Hello, I was wondering if any of you with the Dexcom know if the if the Dexcom G6 application warns you if your transmitter isn’t securely attached to the sensor slot? Do you get an alert that tells you that the transmitter isn’t attached properly? Or does it not tell you? Just wondering
1 Like
I’ve learned the hard way that if my transmitter isn’t snugly snapped in I’ll get 3 dashes — where the reading should appear. That happened a few times with my G5 until I learned to make sure it was snug. I think it happened once with my G6 but I try to be more careful. But as for any specific alarms to the effect of “Transmitter not in place” I don’t believe there are any.
I find I’m good if I press firmly all around even after I hear it click.
2 Likes
Alexa, welcome to typeONEnation. Dorie (@wadawabbit) has said it. If the transmitter is not well seated in the sensor, the transmitter will not get accurate data to relay to the receiver, phone, or pump.
Remember, the system works by the sensor generating an electrical charge and the transmitter picking up that voltage, and sending the data to the receiver. Bad connection equals bad voltage to work with.
Keep us informed about your journey on this subject. Stay safe.
1 Like
My daughter’s DexCom always goes haywire if she’s in the pool, about 20 mins in.
Could you describe what you mean by “going haywire”? If you’re more than 20 feet from the receiver for more than 20 minutes it will lose contact but should pick up again once they’re closer together. I’m rarely separated that long (I can keep mine on when exercising) but if we are apart I’ve found my numbers may show a fast rise or fall, but because I’m high or low but because it’s getting caught up.
1 Like
After my shower yesterday, I kept getting wild numbers, up and down and all over the place. And when I did a finger stick, it was even more different. It seemed to all even out after an hour or so had passed.
1 Like
@happyquilter @Angelph, keep in mind that the real time glucose sensor is a piece of machinery and subject to malfunction when put under stress, such as pool and shower. Give the device a while to recover.
The Dexcom G6 is designed to read glucose in institial fluid near the surface of the skin, and to anticipate glucose change that will occur within 30 minutes. Swimming and showering can alter skin temperature and also alter the flow of subsurface fluid.
CGM is brand new technology and subject to breakdown , try not to build complete reliance on any device.
For clarity, by haywire, it does loses signal. Sometimes, its back on within minutes; and earlier this week, it was reading ‘urgent low’, but her # was 200 on the finger prick (total opposite). Our bigger issue is keeping her from ripping it off (from her upper buttocks). We put the IV6000 around it and Simpatch (pre-cut), but the Simpatch gave her an awful rash. The IV6000 is supposed to feel like skin and less prone to causing allergies. I was just about to explore the forum for tips on this. Our provider has stressed the importance of checking her BG with the AccuCheck finger prick when her #'s are <80, instead of just relying on the DexCom.
Hi again @Angelph. Dexcom’s transmitter can be used in the buttock for the ages 2-17 (as if something magical happens on the 18th birthday!) and I don’t recall you mentioning your daughter’s age; but if she does fall in that range I wonder if another location might be more accurate? You may have seen people wear it on the upper arm - not an approved site (and it might disqualify you from getting a replacement should you need it) but I’ve found it’s just as accurate as my abdomen.
@arodric5002, I had to go back to when I had physical therapy in a swimming pool at a fitness center. My PT would watch my Dexcom with the receiver from the pool side while I did the motions in the pool. Keep in mind all of the parameters about the Dexcom system. Distance, water between sensor & transmitter, etc.
If my PT lost signal, I would get out of the pool, un-seat the transmitter, dry the sensor & transmitter, re-seat the transmitter, and wait for the 5 minute cycle to do its thing. Once a new reading was obtained, it was back in the pool. I looked at my notes. There was no specific length of time between entering the water and the ‘loss of signal’.
I think what you are describing is water getting in the connections (small black dots on the sensor) between the sensor and transmitter.
Keep us informed on what you learn. Sharing helps us all.
1 Like