Dexcom G6 issues

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Wutanga1

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My kid was put on the Dexcom G6 in September, and that has been a game changer. But over the past month or so we have found repeated issues with compression lows (OK, we can change sites next time we do a sensor change), and with loss of signal and/or data loss, which the app always tells us is a sensor issue. We changed to a new transmitter a week or so ago.

Today we had to fingerprick them when going into school - it was 9.8 (right after breakfast), but then the G6 went offline, and 30 mins into the school day it reconnected and gave us a warning that she was at 3.2 heading downhill.

Anyone else had similar issues with losing data / signal loss / sensor issues and are there crib sheets or similar that can help with this?

On another note we are going to try asking for a pump and this has put doubts in my mind about the effectiveness of a pump if the CGM isn't working well.
 
What sites does your kid use for the G6?

Pumps use different technology from CGM and are very different with the way they work
 
We’ve had some issues with some transmitters and/or sensors. You can use the belly if arms are giving too many issues. Make sure your kid is well hydrated as a lack of fluid is a problem for the sensor. Dexcom have always been good on the phone with trouble shooting and will replace a transmitter if you have problems with it (they send you a box with bio hazard sticker on it which made me laugh as the actual transmitter isn’t under the skin).


We have a tslim and the pump talks to the sensor. If the sensor isn’t working then it can cause some issues as the basal won’t stop automatically but you get trained on what to look for and how to manage it etc. for the most part the combination of pump and sensor has been amazing for us.
 
Yes will have to try the belly - my kid's always been uncomfortable with that, even for the daily injections, but we can see..... The upper arm is being used. The issue with compression lows is mostly that at night, she turns around and squishes the CGM. We've tried going way back round the arm and that worked very well, but the CGM ends up rubbing against the body (although apparently not noticeable after a day or so).

Re pumps, I understood that closed loop systems mean that the pump 'speaks' to the CGM - so I had assumed also that problems getting readings from the G6 would also mean (if a pump was in use) problems with the pump not having data.
 
Compression lows with the CGM on the arm are never not going to happen, unfortunately.

If the CGM is unable to talk to the pump the pump will still be doing basal but just won’t be able to adjust the amount automatically until it can get CGM data again.

Does you kid need the alarms for hypo awareness?
 
Yes, they've become quite reliant on it - I often have to ask / double check if they are feeling it, and to remind n times that they need to tell us. At the moment they're relying on the alarms - today I had to remind multiple times to let the TA know at school if wobbliness started.....
 
Does your kid use a phone or the reader for the sensor?
 
It could be something hing to do with the phone’s settings? Has the signal loss been happening since your kid first started on decom?
 
Wutanga1 said:
Today we had to fingerprick them when going into school - it was 9.8 (right after breakfast), but then the G6 went offline, and 30 mins into the school day it reconnected and gave us a warning that she was at 3.2 heading downhill.

Anyone else had similar issues with losing data / signal loss / sensor issues and are there crib sheets or similar that can help with this?
Click to expand...
If the sensor is giving reading like that then the sensor is faulty, i.e., it could be bent on insertion. Make sure the sensor is not going into muscle and causing the bend/damage.
 
We changed the sensor today - it was on day 9 anyway - and hope this fixes the issue. Siting on the belly is a no-no unfortunately.

@Lily123 no, this has not been happening since the start of our G6 use, just the past 2 x sensors. We haven't had a phone update in that time IIRC.
 
Wutanga1 said:
We changed the sensor today - it was on day 9 anyway - and hope this fixes the issue. Siting on the belly is a no-no unfortunately.

@Lily123 no, this has not been happening since the start of our G6 use, just the past 2 x sensors. We haven't had a phone update in that time IIRC.
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Are the sensors from the same batch? It could be that at fault. Or did you start a new transmitter with the first of the two?
 
Lily123 said:
Are the sensors from the same batch? It could be that at fault. Or did you start a new transmitter with the first of the two?
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Hi @Lily123 I have been using G6 since it first came out and can assure you it's just a simple frustrating error on inserting the sensor nothing else.
I always without fail blamed the sensor until looking at the sensor wire realised it was bent when removed or there had been a bleed around the sensor on insertion.
It is just a case of making sure there is enough flab for the sensor to be placed.
 
Pumper_Sue said:
Hi @Lily123 I have been using G6 since it first came out and can assure you it's just a simple frustrating error on inserting the sensor nothing else.
I always without fail blamed the sensor until looking at the sensor wire realised it was bent when removed or there had been a bleed around the sensor on insertion.
It is just a case of making sure there is enough flab for the sensor to be placed.
Click to expand...
Good to know. Thanks @Pumper_Sue
 
Sensor changed and has worked perfectly since it was applied. Yes, the transmitter was changed when the previous sensor was applied. All seems to be working now thankfully....for now.
 
That’s good
 
I only ever use arms - far more reliable for me. For sensor connection dropouts I find it helps to keep the device on the same side of my body as the sensor. So the device has as clear a ‘line of sight’ as possible to the sensor/transmitter.
 
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