Hello im the parent of a 4 year old boy who was newly diagnosed with T1D. We have been fighting with insurance to cover his Dexcom G7’s and he just ripped his last one out of his arm. Im reaching out to Dexcom for a replacement but was wondering if by chance anyone is close or in Pueblo, Co that has one i can swap with. I am willing to go pick up if not too far and as soon as the one Dexcom comes in i will give right back. Or anyone with any ideas on what i can do. Anything is appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
Hello @Randyndanjel23 welcome to Breakthrough T1D. In the meantime, and possibly if none of our participants are close by, do you have rest strips and can you manage finger stick glucose testing? Testing with a blood sugar meter is fast and less prone to technical (and not so technical if he rips them off) problems, and has been adequate for many years for me. Yes Dexcom is more convenient especially with high and low alarms but wearing them takes getting used to. I hope Dexcom can fast ship a new one but they have been very slow to ship for me. I just had one actually fail (sensor stopped and should be covered by warranty) but it took 3 days to get a shipping number and they said 5 days in transit. Anyway, I’m sorry this adds to your stress but in my opinion, learning how to use finger stick is imperative as a backup. Good luck 
Welcome to the forum @Randyndanjel23!
Check with your doctor’s/ trainer’s office to see if they have any - sometimes they do keep some for training purposes 
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But I do agree with Joe about learning to do finger sticks. It might hurt a little but the lancets are very fine gauge and many of the devices allow you to adjust the depth so your son might be more stunned than hurt.
I had to go out of pocket recently while waiting for insurance verification (long story) and checked Goodrx for prices and coupons in my area. Here’s a screenshot of prices near you for one sensor. You still need a prescription so don’t forget to call your doctor for one.
Are you fighting the insurance yourselves? In my experience the supplier usually needs certain documentation from the physician, which they submit to insurance for coverage. Physicians should be familiar with the requirements regarding prescriptions, preauthorizations, etc., and that usually takes place in the background unless they have trouble reaching the doctor.
When I run out of CGMs I have to use finger sticks. Buy a box of 33 gauge lancets, they hurt less than the 28 gauge monsters that come with a meter. If your son is using a pump call the docs office and ask for a callback to review the manual mode settings, especially the basal schedule.
In addition to learning about T1D you’ll need to learn about insurance if you haven’t already. I am always willing to help people figure out how to use their health plan. If you don’t have time, here’s my top 3 on CGM coverage.
- Health plans don’t pay for extra sensors. You’ll need to pay for some extra sensors yourself. Once you have 3-6 extras you can rely on Dexcom to replace sensors that fail early and not worry about the shipping time. The replacements from Dexcom will gradually increase your number of spares.
- Some plans cover CGMs as a pharmacy benefit. Most plans cover CGMs as Durable Medical Equipment (DME), part of the medical benefit. If your plan covers CGMs as DME you’ll need to buy them from an in network DME provider.
- Keep a copy of the Evidence of Coverage (EOC) and Formulary documents for your plan. Read the diabetes section of the EOC and find the drugs prescribed in the formulary. Each year during open enrollment check the next year’s documents for changes that will affect you.
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I recently had a sensor come off - that is extremely rare for me but… I called Dexcom for a replacement and they said they allow three courtesy replacements a year. That is different from replacements due to malfunction. It is a good investment to keep a couple on hand to allow for shipping time.
There are tapes and bands that can help keep the sensor in place although I don’t know if they make bands for children that young.
Hi @Randyndanjel23. Just checking in - did you get a sensor?
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