DexCom is offering a free sensor with your next order of four. This buy 4 get 1 free promotion seems to be an effort to get customers introduced to their new online store. Looks like you just have to register and then place your order via that online store. The offer ends in March 31, 2012.
If you are an adult (users under 18 see below) DexCom user this is a no-brainer, we've all been waiting for the company to set up an easier way of placing an order. Now you'll be able to order online or set up a auto-reorder. You can visit the DexCom website and choose the link that looks like the image below (they banner rotates), it will take you to this link.
Now if you are the parent of a Dex user things get a little confusing but you can still easily take advantage of the offer and set up an auto-reorder (they call it 'Schedule Ship'). Since minors can't register to make purchases through their online store the form on the website is not going to help you. I had to call customer service, wait for a call back, etc. I asked my CSR if there was an easier way for the parents that read my site to take advantage of this offer, he and I came up with this...
Parents of minors that use DexCom can take advantage of the buy 4 get 1 free offer by simply calling...
Brian at 877-339-2664, extension 5561
Tell Brian that you were sent by Scott from Arden's Day, that you would like to set up a Schedule Ship and receive a free sensor as part of their offer. Brian will email you the 'Schedule Shipment' form, you send it back to him and you'll be finished signing up for their Schedule Ship program... getting your free sensor in the process.
Speaking of free stuff:
Apidra is free until 4/30/12
I have a 3 year supply of Spring's Universal Infusion Sets to give away
Medtronic announces mySentry and I rejoice. Their new innovation does sound familiar...
mySentry Allows Caregivers to See Real-Time Insulin Pump Information and Glucose Trends from Another Room
MINNEAPOLIS – January 4, 2012 – Today, Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE:MDT) announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval and U.S. market launch of the first-of-its-kind mySentry™ Remote Glucose Monitor, which allows a parent or caregiver to monitor from another room a patient’s MiniMed Paradigm® REAL-Time Revel™ System. The remote glucose monitor also marks the launch of a new category of Connected Care solutions that will provide people with diabetes and their caregivers convenient options to access their diabetes management information.
Perhaps more then any other chronic dieses, management of day-to-day diabetes lends itself to cutting edge technology. While I'm always grateful for the advancements that have already been made, I'd like to see more and see it faster.
Even if you don't use a Medtronic device (Arden uses a DexCom CGM) this news is fantastic. Wireless technology like this is sorely needed and Medtronic's announcement will serve us all well, spurning other manufacturers to move forward as quickly as possible so not to be left behind. It is also a signal to other companies that the FDA is allowing clearance for technology such as this. That knowledge will make it easier for smaller companies to get into the game. Many device manufacturers are smaller and less profitable then you may imagine and they can't afford to get trapped into a protracted submission process with the government.
I love the FDA saying yes, I love Medtronic trying and I look forward to finding out what is next - please just don't price us all out of when your products come to market.
Medtronic's complete press release is at this link.
ps. It's time to let Insulet give us their smaller pods FDA - I mean really... which ever device lobbyist has you holding this up (my supposition)... they've gotten their monies worth, time to think about the people again.
By Kristina Fiore, Staff Writer, MedPage Today
Published: October 14, 2011
Reviewed by Robert Jasmer, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco and Dorothy Caputo, MA, RN, BC-ADM, CDE, Nurse Planner
Both pediatric and adult patients with type 1 diabetes should use continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) to measure blood glucose levels, according to new guidelines.
There's high-quality evidence from studies showing that CGM can reduce the risk of hypoglycemia and help maintain good glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) control in both populations, David Klonoff, MD, of Mills-Peninsula Health Services in San Mateo, Calif., and colleagues reported in a clinical practice guideline from the Endocrine Society. The guideline was published in the October issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
"There are still concerns about the high costs of CGM and the accuracy of the various systems available," Klonoff said in a statement. "However, the new guideline shows that CGM can be a beneficial tool to help maintain target levels of glycemia and limit the risk of hypoglycemia."
Standard blood glucose monitoring with finger sticks can provide only intermittent snapshots of glucose levels, the researchers said, and often miss sustained hyperglycemic and hypoglycemic excursions.
On the other hand, CGM allows for more complete blood glucose profiles, though there have been concerns over the accuracy of interstitial tissue sampling compared with actual blood levels. However, newer devices have shown improved accuracy, Klonoff and colleagues reported.
In their review of the literature for creating the guidelines, they found sufficient high-quality evidence to recommend the use of real-time CGM in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes who are at least 8 years old.
There was also high-quality evidence to recommend CGM in adult type 1 diabetes patients, they wrote.
The guidelines also suggested intermittent use of CGM in both children and adults who can't use real-time CGM, in order to analyze nocturnal hypoglycemia, the "dawn phenomenon," and postprandial hyperglycemia. Intermittent use also can help manage hypoglycemic unawareness, as well as assist patients when significant changes are made to their diabetes regimens.
They noted, however, that this suggestion was made on the basis of low-quality evidence.
The guidelines also recommend against the use of CGM in the intensive care unit or in the operating room "until further studies provide sufficient evidence for its accuracy and safety in those settings."
Arden’s school pictures arrived yesterday and I immediately noticed that she had her CGM on in the photo. I started a conversation about it so I could commend her but as it turns out, she doesn’t need my pat on the back... She told me that as she waited in line for her turn to smile she was asked if, she’d like to take her DexCom 7+ off for the photo.
Arden declined!
If you look closely you can see that Arden wears her DexCom receiver in a Spibelt around her waist. She has many patterns and colors, on this day she was wearing a black pouch with multicolored peace signs.
I can’t tell you how proud I am of Arden for not wanting to hide her Continuous Glucose Monitor. Arden has diabetes and she doesn’t care who knows - so proud of her! Arden’s school pictures arrived yesterday and I immediately noticed that she had her CGM on in the photo. I started a conversation about it so I could commend her but as it turns out, she doesn’t need my pat on the back... She told me that as she waited in line for her turn to smile she was asked if, she’d like to take her DexCom 7+ off for the photo.
Arden declined!
If you look closely you can see that Arden wears her DexCom receiver in a Spibelt around her waist. She has many patterns and colors, on this day she was wearing a black pouch with multicolored peace signs.
I can’t tell you how proud I am of Arden for not wanting to hide her Continuous Glucose Monitor. Arden has diabetes and she doesn’t care who knows - so proud of her!
Have you every looked down at your DexCom and thought, “I wish this thing did ___________”.
Well I have and I wrote a blog about it. That blog post created a way for me to get my wishes into the back office at DexCom.
I wrote recently about an insulin switch that we made (Novolg to Apidra) and in that post I challenged myself and the reader to not become complacent with the ways and tools that we use to manage our children’s type I. I took my own advice and made an incremental advancement in Arden’s care and the results were totally worth the effort.
I don’t want to stop at that... So in regards to the Dex, maybe we start with making some thoughtful suggestions to the good folks at DexCom about what features would assist us in taking better care of our kids (adults using Dex are welcome to join in as well).
Please leave your suggestions as a comment or send me an email. I’ll compile everyones thoughts and get them into the right hands. Maybe together we can help ourselves instead of waiting and wishing and dreaming that someone will help us.
I hope you take a minute to lend your voice! Please know that your thoughts will definitely end up on the desk of the right person. Include your name and website (if you have) so that I can properly give credit to each of your ideas.
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The following are archived comments from this post. You can post new comments below.
I would love to be able to adjust the pitch of the high and low alert. To me, it needs to be reversed because (in my opinion) a low is an immediate danger. Sometimes the alert as is sounds muffled and I don't always hear it. The high alert always gets my attention, if not scaring the pants off of me.
Also, I wish they had a screen to show average bg's like a meter does. 7, 14, 30 & 60 day averages. I hate having to plug it up and download just to know.Friday, February 18, 2011 - 04:39 PM
I think Dex and all other D devices should speak a common data language. That data belongs to the patient not the tech company and should be in standard formats that facilitate our care not their proprietary business model. It should speak with data analysis tools on the desk top or mobile device of our choosing and facilitate combining pump delivery info, meter info and wizard info entered into any device,
Saturday, February 19, 2011 - 12:25 PM
I couldnt agree more with Sarah on the Low alerts. My son Nate has had the Dexcom for three months, and I have a baby monitor sitting practically on top of it at night to ensure I can hear the vibrate and slight beep when he is going low. I also cannot understand why it doesnt have a better range? My company sells RF remotes that can signal through 3-storys... Dexcom only 5 feet? An RF repeater addition would be nice...
Love it otherwise. A little flakey at times, but cannot imagine life without it!Tuesday, June 7, 2011 - 01:16 PM
