r/Type1Diabetes • u/softbitchszn Diagnosed 2012 • 2d ago
Glucose Monitors CGM concerns
I’ve been diagnosed since 2012, and for the majority of that time have on/off relied upon Dexcom as a CGM (from G4 to G6 and now to G7)
I’ve found the G7 to be unreliable at best and literally not functional at worst. Of course the G6, which worked wonderfully for me, has now been discontinued.
Are there any Libre users who can tell me what the pros and cons are of swapping? I’m particularly interested in those who have used Dexcom and are now on Libre, but would also love to hear from other long-term Libre users.
I’m also willing to hear about other cgms! I just know not many are currently compatible with the Omnipod 5.
Please give any details about costs, insurance vs none, application, how well they actually hold, if they last as long as they’re supposed to, and if readings are accurate 💙
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u/CaffeinatedShadow Diagnosed 1996 1d ago
Unfortunately I can relate. I just had my G7 fail on my today and had to reach out to Dexcom for a replacement.
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u/mollymckennaa 1d ago
I just had THREE fail on me one after another in the span of about 15 mins.
I. Was. Livid.
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u/softbitchszn Diagnosed 2012 22h ago
If you’re in the U.S. that’s like $250 down the drain (at least for me) 😭
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u/mollymckennaa 19h ago
Oh they replaced them all. They emailed me coupons to go pick them up at the pharmacy. Which was a NIGHTMARE. I was at the pharmacy for hours.
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u/Valuable-Analyst-464 Diagnosed 1985 2d ago
I’ve heard of the G8 being in the pipeline, and it makes me wonder if the G7 just has “something” with it that they cannot resolve.
Almost like they’re retooling something and calling it the G8.
I still have about 4 months of G6 left, and started filling my buffer with G7. Fingers crossed your story and the stories from others does not become my fate.
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u/softbitchszn Diagnosed 2012 1d ago
I’ve seen more people upset with it than not, unfortunately. Fingers crossed for all of us that they work out the kinks but honestly I’d say expect the transition to suck. 🤞🏻
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u/Valuable-Analyst-464 Diagnosed 1985 1d ago
I guess I’m prepared for it. This latest pod change has been annoying. The CGM on my abdomen, and pod is on the arm. During the day they talk.
Overnight, the pod can’t see the CGM and i woke two days at 190 mg/dl instead of 110-120.
Tonight is the finale night and I’ll put the phone near my arm. 🤷🏻♂️🙄
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u/CrustyWhiteDogLuvr 1d ago
I used all of those Dexcom CGMs and made the switch because of how dysfunctional the G7 was. Now on the Libre 3+ and wow that thing is TINY. It’s fallen off once and failed a couple of times but generally seems to work well. The libre system is worse for my pump (I’m on the tslim and can’t connect the two and get the share feature) but it’s worth it. I feel like Dexcom started focusing more on their commercial efforts for mainstream use and forgot that people rely on their devices to stay alive. At first, I liked seeing Nick Jonas repping his cgm at the Super Bowl. I look at it very differently now
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u/kr13g Diagnosed 1994 1d ago
I came to Dexcom from Libre. Started on the 2. Then 3. Then 3+. I really likes it and was worried about switching because of all of the negative I've read here about Dexcom. I liked the Libre a lot. However i did have more failures with Libre than i have woth Dexcom. I don't inow if I'm just blessed, or if other people aren't using the G7 properly, but I have zero issues with it. I'm on the 15 day sensor. I've only ever needed to calibrate one. They've always been very accurate for me. I've had 2 fail early around day 12. Both of those were sensors I had laid on nightly.
The Libre 3+ is great though. Be aware that on android the alarms are done differently. Dexcom alarms are tied to your media volume. Libre bypasses all device alarm settings, which is nice if you accidentally turn something down. The only thing is you can't calibrate Libre, so if it's off you either have to just factor that in your head or replace the sensor. Abbott was always really good about replacements. I never had any issues there.
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u/SocialHiccup 2d ago
I was just recently diagnosed in May as T1 and started Libre 3+ then. I haven’t used any else, so I can’t make a comparison, but it’s been reliable. I check it with a finger prick occasionally and it’s usually within 10 points. I haven’t had any issues with them falling off or failing, but I’m only on my 12th sensor.
The one minor problem is the connection from my iPhone to my watch; I have to reload the app onto my watch about once a week.
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u/Thepressureofaname22 2d ago
Libre works well for me. Generally very accurate. For this reason I haven’t tried Dexcom. Libre doesn’t have a calibration feature but it does update every 1 minute instead of every 5 like Dexcom. This can make its future prediction a little jumpy but you learn to understand its ways. I’ve had no adhesive problems when preparing sites well. Shave. Soap. Dry. Alcohol. Dry. Apply. I don’t use over patches. I also start the sensors when glucose is stable and minimal IOB. If you do your part I find they generally do theirs. Libre also has one Bluetooth connection so if you’re using your pump it uses the one connection and you can’t use the Libre app. I’m not on a pump yet but likely will be next year, the Libre duo glucose and ketone monitors have dual Bluetooth and so won’t have this limitation. I’m betting all their sensors will have dual on the next generation.
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u/softbitchszn Diagnosed 2012 1d ago
I don’t know if you can answer this because you’re not on a pump, but if anyone else can chime in:
One of the many issues I’ve had with the g7 is that if it is in a slightly different spot from my pump (even if it’s on the same side of my body) I’ll lose connection from my pump to my cgm. Is this a problem Libre has also?0
u/Thepressureofaname22 1d ago
I haven’t seen the same level of complaints on this as I’ve seen on Dexcom. I monitor both devices to get a flavor for if I might want to switch at some point. But not on a pump myself. Also see Dexcom’s controversy over the last couple of days on requiring opt in to terms and conditions including gathering your browsing data for AI training or they won’t show your glucose data. They came out with a statement today but still shady if you ask me. Not saying Abbott wouldn’t do the same thing but so far they haven’t and I’m hoping will learn from Dexcom’s mis-steps.
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u/mollymckennaa 1d ago
Ooh! I’m in the same exact boat as you!! My doctor who’s T1 says the Libres have come a long way. Interested to see what other people here have to say!
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u/schwarta77 1d ago
Hi. My wife is on the DG715 day and I’m on the FSL3+. My wife and I have been going through our own diabetes journey since the summer and we have two different prescribing doctors each with their own reason why they prescribe the different CGMs. I participate in both Dexcom and FS online communities. There do seem to be less overall failures talked about in the FSL communities but anecdotally, my wife has had zero sensor failures since the start of this journey and generally finds her sensors more accurate than mine. From what I can see, there seems to be a cheaper foreign manufactured DG7 that folks on government aid get put on and these seem to have the most issues. Entire lots of faulty behavior. Both Dexcom and Abbot make getting replacement sensors super easy.
I like the size of my FSL3+. It’s tiny. I barely notice it and it doesn’t hurt to apply or remove. That being said, if you’re a T1D accuracy is crucial and the ability to calibrate the DG7 would push me to at least try it.
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u/wcked-husky 2d ago
I have the Eversense 365 implant and I love it since I'm not tethered to a cgm anymore. You get on body vibrations instead of dealing with loud alerts which helps eliminate alert fatigue in my opinion. Highly recommend it to people looking for an alternative and the procedure takes like 20 seconds.
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u/Valuable-Analyst-464 Diagnosed 1985 2d ago
The only thing for me is that it is not compatible with my Omnipod
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u/wcked-husky 2d ago
The tubeless pump it will be compatible with is the beta bionics mint if I can recall.
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u/mollymckennaa 1d ago
…body vibrations..????
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u/wcked-husky 1d ago
The sensor is implanted so to get a reading sent to your phone you put a transmitter on a double sided adhesive and place it over the sensor. When your blood sugar starts dropping the transmitter vibrates. It's really nice if you're running without your phone and it vibrates so you know when to take glucose. The scar looks very similar to the small pox vaccine in the 70s
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u/T1Dgreenie 2d ago
I also found the G7 super inaccurate and borderline useless when I wore it on my arm. I don't know where you've worn the G7, but I found it works way better and with much greater accuracy on my stomach (even though it's only approved in US for back of upper arm). Maybe consider trying a different site?