This is hopefully just a post about today. Although my Dexcom G6/OmniPod 5 situation has generally been good to me for the past year, today the Dexcom behaved like something out of an Exorcist movie, and told me repeatedly “don’t replace sensor” while also giving me high and low readings that looked like a scatterplot graph. Since 4 a.m., I think I’ve eaten about 48 glucose tabs, performed hourly fingersticks, and feel like I’m waving a gun around in the dark telling the OmniPod what to do or not do. Today made me wish I had a syringe and a peestick or something.
But tomorrow is another day.
PS, if you look close on this graph, you can see a t-rex chasing a unicorn. Which seems appropriate.
Yikes! Was this a new sensor? G6 sensors can give false lows three first 24 hours or so until they finish warming up. That rarely happens for me but Ironically I did have that problem with a sensor I started on New Years afternoon. I put my pod into manual mode to keep it from auto-adjusting based on bad readings, but when I was still having problems on Wednesdsy morning (a little more than 24 hours) I called for a replacement.
If your sensor is acting possessed go with your fingerstick readings and keep in mind you’ll need to allow some time for the numbers to show a response. I would suggest calling Dexcom even if the system repeatedly says not to replace the sensor: at least you can report the issue and be on record if they tell you to keep it in for a while.
I do keep a supply of pens - both basal and for boluses - just in case - as well as ketone test strips.
@JWS_Boulder I’ve had at least two G6 sensors result in a similar graph over the last couple of years. Neither did it consistently for 10-day period, just a couple of days that I was willing to put up with it, finally resulting in early replacement and a request for Dexcom to replace the sensor (which they agreed and replaced them).
@JWS_Boulder Welcome Justin to this Community Forum.
Certainly tech fails, and there are, unfortunately, many reasons that even a G6 may provide false or erratic values - occasionally a manufacturing defect but more often user placement or user activity.
I don’t have enough data, the graph you posted only shows CGM readings and leaves off the “48 Tabs”, hourly BGM readings, sensor placement, your activity. Your narrative indicates that you may have inadvertently “aided and assisted” some of the extreme highs by over-treating false lows - very often the G6 false lows are caused by compression on the insertion site and do not need carbohydrates to automatically correct and resume correct values.
A basic rule, included in all Dexcom guides, is to always observe sensor “trends” by looking at 3-5 previous values before taking action and to also assess how you are feeling before treating by either taking insulin or eating carbs, A finger-stick BG, using clean finger, can be a good secondary source to guide actions. BTW, during the past 7 decades living with diabetes I have many times “over-treated” and ended up on a roller coaster ride just as you appeared to experience last nigh.
Oof. Those days are tough. When my sensor graph looks like that I switch my pump to manual and rely on finger sticks. If it persists for more than 6 hours I put on a new sensor and get a replacement from dexcom. If it doesn’t quickly figure out its purpose in life, my sensor usually dies a very slow torturous death.
