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Saturday, May 12, 2007

Minimed REAL-Time Minilink Doing Well--Need Advice on Longer Wear!

OK, so I haven't posted in a long time about the Minilink, but things are going really well. The only problem I am having is that I can't get the sensor to last more than 7 days. At the sensor end warning on day three, I unplug the minilink and recharge it for a couple hours. At the second Sensor End warning, I try the same thing, but I get two Cal Errors after I reconnect and then a Bad Sensor. Any advice on moving past this would be appreciated.

Things I am doing:
  • I have tried inserting the sensor at a deeper angle than 45, I put the sensor in my stomach (tried my hip and for me, it hurt like hell, but I hate infusion sets there, too).
  • I let the sensor warm up about 30 minutes before I insert it
  • Once it is inserted, I wait about 15 minutes before connecting the Minilink(to wet the cannula)
  • I recharge the battery at each "Sensor End" which is every three days

Regarding accuracy. I have found this to be really accurate. I have discrepancies occasionally, but not on the norm. Overall, I am very happy with this and if I wasn't wearing it, I wouldn't know what my blood sugars are. As a busy mom, it is SO easy for me to blow off regular blood sugar checks, so this CGM is saving me (I do have a very good sense of whether I am high or low, but I would prefer to not be 180 all day, which is why I got this).

Send your advice my way on how you get longer sensor wear. I have a friend (medical professional) who has had three weeks of wear (still on her), but I have already tried everything she is doing.

6 comments:

Marina Martin said...

You shouldn't need to recharge after every "Sensor End" signal. The instructions say it lasts 14 days on a full charge. (The battery life also wouldn't affect wearability.)

Even though Minimed says you should change it every 3 days, everyone I talked to, including my endo (who wears one herself), said to expect a good 6-7 days of wear. However, I'd be worried to leave in much longer than that, because you don't want to build up scar tissue. Mine itches like crazy on day 7, but if i could ignore the itching, changing the tape around it would keep it in place for a long time. (You are covering it in IV tape, right?)

Wendy Morgan said...

A Minimed Rep, a CDE and an Endo said I should be able to get up to 14 days of sensor life. So, my goal is to get more days than seven if I can.

The woman who has worn hers for three weeks with very accurate readings and no irritation charges the minilink a couple hours every sensor end, so I was trying that to see if I could extend the wear.

I do use the tape to cover it and haven't had problems keeping it on, I just want to wear it as long as I can with accuracy.

Thanks!

Drea said...

I have found it harder with the new Minilink to get a long wear out of a sensor! For the past few, my isig drops after day 7 - and the calibrations need to be very close to avoid cal errors. The sensor is still accurate, but I have to be stable with my BGL to have a successful calibration after day 7 or 8. I am on day 10 of my current sensor and all is going well.....

If I get a bad sensor error within the first 9 or so days of a sensor I will untape the tiny sensor, unhook the transmitter - and rehook/restart as a new sensor and usually if I let it stand awhile before calibrating again it will start up.....

Wendy Morgan said...

Hi Denise,

I have to clarify that I don't really have a love/hate relationship, it is love/REALLY annoyed. Sort of like how you feel about your husband or boy friend when there is dirty laundy in the middle of the bathroom floor...every morning for a week.

This thing is awesome, but right now (this week) I want the alarms to shut up. If I was getting low alarms or high alarms, I wouldn't be so irritated, but today again, I left home without my kit and had a cal alarm and a low battery alarm.

One thing about alarms that I have also read on other posts; the Low B.S. alarm is LAME. Why is there a screaming siren for a calibration, but this descending little do, do, do ,do do for a potentially life threatening blood sugar situation.

cc1824 said...

how does the system work, I run high a lot so I would like this system but don't know or can find any info on it, i have questions. does the needle stay inside all the time or is it like the quick set for the 722 pump?

how often to change and how do you calibrate?

Anonymous said...

I found a great item at Walgreens to tape my sensors and transmitter to my body. It is Walgreen's brand "Skin Closure Strips" For Small Cuts. You get 30 strips in the box and they are 1/4 in wide (perfect for sensors) by 4 inches long. I keep my sensor in for up to 12 days (that has been my max so far since starting in Feb.) and these strips keep my sensors and transmitter in place! I acutally cut one strip in half to use over the sensor and a full strip for the transmitter. A little bit of alcohol gets the sticky stuff off of the transmitter when I disconnect or change the sensor. Hope this helps. I had been trying so many items to keep the products attached to my body and I so thrilled to have found this item! Hope this info helps others.