[Ronnie]

OK, I have not been happy with the performance of the Medtronic Enlight sensors. There is a # on the boxes of sensors 7008A. I read that the Enlight sensors are inconsistent. If anyone who uses Enlight sensors with the 530G Medtronic Minimed pump, would you look at your box of sensors and tell me if that # is the same and if your cgm is close to accurate. Sometimes the CGM readings are 50-60 points high or low when compared to the meter readings.
The second part of my question is "How expensive are the Dexcom supplies for the Dexcom cgm and what is the name of the latest CGM" I need some advice. Our insurance has changed and they will not cover the CGM supplies. If the Dexcom CGM is the best available How do I go about getting one and will it incorporate with the Medtronic pump. Can supplies be bought off Amazon.com
I have found Enlight sensors on Amazon for $200 a box of 5.
By the way, If you have to buy your own sensors, check out Amazon.com
Though we have not yet purchased from any supply company but CCS medical.
Belinda/Lindy for Ronnie

 

[Ronnie]

ok, I have found this on Amazon.com

"The Dexcom G5 Mobile comes with the Transmitter Kit and the Receiver Kit. Brand New! You will need to purchase the Dexcom G4 Sensors to work the system. "

What do I need to be sure is included in the Dexcom g5 cgm system.
Are there G5 sensors also I am confused and want to do what is best for my husband.
Where can I purchase at lowest cost the proper sensors??

 

[Ronnie]

Well, I found one g5 Dexcom transmitter startup set for $695. 1 box of sensors, and the transmitter and the other part whatever it is (can't remember what it called) That is 1/2 what dexcom quoted me for out of pocket cost. The sensors will cost 299 per month from dexcom. I havn't found them on ebay and then there are the batteries x2 every 6 months. don't remember the cost and have mislocated the paper I wrote it on.
Dexcom will call me back in a monthto see if we are ready to do anything yet. I am just hoping our service dog is working more effectively. He just does not seem to be able to detect and alert us to Ronnies hypoglycemia.

 

[RobertIA]

Where did you obtain the service dog and was it fully trained or do you need to train it. Training of a service dog is a continuous process and reinforcement of good habits needs to be done on daily basis. Rewards (or treats) for doing the right thing will may a service dog more willing to work.

If you have not been told what to do then you purchased from the wrong supplier of service dogs.

 

[Ronnie]

Our dog had 17 months of service dog training after 16 weeks of puppy training. I think we are not up to the task. We have paid another trainer to work with him for the approximately 3-4 months and we go to dog training classes held by the trainer 2 weekends a month. I do not want to mention the name of the original training facility lest anyone think they do not train quality service dogs. I know several people who are more than pleased with their dogs. That said, our current trainer has many years of experience and is having difficulty getting Zeus to alert her daughter to hypoglycemia. Her daughter has been type1 for 2-3 yeqrs and helped train her own standard poodle as a diabetic alert dog. We will see???

 

[VeeJay]

Will they give you another dog if Zeus can't be fully trained?

 

[Ronnie]

They would have given us our money back last summer but Ronnie did not really want to give him up and I had felt like the problem was because we weren't devoting enough time to the training regimen. I found our current trainer and she has these classes we have been attending and she took Zeus into her home for 3 or 4 weeks and thought that we were ready to get him back so she had us keep going to the classes and working with Zeus in class and at home but my job and Ronnie's disability prevent us being totally dedicated to diabetic alert dog training. Perhaps Zeus will turn out to be the best diabetic alert/ service dog ever. I am just so wrapped up in Ronnies Speech therapy that I have not been forthright with Zeus training.

 

[Ronnie]

followup on dexcom cgm startup cost.

Well, the start up cost for the first year will be over $4,000. If I can find everything we need on ebay we might get one. Otherwise I can't spend the money right now. Especially since I don't know if the will work any better for Ronnie. Hope our diabetic alert dog kicks into action soon. He has alerted to a couple of low normal BG's that were rapidly going down. Great job but he doesn't want to wake up at night to alert so we are still in need of CGM's but Ronnie's enlight sensors are nearly gone and they are so inaccurate that I can't see spending so much money on them. I guess no one is dealing with terribly inaccurate CGM's particularly Medtronic enlight sensors.

 

[Ronnie]

Yesterday Ronnie's enlight sensor reading was pretty close to right on with his bg. About midnight he got an alarm with the sensor reading of less than 40. I woke Ronnie up and checked his sugar and it was 135. Same sensor a earlier in the day. I turned off the sensor and gave Ronnie enough insulin to bring his BG to 100. I called Medtronic then and gave them the information. I restarted the same sensor this morning as it was only 4 days in use. The sensor read pretty god for an hour and then went to suspending his pump when the BG checked perfectly normal. I called the 24 hour hotline and checked his sugar while on the hotline as the pump had alarmed. The CGM was right on target with the BG. NOw it has suspended again in appropriately and now I have turned off the sensor and restarted it. Sheesh. If I can't get better service, I guess Ronnie wont have a CGM because the cost is to much for something that only works 30% of the time.

 

[Ronnie]

Ran out of sensors. Now I guess I will go back to sleeping with my hand on Ronnie's chest to sense the change in his heart rate when his bg takes a dive.

 

[Ronnie]

Talked to one of the Medtronic 24 hour help line people a few days ago about the continued problems with the enlight sensors and 530G system. He said that CGM's just do not work right for some people. That would have been nice to know after they time after time made me think it must be something wrong with how I was managing the sensors and installing them and managing the alarms and not calling them after each and every problem that may occur as much as 15 times in 2 days. No it wasn't always that way but more than half the wearing time over the last year. and before that with the sofsensors. I feel like a fool for not demanding a refund on the sensor system from the first month.
Wish I had known how toresearch and get something with a dexcom sensor, but would that have worked for him either???

 

[Strawberry]

Talked to one of the Medtronic 24 hour help line people a few days ago about the continued problems with the enlight sensors and 530G system. He said that CGM's just do not work right for some people. That would have been nice to know after they time after time made me think it must be something wrong with how I was managing the sensors and installing them and managing the alarms and not calling them after each and every problem that may occur as much as 15 times in 2 days. No it wasn't always that way but more than half the wearing time over the last year. and before that with the sofsensors. I feel like a fool for not demanding a refund on the sensor system from the first month.
Wish I had known how toresearch and get something with a dexcom sensor, but would that have worked for him either???

You might want to research this link from Gary Scheiner's Integrated Diabetes Services. Continuous Glucose Monitor Trial | Try a CGM Monitor Before Buying