[VinceF]

I got approved and today I decided to go through with it so I should have the navagator by Friday. I read thread started by Lloyd and was wondering if anybody has any tips for smooth start up or use.

Dave

[Lloyd]

1. You don't want to start in the afternoon, unless you have a weird daily schedule, because the 10 and 12 hr calibrations would be in the middle of the night.

2. You want the 10, 12, 24, and 72 hour calibrations to be at a time when your glucose is not changing much. Otherwise, you might be asked to redo a calibration.

3. I had abbott on the phone with me when I did my first insertion.

4. Get the transmitter and receiver up and running, date and time set, and communicating with each other before inserting a sensor. You ALWAYS want to do this, because changing a battery means ending the life of a sensor, so check on battery life remaining FIRST.

-Lloyd

[Lloyd]

5. (additional) Sometimes I bleed when a sensor is inserted. Not a gusher, just dribble down the arm. Doing this by a sink is a good idea.

6. If you are putting a sensor in your arm, having a mirror on the wall is a HUGE help.

7. If you get blood on the contacts of the sensor, you will need to wipe them off before adding the transmitter. Q-tips work well for this.

8. To use the one-hand IV 3000 overbandage, fold in half the long way, and cut out a rectangle the size and shape of the transmitter and mount.

-Lloyd

[Lloyd]

9. They don't give you additional IV 3000 with the sensor kits. I bought them in a 6 x 7 cm size, and use one at each end. Much easier and cheaper. 50¢ each rather than $4 for a big one.

Sorry about splitting this up, I keep thinking of new stuff to add.

-Lloyd

[VinceF]

Thanks Lloyd! I have been following (lurking) your thread and it helped me decide on the Naviagtor. I was talking with the Dexcom people err at least I tried. I called them several times for questions (which they could not or would not answer). The Last time I left a message for the sales rep to return my call (which he didn't) That was 2 days ago now.

I'll refer back to this thread when I receive the kits. I've been reading the on line owners manual too. My insurance is covering everything. I have highmark BCBC of PA my understanding is they approve more than they turn down.

Thanks again -Dave

[VinceF]

I'm not so sure the CGMS thing is going to work for me. My intercistal fluid lags behind by as much as 50 points. I have been within a couple of points but when I go low it can go very fast so much so that a half hour alarm will not predict it even when I set it at 85. When I go high it still reads 150 and steady. I find that I'm still testing as much just to check up on the CGMS.

Am I missing something? I'm finding this frustrating and a bigger pain than benefit.

Dave

[EeyoreButterfly]

Hopefully one of the members who uses a CGMs can come here and answer your question. From what I have read, there will be a lag when your levels are changing fast such as when you are bottoming out or spiking. That is why when you suspect a hypo they tell you to still test.

When I talked with the reps at the expo it was indicated that a CGMS is not meant to replace testing, but rather to give you a clearer picture of what your levels are doing so that you can get tighter control. For instance, I wore one for a week because we had some questions about what my BG was doing in between tests. Eseentially it gave us an overall picture of my trends during the day instead of a snapshot and allowed us to discuss appropriate changes. I did read that the Freestyle is supposed to alarm when you are trending down. Is yours not doing that? You might want to call Abbott as that seemed one of the selling poins- alerting you to a hypo.

[Doug]

I insert either at 10 pm or 8-9 am to avoid the 2 am calibrations that Lloyd mentions

If the sensor wont calibrate make SURE the contacts are clean and the sensor is clean - if as lloyd said it bleeds some and the blood gets on the contacts the sensor will have trouble calibrating

You need to go buy some 357 batteries - they dont last as long as Abbott thinks - if the sensor is done and the battery status is under 50%, change it

using a sensor tends make me think that BG will change quicker than it does ..

Dont try to change your shirt after removing the transmitter

[VinceF]

I can get it to calibrate and it has provided a clearer picture between tests, eg I spike at around the 2 hr mark instead of spiking then coming down, and I think I should be giving my bolus about 15 minutes before eating and then I probably would not spike as high, when I go hypo I go quickly and the alarm does not catch it til I've already treated the low. The arrows indicating speed of the changes do not seem to directly reflect the actual speed of my change. I have been testing as much as I always did because I don't know how accuate the navigator is for me (though I suspect not very accurate).

I think I may have to wait for the technology to be blood testing not intercystal fluid.

-Dave

[melissata]

I just wanted to tell everyone that you don't need to buy batteries for the transmitter, just call Abbott and they will send you a few. They actually prefer that you do that because they think their brand works best.
Also, you can change a transmitter battery without having to restart or remove the sensor. Just replace the battery and tell the reciever "no" when it asks if you removed the sensor.
I don't trust the battery life detector at all, just change them both every 15 days. Abbott has actually admitted that the sensor only counts down time, not actual battery life. You can go from 50 to 75% to nothing in just one day. Not worth it. You can also sometimes replace the batteries one at a time quickly in the receiver if you find that it is low and catch it before it conks out on you.