Dexcom G6 Sensor Failures

Hi @Stk88. Interesting they mention acetaminophen: use of that type of painkiller was contraindicated for the G4/G5, which I’m assuming😳 are pretty much out of the picture as they were being phased out. It’s not supposed to be an issue with the G6 but I do wonder if it or something else could have an effect.

Hi @everloo. I’ve been talking insulin for nearly 60 years, most often in the abdomen. Between my needles, and now my infusion sets and sensor I’m surprised I don’t have more issues due to scar tissue. I use my arm as an alternative, as well as my upper thigh. Last I heard they had not received the “coveted FDA approval” but my readings compare closely to my occasional fingersticks and you have to do what works.
I wish they would approve other areas - let’s face it, the abdomen gets more than its share of use!

Well if your body is faulty so are a lot of others, myself included. 12 in a row is ridiculous. I’ve wondered if there are real problems with the storage/shipping or manufacturing of the sensors.
When getting close to 90 days of transmitter time, I DO have more failures but not at 60 days.

I’m in the same boat as so many others. My G6 sensors fail prior to 10 days about 40% of the time, and in the 24 hours or so before failure, the readings are sporadic and/or inaccurate. This is really frustrating, and equally frustrating is that Dexcom seems to have no interest in addressing the issue. My guess is that it is much easier and less expensive for them simply to keep replacing people’s sensors than to incur the time and cost of R&D, testing, possible FDA approvals, and so on. Did I mention cost?

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Actually Rose @Rbmandelbaum , it appears to me that Dexcom is actively attempting to find solutions to the sensor “problems” some users face.
If you have registered with Dexcom and read the email messages sent to you, you would have possibly taken advantage of the request to experience an “improved version” of the G6, using sensors provided by Dexcom. And if you completed the survey questions describing your experience, you would have been paid cash for your time.

Also keep in mind that the totally new Dexcom G7 has been tested and hopefully be replaced soon.

Hi Dennis. Thanks so much for this information. I haven’t received any emails from Dexcom, nor have I ever gotten any information from them indicating that they are working on this problem.
I’ve been a Dexcom user (both G5 and G6) for a number of years, and have never heard anything about “registering.” Nor has anyone in customer service ever told me anything about this. What you’re saying sounds great, but if it’s not made available to me and I have no way of even knowing it exists, it’s not going to do me much good.

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So, wait, we don’t get emails, either, and I’d like to. We’ve got a Dexcom account, so I logged in to poke around, but all I saw was the “Dexcom Warrior” thing, which doesn’t look like what you mean. What are we missing?

When creating my Dexcom accounts, I requested full notifications.
If my memory is correct, this trial was also promoted on T1D Exchange and diatribe. The T1Exchange posts T1 surveys and trials often.

This review is a comparison between the G4 and G6. This is my experience.

I used the G4 for several years. I would tell anyone on insulin they should talk to their doctor about it. It literally changed my life. Possibly saved it.

When Dexcom stopped selling the G4 I changed to the G6. If asked about it now, I recommend they look at another brand.

The “No finger sticks” is a marketing claim and completely inaccurate and dangerous. I had mine read 350 so I checked and it was 170. Big, dangerous difference. As a result I validate/calibrate it several times a day just like the G4.

The frequent “Data Errors” are a huge problem. And when combined with sleeping lows, another dangerous flaw.

The receiver is bigger, heavier, has shorter battery life and is unreadable in daylight. I used to be able to silence the alarm with a single button push without even looking at it. Great for a meeting/church/movie or a sleeping family. It would vibrate and I could silence it before it beeped. The G6 touchscreen version makes this impossible. The touch screen is ALMOST useless. No feedback and not sensitive. Press a button, wait, wait, wait. No? press it again, wait. OK, now press the next. Sometimes I want to use a hammer and nail to press the buttons. And it takes at least 4 presses to do anything. You have to repeatedly unlock it while doing some things. It seems like Dexcom designed this to operate slowly for some reason. Odd thing is the big touchscreen adds nothing. All it does is make a soft version of the hard buttons on the G4. The screen is larger, but the data display only uses small portions of it, so it is really less readable than the G4. You have to punch sensor codes into it. Remember doing that with glucose meters 15 years ago? It’s back.

The range is shorter. Battery life is less. 10 day sensor life is better IF it lasts 10 days.

This was much longer than I thought it would be. I can go on for quite a while. I was Dexcom’s greatest spokesperson with the G4. No so much anymore.

Dexcom, Please bring the G4 back!

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Make sure you change the spot each time, and that everything is snap in correctly. You might have to switch to a different type. hope you find out whats happening!