New CGM
This is rather awkward, but I am currently wearing not one, but two continuous blood sugar monitoring systems on my body... the Dex on the right, the Navigator on the left.
The trainer for the Nav came in today and we went through the procedure. The Nav is definitely more finicky than the Dex in terms of dealing with the insertion itself; the idea of having to wait to blot out the blood for example. But the insertion device is much easier to handle one handed than with the Dex, a necessity when using upper back arm locations. It also hurts quite a bit less to put it in.
My main complaint about the whole sensor business is that Abbott doesn't trust the stickiness of the tape to the degree that they add an additional overlay bandage with the sensors. However, the overlay isn't precut to fit the transmitted, meaning that you have to actually mark and cut it yourself. That's sloppy. Really no excuse for that. Plus I don't understand how come Dexcom can make a sticky that works just fine and dandy for the entire 7 day duration whereas Abbott can't even be sure enough that it will hold for 5.
I like the Nav receiver better than the Dex - it feels smaller, although I am not sure if it really is in practice. I really like its shape and the silicone cover. I also like all the little features that are built in, like the reports. I haven't experienced the predictive alarms yet, but they promise to be an exciting feature, I am looking forward to seeing them in action.
I love, love, love the battery operated devices. Why Dexcom chose the ipod model is beyond me. The idea that I have to buy a whole new system every year is a little irritating, to say the least, although I do get the benefit of having the most recent at any given time. With that said, I much prefer Abbott's approach of allowing me to replace batteries for as long as I want, without the constant fear that one day one of these devices will die unexpectedly and I won't have access to the system until I shell out several hundred dollars and wait several days for a new one. I must also note that my Dexcom transmitter signal has weakened noticeably in the past 3 months, probably indicating nearing its end of life, but it hurts performance. Won't happen with the Nav, and that's a good thing.
Of course, the big hit against the Nav is the 10 hour delay from insertion to calibration. I understand it's because Abbott prefers not to show results that are not very confident; honestly, I don't think they should be the judges of that. Dexcom allows you to see results within 2 hours even though the first day is always a little less reliable, just as I presume it would be with the Nav. By the same token, Dexcom won't let you see results it doesn't trust even if you wanted them, with their "only see last number" and "???" paradigm.
I don't really understand this paradigm; just give me the data, and let me manage my disease. I know better than all of you what my body does and how it reacts and how it behaves and when to trust a reading. It's rather annoying to have to deal with some engineer's generalized view of what "should be" when they have absolutely no clue as to what reality is when it comes to my own body. Both companies are at blame for this, in different ways.
The trainer for the Nav came in today and we went through the procedure. The Nav is definitely more finicky than the Dex in terms of dealing with the insertion itself; the idea of having to wait to blot out the blood for example. But the insertion device is much easier to handle one handed than with the Dex, a necessity when using upper back arm locations. It also hurts quite a bit less to put it in.
My main complaint about the whole sensor business is that Abbott doesn't trust the stickiness of the tape to the degree that they add an additional overlay bandage with the sensors. However, the overlay isn't precut to fit the transmitted, meaning that you have to actually mark and cut it yourself. That's sloppy. Really no excuse for that. Plus I don't understand how come Dexcom can make a sticky that works just fine and dandy for the entire 7 day duration whereas Abbott can't even be sure enough that it will hold for 5.
I like the Nav receiver better than the Dex - it feels smaller, although I am not sure if it really is in practice. I really like its shape and the silicone cover. I also like all the little features that are built in, like the reports. I haven't experienced the predictive alarms yet, but they promise to be an exciting feature, I am looking forward to seeing them in action.
I love, love, love the battery operated devices. Why Dexcom chose the ipod model is beyond me. The idea that I have to buy a whole new system every year is a little irritating, to say the least, although I do get the benefit of having the most recent at any given time. With that said, I much prefer Abbott's approach of allowing me to replace batteries for as long as I want, without the constant fear that one day one of these devices will die unexpectedly and I won't have access to the system until I shell out several hundred dollars and wait several days for a new one. I must also note that my Dexcom transmitter signal has weakened noticeably in the past 3 months, probably indicating nearing its end of life, but it hurts performance. Won't happen with the Nav, and that's a good thing.
Of course, the big hit against the Nav is the 10 hour delay from insertion to calibration. I understand it's because Abbott prefers not to show results that are not very confident; honestly, I don't think they should be the judges of that. Dexcom allows you to see results within 2 hours even though the first day is always a little less reliable, just as I presume it would be with the Nav. By the same token, Dexcom won't let you see results it doesn't trust even if you wanted them, with their "only see last number" and "???" paradigm.
I don't really understand this paradigm; just give me the data, and let me manage my disease. I know better than all of you what my body does and how it reacts and how it behaves and when to trust a reading. It's rather annoying to have to deal with some engineer's generalized view of what "should be" when they have absolutely no clue as to what reality is when it comes to my own body. Both companies are at blame for this, in different ways.
posted by Blinkered at 7:11 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home