[Ark nana]

Poodlebone, Guess what!! My last senser lasted 13 days!! I was so happy about that. The longest one so far. I think I wasn't being careful enough when I took the transmitter off to recharge. So your advice was right on the mark for me. Also I use a lot of tape now to keep everything in place. All good advice!! You Rock!!

[poodlebone]

I am using a sensor that I inserted on September 27th and it is still working great! This is the longest I have ever gotten one to last. The accuracy has been really amazing. One morning the sensor & my meter were pretty far off but I am 100% positive it was because I had slept on the sensor, and pressure on the sensor can cause the readings to suddenly drop. The sensor is in my right arm and since I'm comfortable sleeping on both my left & right sides I've been sleeping on my left. I can switch to my right if I position myself carefully and except for that one morning it hasn't been a problem.

I used to use paper tape to tapoe down my sensor after inserting it. I ran out and haven't remember to buy any more so I just cut a strip of Hypafix, 2" x 1/2", and used that to tape it down. The Hypafix has held tight even after peeling the dressing off multiple times to recharge the transmitter. I think that's one of the reasons why this sensor has lasted so long. The HYpafix is holding the sensor firmly in place so it doesn't budge when I remove the tape to get the transmitter off.

When I first inserted the sensor my calibration factor (metere BG divided by isig) was around 8. Not bad, but in the past my really good sensors started off with a calibration factor closer to 5. By the end of the first week it had gone up to 10 and I wasn't even going to recharge the transmitter, thinking that the sensor might only last another day or two. I did it anyway and the calibration factor remained a steady 10 all week. Near the end of the 3rd week it had crept up to 12. On Saturday afternoon (October 17th) I noticed my dressing was peeling up. I knew the transmitter would stop working Sunday afternoon (7 days since my last recharge) and I really wanted the sensor to last a full 3 weeks so I decided to change the dressing. My brain was on autopilot and I removed the transmitter automatically once I peeled the dressing off. D'oh! I recharged it, attached it and taped it all down again. My calibration fell back to 9-10 and has been there ever since.

My arm sites are usually good but even I'm amazed at the life I'm getting from this sensor. The site does not hurt, is not red and is only a little itchy around the edges of the dressing because I used IV3000. I have a bunch of them I want to use up. Lately I've been using Hypafix to cover everything and that causes no irritation at all.

[It Ain't Over]

I did not know about the significance of dividing the meter bg by the isig. Is that an indicator of a failing sensor?
I read the isig as 7.66 meter reading 94 = 12.27
So far for me this has been better than expected. First sensor is now n 17 days old. It has read within 5 pts of the meter reading everytime I have checked it, with the exception of those occasions where bg's are moving. Still usefull then. Just use the movement to signal something is about to go wrong.
Would like to see a signal there, instead of, or in addition to, the static alarm. That would work very well.
Of course the trouble would be more alarms going off...

[Ark nana]

That's great poodlebone!! That has to be some kinda record. My longest one so far is 13 days. I'm only on my 6th one. I skip a few days in between sometimes. There is only one area I can use (upper buttt area,right side) so I give it a rest every once in awhile. Anyway, good job!! Next time I start a new sencor I'm going to use so much tape I may never get the silly thing off!!

[poodlebone]

Originally Posted by It Ain't Over

I did not know about the significance of dividing the meter bg by the isig. Is that an indicator of a failing sensor?

In order to calibrate a sensor successfully, the calibration factor has to fall between 2 & 20. You get the factor by dividing your meter BG by the isig. If it falls outside that range you'll get a calibration error. If you get 2 cal errors in a row, you'll get a Bad Sensor message. Doesn't mean it's really bad. You can always turn the sensor option off then turn it back on later and tell the pump to Start New Sensor.

As a sensor ages, the isig will gradually decrease and your calibration factor will start to increase. With a new sensor, your isig may be 18 while your BG is 100. As the sensor ages, when your BG is 100 your isig may be 14, then 11, then 9 etc. Eventually you won't be able to calibrate it because the factor will be out of range.

[poodlebone]

Originally Posted by Ark nana

That's great poodlebone!! That has to be some kinda record. My longest one so far is 13 days. I'm only on my 6th one. I skip a few days in between sometimes. There is only one area I can use (upper buttt area,right side) so I give it a rest every once in awhile. Anyway, good job!! Next time I start a new sencor I'm going to use so much tape I may never get the silly thing off!!

13 days is very good. I'm always happy with anything over 10 days, and not every sensor even makes it that far. I've read stories of people getting more than a month from a sensor and I was always amazed. I don't know what the record is for keeping a sensor working properly.

I had to change the dressing again today because the IV3000 was peeling up in two places. I really hate that stuff! I replaced it with Opsite Flexifix which usually holds better. The strip of Hypafix stayed put as I peeled off the old IV3000. I highly recommend that stuff!

[It Ain't Over]

OK my senser failed last night. The meter ready /isig went to 24 and it would not calibrate. At 18 days I just replaced it. I am wondering if I should have just turned it off and then back on like you said.
But I figure 18 days to start with is great. It was starting to get a little red around the senser and felt a lot better after I removed and relocated the next one.

[Dalia]

Hi. I am new here.
How to prolong sensor life? Sometimes it helps gentle massage or warming -up around sensor insertion place.

[It Ain't Over]

Originally Posted by Dalia

Hi. I am new here.
How to prolong sensor life? Sometimes it helps gentle massage or warming -up around sensor insertion place.

I would think that would get the blood flowing in the area and that would contibute to a better start at least. Not bad, I will try that tonight with the next senser insertion.

[poodlebone]

Massaging the area can help when the sensor seems to have gotten "stuck", which usually happens during periods of inactivity. I guess the interstitial fluid just kind of sits there in a stagnant pool. Getting it moving around helps. Drinking water & staying hydrated also helps. I don't know if massaging the area before inserting would be a good idea, maybe that would cause more bleeding upon insertion?

Sometimes if I end up sleeping right on the sensor my sensor readings will suddenly drop. Removing the pressure from the sensor (shifting position so I'm not laying on it!) and massaging the area usually gets my sensor back to normal in a short time.

[It Ain't Over]

I have a question on the senser failure. So far everytime I have seen it read 'Bad Senser' it is preceded with one or two 'Calibraton Failed' notices.
The last time I saw that the isig was 5.8, but the pump was reading over 40 points off and had been right on the money just an hour before.
Is that the normal routine seen when a senser gives out? Does an out of whack reading and an attempt to calibrage tell it to quit?

[Ark nana]

Sometime when all else fails, I just turn the sencor off for a while. Last night it was waking me up with a high signal and I knew I wasn't so I just turned it off and went back to sleep. The next morn. I just hit reconnect old sencor and it was fine. Was that O.K.?? Sometimes it takes a couple of calibrations to get on track. Thanks always for the help. We are in this together.

[poodlebone]

Originally Posted by It Ain't Over

I have a question on the senser failure. So far everytime I have seen it read 'Bad Senser' it is preceded with one or two 'Calibraton Failed' notices.
The last time I saw that the isig was 5.8, but the pump was reading over 40 points off and had been right on the money just an hour before.
Is that the normal routine seen when a senser gives out? Does an out of whack reading and an attempt to calibrage tell it to quit?

You can tell in advance if you'll get a CAL ERROR or not. When you check your BG to do a calibration, check the isig first. Then divide your meter BG by the isig. If that number does not fall between 2 - 20, you will get an error. You may still get an error if it's in that range but close to either end.

You will get a Bad Sensor after two Cal Errors. Do as Ark Nana suggested, and turn the sensor off for awhile. Turn it on and see if you can calibrate again later. Not 5 minutes later, give it a little time.

An isig of 5.8 is very low unless your BG was also very low but since you got a Cal Error I'm assuming your BG was over 100. The isig does decrease as the sensor ages. If turning the sensor off & then on again later doesn't do anything, just pull the sensor and insert a new one.

[It Ain't Over]

Ok, the BG at that time was 139, so the calibration factor would have been 24. Out of bounds.
Thanks for the information.