FreeStyle Navigator System or DexCom 7

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Permalink Reply by Aubrey on April 26, 2008 at 11:49pm

For what it's worth I would use what your insurance is willing to pay for. I use the Gurdian, my insurance does not pay for any of it. No matter which one you use if the insurance does not pay for it, it will get very expensive very quick.

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Permalink Reply by Khürt Williams on April 27, 2008 at 6:59am

Aubrey,
Insurance covers the Dexcom, OneTouch and Fressstyle flash. I do not know about the FreeStyle Navigator. I'll check on that. I want to reduce the amount of stuff I carry around with me. If the CGMS already has a glucometer then I will have one less thing to carry around.

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Permalink Reply by Mark on April 28, 2008 at 9:39am

I have the Minimed minilink, however, I switched pumps from Medtronic to the Omnipod. I have heard that Dexcom and Omnipod are working on a single pod solution so that both the sensor and infusion site will be contained in a single pod with a single meter, pdm and receiver.

However, I would like to see a side-by-side comparison of both the Dexcom and Navigator. I do realize that the sensor for the Navigator is 5 days but when the Medtronic sensor came out it was only for 3 days until we figured out a way around it and made it last for 6 days. I think 7 days might be a bit long to have something inserted under your skin. The 6 days for Medtronic was itching like crazy on the 6th day.

Anyone see a comparison of these two?

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Permalink Reply by Khürt Williams on April 28, 2008 at 6:53pm

I just got a Dexcom 7 loaner from endo offices this morning. The nurse spent 30 minutes explaining how it works. She put a sensor on me and showed me how to calibrate it. The things drove me nuts for a few hours. My BG dropped under 70 and stayed that way for a couple of hours before finally climbing to 100.

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Permalink Reply by Bernard on May 17, 2008 at 2:07am

Khurt

I've had very good luck with the Dexcom. I've learned to change the sensor in the evening and then restart it the next morning. That way the readings have settled down, otherwise the first several hours after a new sensor has started can be tricky.

One this is to wait until your blood sugar is stable before calibrating. This gives much better results. This is another reason to wait until morning, since most of us have a stable morning level (even if it is high!).

I did put a video on YouTube showing the difference between the old and the new Dexcom. Later I ran the numbers for the 13 days I had the new one on (one sensor), the old one said my average BG was 117, the old one said 134! Being able to calibrate with a more accurate meter makes a big difference.

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Permalink Reply by Nancy on July 25, 2008 at 11:24pm

I have the Medtronic Minimed CGM and have been wearing it for about 4 months total. I've taken breaks from it because of the frustration of getting huge discrepancies in the readings between the finger stick and the CGS. I would love to make it work but after hours of talking with people on the 800 line and having two people train me in person I still feel that it isn't nearly accurate enough for me to make it useful. Any suggestions?

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Permalink Reply by Rickst29 on April 30, 2008 at 1:35am

Khurt, sorry to see that Dexcom had "crazy" numbers for you. But that is not unusual! Most people do not wear the Dexcom Sensors on the frontal abdomen, where Dexcom says. Lots of people use "upper butt cheek", high enough to avoid sitting on it but still in a "meaty" part. A few have great success with "love handles", straight down from armpits and one inch above belts.

I use both of those sites :))) Never had any luck at all with frontal abdomen, I was going to send it back until someone told me to try a "love handle" site.

I feel that 5 days versus 7 days is not important. But there is a HUGE difference-- when the Dexcom needs to be restarted (on every 7th day, I usually get 15-20 days from each one) you only have to wait 2 hours before it starts giving readings again. With Abbott, you must wait TEN HOURS. For me that would be many alarms to wake up and bG test (at night), or many, many interruptions to bG test during the day.

But, some people have switched from Dexcom to Navigator and found it to be astoundingly more accurate. THAT would bea reason to choose Abbott, in spite of the 10-hour warm up time.

You know that in just another month or two, Dexcom will allow you to use buttons to enter the finger-stick glucometer readings, so you could continue to use Freestyle with Dexcom too. (One-Touch uses lots more blood, but even more important for me, you need to have that cable to connect the meter to the Dexcom. Not convenient.)

If my insurance will pay for Abbott strips, then I will switch to Freestyle myself. But the first day on Dexcom is often crazy-bad, and maybe you need to use a different Sensor location (as I do).

When you get good results, as I do, then perhaps you will choose to ignore the rule "test with finger-poke before treating". Although I have an "extra" one-touch in the car, I almost never carry a one touch meter (or strips, or lancet device) anywhere. Only on day #1 of a new Sensor, out of 15-20 days wearing time.

So there is almost always only Dexcom in my pocket when I visit customers, or go shopping, or Opera concert, or anything. You might find that Abbott is the same-- even though it contains a meter, there might be no need to carry strips and lancet device at all, and you might hardly ever again actually use your meter.

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Permalink Reply by Khürt Williams on May 1, 2008 at 9:49pm

So the rule is "test before treating"? This thing indicates lows at least three times a day. Plus twice daily calibrations. So this thing will allow me to prick my fingers as much as I do now with my glucometer?

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Permalink Reply by Rickst29 on May 1, 2008 at 10:24pm

Yes, that's the official rules-- because they OFFICIALLY aren't accurate enough to "trust". But I trust mine nearly all the time (after day 1). My once-ever-12-hours "calibration" finger stick tests are usually within 10 points of the Dexcom reading, and most every other test is, too. When I used to "confirm" every time after Dexcom had warmed up properly (days 2-18), I nearly always found that the One-Touch and Dexcom were in agreement. So fingersticks were truly just just a hassle and waste of strips. Very often, for my "once every 12 hours" finger poke, they'll be showing exactly the same number. If my wife is home, I'll take the two meters and show them to her, saying, "yep, I really needed that calibration strip! It's TOTALLY worthwhile (not!!!!)"

I'm averaging less than 4 fingerpokes per day, and nearly all of them are for no reason except to make Dexcom stop nagging for "calibration". Before CGMS, I used to do 15-20 tests per day, and that WASN'T enough. Problems would occur during sleep.

I am more lucky than most. In the USA, we say "Your Mileage May Vary".

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Permalink Reply by Khürt Williams on May 1, 2008 at 11:32pm

I was hoping to do just the two finger tests per day. Normally I do about 7. But my experience has been that I am doing about 5 per day with the 7. So ..... my mileage is varying.

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Permalink Reply by sadi on May 9, 2008 at 4:54am

Hello everybody. i read all those input and i really asking myself how to choose either a DEXCOM or Freestyle.
But in fact i have no choise, I found how to get the Freestyle one, from germany, but how to get a DEXCOM CGM??
Could someone tell me in which country it is available and how to get, and also the price for it and sensors. I am living in France, so i have also to choose either travelling to UK, or germany!!

thank you for your help.

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Permalink Reply by Rickst29 on May 9, 2008 at 2:17pm

Sadi, Dexcom is sold only in the USA... a long tip for acquisition and refills from EU, sorry. I have no idea of Abbott's pricing in France; Minimed (the 3rd vendor) charges much more (about 3x the USA price) in the EU and in GB, and it varies a lot by country.

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