Wednesday, May 5, 2010

7 Plus with DexCom or Real Time System with Medtronic???

I finally took the steps to get a Continuous Glucose Monitor...the question...which one do I go with?

All you pumpers out there...what do you recommend...what are benefits/downsides of these 2 systems? Is there a better system than the 2 I'm looking at?

Any help/feedback would be appreciated!

5 comments:

  1. I have the MiniLink and I am not very impressed with it. There are times that it is dead on, and times when its more than 180 points off. Right now, I am deciding whether or not to switch to Dexcom. After making calls to the dex rep, my Minilink has now decided to behave. I also know that it works really well for some people 90% of the time.

    My biggest issue it that its not always accurate for me. Having the pump integration is nice because there is one less thing to carry around, but at night I can't hear the alarm going off with it under the covers. I would say TRIAL TRIAL TRIAL both systems to see which one works for you the best. You just have to call the company and they can give you the name and number for someone who can hook you up to one for a week. :)

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  2. Thanks! This is really helpful- I do like the idea of having it connected directly to my pump, but I've been reading soo many good things about Dexcom. I'm going to a class in a few weeks and all the reps will be there. I'm taking the Hubby with me, so hopefully I'll have some help making the final decision.

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  3. I've never had the MiniLink but I have not heard good things. I really don't like that you have to wait until your blood sugar is steady to put in a new sensor. Who can guarentee a steady blood sugar for several hours? Or that you have to wait so long to calibrate and get your first readings.

    I don't have the Dexcom either but I did trial it for a week and it's MUCH better than I thought it would be. But I was basing most of my assumptions on what I knew of the MiniLink. No steady blood sugars are needed when placing a new sensor. And you can use the receiver 2 hours after placing the new sensor and only need to calibrate every 12 hours. (But I just calibrated every time I tested and it was within arms length.)

    Anyway, I never got the errors that I heard so much about with other CGMs and it was relatively accurate most of the time. Never off by more than 50 points or so and usually only 10 or 20 off (most likely due to the delay that CGMs have). The sensor was comfortable to wear and would have lasted longer than the 7 days. And with the Dexcom there's no need to charge the transmitter.

    The only negative is that you do have to find a way to carry it around. For the readings to get to the reciever you need to be within 10 feet of it. Not a problem if I'm out since I always have my purse on me. But at home when I'm walking all over the house, I'll sometimes leave a room and forget to grab it.

    Sorry for the ramble, hope that helped!

    ~Layne

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  4. I love rambles! That was super helpful. It's great to get some feedback from people who actually know something about CGM. I feel like all the CGM reps from different companies are not honest because they are just trying to sell me their brand. Thanks for the feedback- I'll let you know what I decide. Which one did you go with? I'm not opposed to looking at other brands!

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  5. I've only tried Dexcom. Between not liking the things I've heard about MiniLink and not wanting to switch pumps (I love the remote meter on the Ping) I pretty much knew that the MiniLink wasn't an option for me. I've also not really heard good things about the Navigator.

    So I opted to trial the Dexcom and IF I liked it I'd consider getting one. (That was a big "if" since I've always said CGMs never sounded like something I'd want to do. I'm in pretty good control without it and already test a bunch anyway and it doesn't really bother me.)

    Well, I was really impressed with the Dexcom. I still probably wouldn't have gotten a CGM except that I'm planning a pregnancy. And I'm paranoid about every. single. high. I've applied for approval for a Dexcom from my insurance company. Hopefully I'll have one soon!

    ~Layne

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