My 11-year-old son has been Type 1 for just over two years. He wears a Medtronic 670G pump and has tried to use the Guardian sensors, but he kept having allergic reactions to them. At first, we thought it was the adhesive, but we recently discovered that it is the filament itself that he’s allergic to. Now I’m wondering if there is any hope of him ever being able to wear a CGM. Does anyone know if the Dexcom and Medtronic filaments are made of the same materials? And are there any other CGM options for someone under 18?
I have found Dexcom’s tech support to be pretty solid. I asked some detailed questions about the structural strength of the transmitter and water ingress when used scuba diving (I am a structural engineer so I wanted more detail than "the part is certified to X, Y or Z). The tech transferred me to one of their design engineers, and they gave me exactly what I was looking for. Give them a call. If may take a couple of transfers, but if they know, you and your kiddo are better off.
@Brownbrie Welcome Brie to the JDRF TypeOneNation Forum! I hope that here you will read tips and suggestions to help [you and] your son live a long, healthy and productive while learning how to manage HIS diabetes [I’m 63 years into this ‘diabetes thing’ and still learning].
Dexcom is by far the leader in continuous body glucose level {BGL] sensing devices and I second the recommendation offered by Charles @mday that you speak with Dexcom technical staff - also speak with Medtronic so this “adverse event” can be logged and reported to the FDA.
Currently there are two other acceptable CGM systems available for use:
- FreeStyle Libre - manufactured by Abbott Laboratories.
- Eversense - manufactured by Sensonics.
I’ve met with representatives for both of these devices and both appear to work well; I personally know people who like them. Both of these have had some favorable as well as unfavorable reports - although reports of both of these are fewer being that their in-time use is not extensive.
One thing to be aware of is that the 670G will not work with non-Medtronic sensors to provide automated basal rate control, etc. it will work as it does now when your son is not wearing a sensor.
I have used older Medtronic sensors, and was very unhappy with them. Now I use the Dexcom G6 sensor, and I’m very happy with it. If your son can wear the Dexcom, then he could migrate to the Tandem t:slim x2 insulin pump when he’s eligible for a replacement.it works directly with Dexcom and should give better automation results. Many people are having allergy problems with Freestyle Libre.
If you use Facebook, I suggest you post your question to the CGM in the Cloud group, which is dedicated to all sorts of CGM issues.
I found I was allergic to the wire also with the medtronic sensor, it was the platinum in it , which is also in the dexcom. I now use the Libre and have zero problems with the line, I believe it is simply plastic. I called the company to be sure of the material before I tried it. The Libre doesn’t connect to my medtronic pump, but that works great for me as I don’t want the alerts and alarms. At least there’s an alternative to use for those of us with allergies!
Hi @Cheyenne112. I see a couple of people beat me to the punch regarding the Freestyle Libre. I would like to add one thing in case you’re not aware: while the sensor is taking continuous readings as the others do, you have to pass the receiver over it to see your numbers, and you’ll see everything since the last pass, up to I believe 8 hours. However, you - your son - won’t know if his numbers are rising or falling if in between passes.
Regular BG meters didn’t even exist until I graduated from college, and CGMs are a relatively recent piece of technology. So we many of us have lived life without them for some time,neven though getting an alert if you go low or high overnight is great for peace of mind. You don’t have that with the Freestyle, but he may not need it.
Thanks for your input, everyone. We’ve been managing just fine without a CGM for most of the time he’s had diabetes. My main reason for wanting one is to allow him to spend the night with relatives and friends without them having to wake him up at night to test. (I dont mind asking someone to pass a phone over a sensor in the middle of the night, but I don’t want untrained people poking his fingers–and they wouldn’t want to, anyway.) I’m glad to hear that the Freestyle Libre is made of different materials than the Dexcom and Guardian sensors, although I don’t know if there is a way for him to get one, since they’re not approved for children yet. Maybe in the next couple of years, though.
I was allergic to Medtronic sensors, but not to the Dexcom sensors. I would not use a freestyle libre, as I need the alarms for low blood sugars at night. Those are a life-saver. I used to wake up with low blood sugars, but I no longer do. So I need something which squawks at me, and loudly. If your son tends to wake up when his sugar is low, the Freestyle Libre will be fine. It may not be the platinum he is allergic to, as I am an allergic person, but can use the Dexcom.
He could definitely get the sensors off label. The sensor billing is the same so if he is approved for Dexcom he could probably get the same supplier to switch to libre. Call your done supplier and ask…then talk to your son’s endow. At least worth a try