The info is about Freestyle sensors which somewhere said are no longer being marketed due to 'problems'. Can't remember where I read that though. I don't know whether it is true of the Medtronic ones. Or the Dexcom. I think people should know the risks as well as the good stuff. The risks are NEVER mentioned. If it was my child anyway. I'd like to know the answers too.
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Adrienne
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Hopefully answers will be on its way. Obviously I'm interested in the Medtronic ones but I have friends who use and friends who want the Dexcom but that would be up to them to find out. I'll let everyone know once I know anything.
As to the 'horse's mouth' I can assure you Ellie that I have two extremely good sources in Medtronic, better than good infact and we will get a correct reply, hence the reason I want it from the horse's mouth. 🙂
Thanks Adrienne.
I really am not gloomy about all technology... I was one of the first people ever to use a pump in the 1980s. But I was also one of the first to use 'human' insulin and it was not good for me. Analogue proved even worse, i only got better after going back to animal insulin, so... i am very, very careful about new stuff now, and question everything.
I really am not gloomy about all technology... I was one of the first people ever to use a pump in the 1980s. But I was also one of the first to use 'human' insulin and it was not good for me. Analogue proved even worse, i only got better after going back to animal insulin, so... i am very, very careful about new stuff now, and question everything.
Adrienne
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That's fair enough. I would love to have seen those old pumps. Gt Ormond Street wanted my daughter on a pump when she was 6 months old and we met the company and were up for it but back then we needed our local team to ok it, GOSH couldn't do that. Unfortunately they wouldn't back us up so we had to fight and eventually when she was 6 we could use the patient choice and moved to a much better hospital and she got her pump. It really is a postcode lottery out there as to whether you are at a good hospital or not.
Where I live now the local hospital (Tom's knows it well) have a great adult team who do pumps. However their children's team is really frighteningly awful with the consultant telling 9 year olds she will cut their legs off it their levels are too high !!!!
I too question everything and everyone, you just came across as unhappy about it all and so I questioned that 🙂
I'll let you know what Medtronic say.
CGM-Sweety
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- Type 1
using the freestyle navigator from abbott
Hallo here some personal informations, maybe also interesting for some of you
I'm living in Germany and wear the freestyle navigator from abbott more than 1.5 years non-stop. The Sytem with transmitter costs 1500Euro and one sensor costs 65Euro. But I wear one sensor at an average more than 20 days (sometimes also 30 days) with absolut stable and accurate signals. That's a big abvantage of the system. (Licensed is the sensor only for 5 days!).
I also havo to pay out of pocket, so its an practicable solution for me.
kind regards from
CGM-Sweety
Hallo here some personal informations, maybe also interesting for some of you
I'm living in Germany and wear the freestyle navigator from abbott more than 1.5 years non-stop. The Sytem with transmitter costs 1500Euro and one sensor costs 65Euro. But I wear one sensor at an average more than 20 days (sometimes also 30 days) with absolut stable and accurate signals. That's a big abvantage of the system. (Licensed is the sensor only for 5 days!).
I also havo to pay out of pocket, so its an practicable solution for me.
kind regards from
CGM-Sweety
Adrienne
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Wow 20 or 30 days, that is remarkable. We did learn at the Friends for Life Children with Diabetes conference that sensors would be ok in the skin compared to canulas which do need to come out. They told us that it is highly rare to get a site infection with the sensors. I know a girl that wears the Medtronic sensor for about 9 days and she has got 12 days out of it.
I can't wait for the new Medtronic sensors, I think they will be amazing and so much more accurate than they are.
Thanks for you message 🙂
Adrienne
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Hi
This is from Medtronic directly regarding the lag time of their sensors (not anyone else's just Medtronic) :
"There is always a lag time of up to 20 mins between BG and SG (sensor glucose) and if a person is rising or falling rapidly it will take time to catch, this is why with the Veo we advocate the predictive alerts, these can be set to pick up any sudden changes in SG and predict when you will reach your present limits. The key is setting these up correctly and when first on a sensor these will need to be adjusted as you become more aware of your personal set of circumstances. Correct calibration ensures the SG follow the BG correctly, I would guess from what you say that there may have been needed more education on the sensor using predictive alerts, accurate calibration.
Predictive alertsThe Predictive alerts calculate when you may reach your Low or High Glucose Limits, then send you an alert before you reach those limits. A Predictive alert tells you that if your sensor glucose measurements keep falling or rising at the current rate, you may reach your Glucose Limit in the number of minutes you selected. For a LOW PREDICTED alert, the pump plays three consecutive tones, in falling pitch, if an audible beep has been selected as the alert type. For a HIGH PREDICTED alert, the pump plays three consecutive tones, in rising pitch, if an audible beep has been selected as the alert type.
Rate of Change alerts
The Rate of Change alerts tell you when your sensor glucose (SG) changes at, or faster than, the per-minute rate pre-selected by you. There are two alerts:
? FALL RATE for SG decreases at or faster than your pre-selected rate. The pump plays two consecutive tones, in falling pitch, if an audible beep has been selected as the alert type.
? RISE RATE for SG increases at or faster than your pre-selected rate. The pump plays two consecutive tones, in rising pitch, if an audible beep has been selected as the alert type.
When these are used together even with a lag time excursions can be prevented."
So those with VEO's and sensors need to use those predictive alerts. My daughter is being upgraded tomorrow to a VEO and we will be setting them.
Re the other stuff, that is a clinical issue and I will be getting an answer about that soon and will pass it on. 🙂
This is from Medtronic directly regarding the lag time of their sensors (not anyone else's just Medtronic) :
"There is always a lag time of up to 20 mins between BG and SG (sensor glucose) and if a person is rising or falling rapidly it will take time to catch, this is why with the Veo we advocate the predictive alerts, these can be set to pick up any sudden changes in SG and predict when you will reach your present limits. The key is setting these up correctly and when first on a sensor these will need to be adjusted as you become more aware of your personal set of circumstances. Correct calibration ensures the SG follow the BG correctly, I would guess from what you say that there may have been needed more education on the sensor using predictive alerts, accurate calibration.
Predictive alertsThe Predictive alerts calculate when you may reach your Low or High Glucose Limits, then send you an alert before you reach those limits. A Predictive alert tells you that if your sensor glucose measurements keep falling or rising at the current rate, you may reach your Glucose Limit in the number of minutes you selected. For a LOW PREDICTED alert, the pump plays three consecutive tones, in falling pitch, if an audible beep has been selected as the alert type. For a HIGH PREDICTED alert, the pump plays three consecutive tones, in rising pitch, if an audible beep has been selected as the alert type.
Rate of Change alerts
The Rate of Change alerts tell you when your sensor glucose (SG) changes at, or faster than, the per-minute rate pre-selected by you. There are two alerts:
? FALL RATE for SG decreases at or faster than your pre-selected rate. The pump plays two consecutive tones, in falling pitch, if an audible beep has been selected as the alert type.
? RISE RATE for SG increases at or faster than your pre-selected rate. The pump plays two consecutive tones, in rising pitch, if an audible beep has been selected as the alert type.
When these are used together even with a lag time excursions can be prevented."
So those with VEO's and sensors need to use those predictive alerts. My daughter is being upgraded tomorrow to a VEO and we will be setting them.
Re the other stuff, that is a clinical issue and I will be getting an answer about that soon and will pass it on. 🙂
Adrienne
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Parent
Hiya
Anyone remember this thread and I quote Liz here :
A portion of the membrane polymer will remain in the skin each time the sensor is removed. Although no health effects were observed or reported in clinical studies, the long term effects of the sensor membrane fragments remaining in the skin have not been determined.
This is the response from Medtronic when they answered :
Medtronic Diabetes has done rigorous testing of our sensor which included biocompatibility, irritation, and leaching. Medtronic Diabetes has never found any material left behind by one of our sensors in any of our testing.
We are unable to provide specific testing information as it is considered proprietary.
Hope that helps 🙂
Anyone remember this thread and I quote Liz here :
A portion of the membrane polymer will remain in the skin each time the sensor is removed. Although no health effects were observed or reported in clinical studies, the long term effects of the sensor membrane fragments remaining in the skin have not been determined.
This is the response from Medtronic when they answered :
Medtronic Diabetes has done rigorous testing of our sensor which included biocompatibility, irritation, and leaching. Medtronic Diabetes has never found any material left behind by one of our sensors in any of our testing.
We are unable to provide specific testing information as it is considered proprietary.
Hope that helps 🙂
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Thanks Adrienne.
Still no closer to getting a CGM, but these responses are helpful.
M
Still no closer to getting a CGM, but these responses are helpful.
M
That's good to hear Adrienne. I'm having a Medtronic 3 days CGM soon. Maybe longer. It's the freestyle one that leaves stuff behind. I've got someone enquiring about the Dexcom.
Why specific testing information proprietary though? Surely if you are going to use it you should be allowed to read any of the problems they have found.
In fact all the research data conclusions SHOULD be available somewhere.
Interestingly on one of the FDA summaries of safety and effectiveness data of the Minimend CGM, it states that the sensors have been 'modified' and now no longer have the 'outer hydrophilic membrane'. I wonder if it is this outer membrane that comes off on the Freestyle?
Why specific testing information proprietary though? Surely if you are going to use it you should be allowed to read any of the problems they have found.
In fact all the research data conclusions SHOULD be available somewhere.
Interestingly on one of the FDA summaries of safety and effectiveness data of the Minimend CGM, it states that the sensors have been 'modified' and now no longer have the 'outer hydrophilic membrane'. I wonder if it is this outer membrane that comes off on the Freestyle?
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Adrienne
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Maybe or maybe they found it worked better without it. There are new medtronic sensor coming out beginning of April. They have been launched but officially able to be used at the upcoming DUK conference in April. They are very different and much more accurate so I understand and they need to be, to keep up with the Dexcom.
They will be inserted like the Mio's and will be shorted but it will be the whole of the bit inside that takes the readings rather than just the end, so much better. I am keeping my fingers crossed.
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