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Dexcom G7 not playing ball, filiment looping up.

Skater P

Skater P

Active Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Sensor change day today isn't going well.

Two sensors both with looping filiments above the top of the sensor.
The first one failed and the app said remove it.
The second looped and bled but the app is at least reading it, but I don't trust it as I don't think the filiment is much below the skin level if at all. I fear it may be sensing the BG level of the blood that came out when it was initially applied so will not change as my interstitial fluid level does.

Can a sensor with a looped fimilement work for the full period?
 
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I have had some big ‘bleeders’ that have then gone on to work very well. For me it is just one that the inserted hits a blood vessel and bleeds (in the rare occasions it bleeds not at all > I get dressed > then lots and makes a mess of what I am wearing!!!)
I hope that it works for you.
 
SB2015 said:
I have had some big ‘bleeders’ that have then gone on to work very well. For me it is just one that the inserted hits a blood vessel and bleeds (in the rare occasions it bleeds not at all > I get dressed > then lots and makes a mess of what I am wearing!!!)
I hope that it works for you.
Click to expand...
Thanks for jumping on this one quickly
I think I'm more worried about the filiment looping up than the bleeding, I just fear the blood is allowing the sensor to read something so it can send results that will have even less relationship to my actual BG level.
 
Just keep a watch. If you are worried about it change the sensor.
A night of sleep is worth it.
 
SB2015 said:
Just keep a watch. If you are worried about it change the sensor.
A night of sleep is worth it.
Click to expand...
I suspect this one is not working, I decided to experiment by washing the blood out from round the looped filament.
...and the reading instantly dropped from 6 to 2.2mmol/L which I don't think is accurate. (Fingerprick confirmed it was 5mmol/L and I wasn't dead)

I was thinking of changing to another sensor but I'm a bit loathed to risk burning a third after two "failed" without Dexcom telling me I should.
 
I can’t imagine a looped filament. Do you mean it didn’t insert properly, or do you mean the sensor was faulty prior to insertion? Whatever it is, take a photo so you have evidence then speak to Dexcom. Very occasionally the inserters are faulty. Where are you putting it?

I’d give it a day or two (unless this looped filament thing is obviously wrong) as sometimes I’ve had a sudden, unbelievable drop over the first few hours, which has then righted itself.
 
Inka said:
I can’t imagine a looped filament. Do you mean it didn’t insert properly, or do you mean the sensor was faulty prior to insertion? Whatever it is, take a photo so you have evidence then speak to Dexcom. Very occasionally the inserters are faulty. Where are you putting it?
Click to expand...
I think a looped filament seems like a thing I'd seen online before these failed, here is a reddit post with an image, my two failed sensors looked like this. You can feel the filament slightly proud of the top surface of the sensor.
On the second sensor I checked the insertion needle and filament it looked right to me.
I've got photos and screen grabs of the app message saying replace as I'd like to ensure I get replacements.
I'm placing them on my abdomen within a cm of previously successful sites.

Inka said:
I’d give it a day or two (unless this looped filament thing is obviously wrong) as sometimes I’ve had a sudden, unbelievable drop over the first few hours, which has then righted itself.
Click to expand...
This one was very wrong, went down to low-mid 2s as soon as I washed out the blood and stayed there (with an urgent low alarm every 30minutes of course) till I gave up and turned off my phone, when I turned on my phone this morning it gave a sensor failed reading.

I'm going to call Dexcom
 
Called Dexcom, they said it was an issue with the sensor and try another. They couldn't give me any advice on how to place them to have a better chance of success.

The next sensor also failed with the same issue so that is three now.
All the sensors I have are the same Lot number (so I assume the same batch)

Isn't diabetes admin fun...
 
Skater P said:
I think a looped filament seems like a thing I'd seen online before these failed, here is a reddit post with an image, my two failed sensors looked like this. You can feel the filament slightly proud of the top surface of the sensor.
On the second sensor I checked the insertion needle and filament it looked right to me.
I've got photos and screen grabs of the app message saying replace as I'd like to ensure I get replacements.
I'm placing them on my abdomen within a cm of previously successful sites.


This one was very wrong, went down to low-mid 2s as soon as I washed out the blood and stayed there (with an urgent low alarm every 30minutes of course) till I gave up and turned off my phone, when I turned on my phone this morning it gave a sensor failed reading.

I'm going to call Dexcom
Click to expand...

Thanks - I’ve never seen that before. Mind you, I’ve never looked! Why not try your arm for the next sensor? That would help prove or disprove if it was a sensor problem.

For placement, I feel around for the fattiest/fleshiest area. I always use my arm. One arm is a bit trickier than the other because it seems to need more precise placement.
 
The fourth one worked! No one more suspried than me.
I put it on before I saw your post Inka. I'm trying to avoid my arm as I get overnight compression lows, I sleep on my back sometimes and there enough things stopping me sleep right now that I don't want to add false hypo alarms. I do look for sub cutanious fat when placing the sensors (as I've not got a lot, which till recently I'd thought of as an asset 🙂 )

Anyway, I went back to the left side where the last working one was located
 
Justin at Diabetech did a piece on this recently. Seems that sensors that have been manufactured in a particular factory have been having some issues.

 
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