I am looking at my daughter wearing the Dexcom with an Omnipod or a Medtronic CGM with their pump. If you are wearing either, please email me your thoughts about your system.
Hi Linda - I've worn both the Minimed CGM and the Dexcom and strongly feel that the Dexcom is much more accurate. Plus, Dexcom just came out with the Seven Plus which addresses a lot of the issues people were having (people have issues with all of them) and added all of the features offered by Minimed while maintaining the Dexcom's superior accuracy and minimal lag time.
I actually wore both systems at the same time and the Dexcom kept up with my blood glucose levels (fingersticks) with only 5-10 mg/dl variance whereas it would take the minimed 20 minutes to display the data/trending. I know there are a lot of people who think the Minimed is awesome but I think its because they haven't tried another kind!
I love my Dexcom - its kept me with an A1c between 5.5 and 6.5 for 2 years and minimized the large excursions. I even have a minimed paradigm pump and I will not switch over! I'm super excited about the Seven Plus update as it has a lot of features that will augment the use of the system.
You can PM me (if that's possible) or email me if you have more questions. I know a lot of people like the omnipod but its dependent on the person. Dexcom will also be pairing with Animas and they also provide a great pump that would be worth investigating.
hey so i currently have the omnipod, but i was looking into the SEVEN plus
i hadn't even heard of the plus, so thinks for posting it here =]
i have a few ?'s:
1) how painful is the insertion? like in comparison to a fingerprick, injection, and pump insertion?
2) how visible is it under clothes
3) have u found it to be really waterproof (like swimming, shower etc)
thanks!
sorry one more ?... do u know when the PLUS came out?
i literally looked at their site last week and didn't see it?
thanks
caroline
Hi Caroline. Here are a few answers for you:
1) Sensor insertion is more painful than a fingerprick, injection or some pump insertion but less painful than a tetanus shot or IV. It depends on the amount of fat that you have.
2) It is not visilbe under your clothes - much smaller than the omnipod pods. No doubt. I have worn tightish shifts and noone could see it.
3. It is indeed waterproof (this is speaking only of the sensor/TN, you cannot take the receiver into the water). However, frequent water exposure tends to wear the sensor adhesive down. I've found that the STS shower covers take care of this problem by creating a watertight seal around the perimeter of the sensor - that way no water ever gets to it. Dexcom will tell you not to wear the shower cover for extended periods due to wator vaporization but I have NO IDEA where that came from. I've worn a shower cover for the last 2 years, every single day and have not seen 1 drop of condensation. I think it is a theoretic risk.
Hi Caroline - the Dexcom Seven Plus just came out on Wednesday. It is brand spankin new. Awesome. I seriously has all of the features of every other CGM but is more consistently accurate. Real time, not lag time.
thank you soo much!
so when you insert it, is it automatic or manual
i watched the video thingy, but was still pretty confused
thanks
hi Linda
my 7yr old wears the omnipod and the minimed cgm. we love both, however, long for the day that the omnipod and any cgm will work from one pod. her body is so little and seems like she runs out of 'good' skin to attach the cgm sensor, and pod. howevr, they have given her such freedom and better control. she has even been to a sleepover party without me because of this technology,..i really didn't think that would have happened for a long time! i did hear really great things about the dexcom seven, and hope to switch when applicable, the insertion for the minimed sensor is painful for my daughter and would welcome a cgm that made that step better. must say that the omnipod is fantastic! we attend annual diabetes conf. and when my daughter is swimming, you can't see her pod, it is on her butt. no exposed port, that you see on a lot of the kids attending the conference, and she is still getting her basal insulin, usually @ an adjusted lower dose. but truely the best part, when we are at home, is that no one is looking at her trying to figure out the port or tubing that is exposed,...she looks normal, that is really great for her. please let me know if that helps you out!
Its kind of both. Its not a quick set that shoots you like some pump infustion sets. It has an applicator that you press a plunger down to deploy the needle and then pull a collar back to leave the sensor subcutaneously. Hope that helps! If you look at One Happy Diabetic on youtube - he shows himself inserting a sensor.