am growing very impatient.

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  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
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    I am still on the Sof-Sensor, but many of the principles are the same. Here are the tips that Medtronic will tell you:
    1. Only calibrate when BG's are steady, not when they are moving too quickly.
    2. Keep in mind that SG lags behind BG, so the only time they should be the same or close simultaneously is if your glucose is steady. If you have up arrows, your BG should be more than your SG. If you have down arrows, your BG should be less than your SG.
    3. Don't put the sensor right next to your infusion site. I am on a lot of diabetes groups on Facebook, and I can't tell you how often I see people posting pictures of an infusion set and CGM within half an inch of each other.
    *I see a lot of people complaining about lack of accuracy with a CGM, and nearly all of them are doing one or more of these things wrong.

    Here are the things that Medtronic will not tell you:
    1. The best time to insert a new sensor is at night, but do not start it until morning. So put the sensor in and put on the transmitter, but do not select "New Sensor" on your pump yet. In the morning, select "New Sensor" and you will be prompted to calibrate fairly soon afterwards... go ahead and calibrate as soon as it prompts you. The reason for this is that your blood sugars should be most stable during the night (unless your basal rates are way off or you ate something that doesn't hit for a long time like pizza). When it calibrates, it has hours of data already that just needs a meter reading to convert that into an SG number.
    2. If your stomach is full of scar tissue, try putting the CGM elsewhere just like you would for your infusion set. Medtronic cannot legally tell you this because they don't have FDA approval for CGM use anywhere except the abdomen. But I've heard of people having success in other places, though I've never done it myself.
  • okulyd
    okulyd Posts: 147 Member
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    I use the enlite sensors and have been using them since before they were approved. I was in the trial testing for those and the 530g pump. I love them. What kind of issues are you having?
  • carolinatx
    carolinatx Posts: 58 Member
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    I had the minimed cgm, I forget the name - it was back in like 2009 maybe? and I did not like it - it was the kind that you had to secure down with a big tegraderm patch or it would flap up. I did not find it to be very accurate. I also would start itching 2-3 days after inserting it. Water would build up under the tegraderm patch and I just didn't see the value in it - found it annoying to wear and unreliable. However, I recently started on the dexcom and comparing the two, dexcom blows minimed's out of the water. Readings are not 100% accurate but much much closer and the trending direction is what I find most helpful. Also the piece that goes in you is made out of titanium (I think) and I have had zero reaction to it. The range on transmitter to receiver is also much better - don't have to be as close.

    Now I've heard the newer Enlite one with medtronic is better, but I can't comment on it. Hope you find one you like.
  • Corinne_Howland
    Corinne_Howland Posts: 158 Member
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    I am using the minimed enlige sensed. When it's good, it's great! But, you will get some wacky u,bees that don't match at all. I will turn off the sender, and restart it a couple of hours later.
    The thing with medtronic, is that if you are having trouble, call them. If I don't get the full 6 days on a sender, they will send me a replacement. What issues are you having, maybe we can brainstorm together and help each other out.
  • katiemcguffin
    katiemcguffin Posts: 2 Member
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    I've been using the Animas Ping with the Dexcom CGM separately for over a year. I just received the new Animas Vibe in the mail today which is the integrated system. Hopefully it works just as good as it did separately.
  • jamie_lee80
    jamie_lee80 Posts: 176 Member
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    I have the enlite sensors also. I go through love/hate spells with it. I don' t wear a sensor as often as I should because of this. I had an appointment with my endo yesterday and my numbers weren't as good as we would like them to be so I promised her that I would wear one for at least the next 2 weeks so that we can see some trends/patterns. They are helpful in that aspect.

    what kind of issues are you having? Maybe one of us can help you?
  • tycoon460
    tycoon460 Posts: 28 Member
    edited February 2015
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    I'm also using the enlite with the 530g for the past 3 weeks. After dealing with it for the short time so far I've learned a few things.

    1) I don't even attempt to calibrate if it's single or double arrow (falling or rising glucose). Even if the pump tells you need to calibrate you're better just ignoring it until no longer getting arrows and then calibrate.
    2) 3-4 calibrates a day when BG is steady.
    3) Just because you get 1 good calibrate doesn't mean the sensor will show the correct reading if numbers were skewed severly prior. It seems to use some weird average between the last few calibrates.
    4) Double tape it. They provide 2 tapes per sensor. First sensor I only single taped it because that's what the Medtronic Rep recommended since I'm not an "active teenager". It only lasted me 1 hour because I pulled it out getting into the car as I left the doctor's office. After that I double taped them all with 1 over the sensor site like shown and another on the clamshell transmitter to skin and no problems even with workouts (burpees, planks, jumping jacks, etc).
    5) If you have any problems or questions what so ever call the Tech Line. Not only will they help you troubleshoot but they can send you out replacement supplies. They replaced my sensor that pulled out free of charge with 3 day shipping.
    6) You might have to experiment with placements. I've found my love handles work best for the sensor and the abs (belly button and lower) work for the pump site.
    7) You might have to move the pump closer to the sensor at times. Normally during the day I'm fine but when I sleep I have to make sure the pump belt clip is near the sensor else it will drop out the signal. I assume it's the mattress blocking it.
    8) Make sure to always test. Don't trust the sensor to provide you the proper Blood Glucose because it's not reading from blood. Sometimes when it will alarm in the night it'll show 40-60 lower than what I really am (poor calibration). After verifying by testing I usually just turn off the sensor alerts so I can sleep in peace.