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DexCom SEVEN PLUS

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M

Mikey

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hi Ladies and Gents,

I am a type 1 and have been for just under 3 years now. before i was diagnosed i used to do quite alot of motor racing (saloon cars and Karting) then when i was diagnosed i had my license revoked. obviously this was quite gutting for me as this was a great passion of mine. However on the up side, nearly 3 years later i have managed to convince doctors and the other people needed to re issue me my license! so all happy again. :D

anyway...i need to find a CGM(Continuous Glucose Meter) to help me while monitor my levels while racing, and i have heard of this particular one, the DexCom SEVEN PLUS and how it uses a wifi transmitter so i could attach the monitor to my steering wheel and keep an eye on myself while driving!

has anyone had any experience of this or any other product available? also as this is quite expensive, has anyone any idea if funding is available to help to get one?

here is a link if you are interested:
HTML: 
http://www.advancedtherapeuticsuk.com/dexcom-seven-plus

Thanks,

Mike
 
Have you spoken to your team about funding for CGM on the NHS? I'm going to be pretty blunt: it's incredibly hard to get hold of as an adult on the NHS. There are very very few adults in the UK with NHS funded CGMs. The have not been appraised by NICE guidelines - like pumps have - so it is very hard to get them funded (whereas pumps just need the nod from a consultant and then the PCT has to provide funding by law).

The Dexcom is supposed to be very good & accurate and whilst the sensors are expensive at ?60something a piece, reports from users say they can last up to 3 weeks or so.

I would recommend giving them a call to get prices - the guy who runs Advanced Therapeutics is supposed to be very friendly and helpful.
 
Can't add advice or help, but good luck with everything. I hope you get what you want.
 
CGM's being funded by the NHS for adults is about as rare as hen's teeth, as SHIV says, there isn't any NICE guidelines concerning them so you will have to get your consultant to apply to the Special Clinical Needs Committee for funding, who deal with individual case needs...

It's very likely unless you are very lucky that you will have to self fund it yourself but there are ways around keeping costs to bare minimal though, tactics are easier to find on american based support forums though.. And you could futher cuts costs by just using them during the race season etc...

First port of call going to be your diabetic team, you can ring up the manufacter speak to one of the reps, who will go through costs etc with you, perhaps if you have to self fund, your might be able to pull of a advertising deal of some sorts to further reduce the costs, never know until you ask!
 
How about you come up with a proposal for the manufacturers of the CGM - to use your story in advertising its usefullness in keeping you safe when undertaking dangerous activities.

They may not go for it but you have nothing to lose by approaching them.
 
i just called them up and they were indeed very helpful.

basically he said that funding can cover it but it will work against you if you already have good control of the diabetes! typical. so do i have to let it slip to get the funding?!?! haha

they are blummin expensive though, ?1075 for the unit then ?250 for a pack of 4 sensors that may last up to 20 days each...yikes! 😱
and also on the down side as the unit is a sealed one and you cannot replace the battery yourself, when the battery dies (approx 18 months) you have to send it away and it will cost you ?550!!

i think i need to get intouch with my diabetes team me thinks...or this email address i 'aquired' for the european director of the company...😉

thanks for the replys

Mike
 
NHS funded CGMs are very rare for people on MDI (though I have come across one or two cases). It seems slightly easier (though still very hard) to get a combination of CGM and pump.

It seems that two expensive therapies together are preferred to one expensive therapy on its own. The Paradigm Veo being the pump I've most often seen being used in conjunction with a CGM.

I would dearly love a CGM myself so will be interested in seeing how you get on. I was reading about the relative merits of Dexcom and Medtronic systems earlier today here:
http://www.diabetes-support.org.uk/forum/Blah.pl?m-1302549639/

and here:
http://www.shootuporputup.co.uk/2011/04/let-there-be-enlite/

which have varied/conflicting info regarding accuracy, length of sensor life (and how much it can be exceeded while still remaining comfortable). Additionally it seems there is a requirement to replace the transmitter (or do I mean receiver?) annually(?) in the Dexcom (and perhaps others too) which is apparently a hefty part of the unit's ?1000 pricetag.

I haven't read much of Abbots 'Navigator' for some time. The last time I spoke to my DSN about it, around a year ago, that was the [not very] cheap option.

Self funding seems to be the only easy way to get a cgm at the moment, and it is, sadly, still beyond the reach of most people. The fact that CGMs are proven to improve control as much as (or perhaps even more than) pumps in research seems yet to have filtered through to the bean counters.
 
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everydayupsanddowns said:
I haven't read much of Abbots 'Navigator' for some time. The last time I spoke to my DSN about it, around a year ago, that was the [not very] cheap option.
Click to expand...

i didnt realise Abbott do a version of this, maybe i can find out more about this, my girlfriends mum works for Abbott. thanks for the info!
 
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Tough call, really, but I can't see the NHS funding CGM for an adult to pursue their hobby. However, I'm assuming you won't need monitoring all the time, just when training and racing? In which case you can use fewer consumables than if you were using them 24/7. I would definitely try approaching the manufacturers for support.
 
Just a thought. Could you approach them to see if they'll sponsor you (assuming you're any good at racing :D) so they can publicise how good their CGM is ?

If you used it just for races, there may be some deal you could negotiate.🙂

Rob
 
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