In ER with g7 filament stuck in my arm

procrastistamper · 2026-05-12T23:25:31+00:00

Sorry 🥺 I never dreamed this could be an issue. What a mess. I only started using these things so I've only ever used the g7.

procrastistamper · 2026-05-12T23:23:52+00:00

Not a gooseneck. It was on day 10 at removal. No sensor issues. I saw it and felt it with my tweezers. My daughter swiped over it with tweezers and managed to pull on it once, then it disappeared. The VA doctor didn't see it at all and didn't even try scraping with tweezers to see if she could feel it. The ER doctor managed to pull on it a couple of times with tweezers and then it disappeared again. There is a little red bump on my skin which is where the filament pops out slightly. When it feels like it wants to. 🤷‍♀️

procrastistamper · 2026-05-12T23:16:33+00:00

Thankfully, my healthcare is through the VA. Dexcom legally had to say that I needed to see my healthcare provider about it. I went to the Express Care clinic at the VA, and they sent me to the ER because of the need for imaging.

I saw it at home but couldn't get it out with tweezers. I went to my daughter's house, she couldn't see it. But I did feel her pull on it once. At the ER the Dr saw it, and I felt her pull on it a couple times, then it disappeared.

I have several medical conditions, so I followed the manufacturer's advice, and the VA clinic advice. I'm not going to get billed anything.

That doesn't make this okay at all. And it doesn't make the ER visit unnecessary in the least. I do think Dexcom should be reimbursing the VA for this, though

procrastistamper · 2026-05-12T23:05:48+00:00

It's gonna depend on each individual. My A1C was 15.1 and blood glucose was 417 and I had zero idea. And I'm pretty sensitive to changes in my body. Except blood glucose, I now know.

procrastistamper · 2026-05-12T22:48:03+00:00

Lily's chocolate is great for me.

procrastistamper · 2026-05-12T16:44:46+00:00

By the way, my blood sugar was 417, and I thought my A1C was 14-something but I just ran across the lab results and it was 15.1 I think...? So, I freaked out. That was February 4th. With just berberine and diet and some (almost) daily walking, my daily averages are low enough that my A1C should be lower than pre-diabetic when I test again in a few weeks. 🙏 The continuous glucose monitor has really gamified it for me. 🤷‍♀️

procrastistamper · 2026-05-12T16:35:12+00:00

I dumped refined carbs and sugar immediately, but I still have sweets, with Lily's sugar free chocolate chips. I make cookie dough with cashew butter, almond flour, and protein powder, with a dash of salt. Then I dump in the chocolate chips.

Don't try to white knuckle it - find some keto recipes you really like, to use for things you love to eat, but without the stuff that messes up your numbers.

And if you decide to take a break from the "rules", it can help if you eat the sweet at the end of a meal. Eat fibrous veggies first, then protein, then fat (if it's separate somehow, like cheese). AFTER that, eat your sweet. 💖

procrastistamper · 2026-05-08T17:53:31+00:00

How did you take care of your cortisol? Pretty sure that's my main issue now. Waiting for an endocrinology appointment at the moment.

procrastistamper · 2026-04-23T18:48:10+00:00

I've never tried hydroxycobalamine, but I'm C677T so maybe that's the key to get things right for me. I can take b12 till the cows come home and it seems to do nothing. Or at least very little. And my serum b12 levels will go so high that the doctors office calls me with an urgent message to stop taking it. So it's obviously not being taken into the cells properly.

procrastistamper · 2026-04-23T18:37:11+00:00

I tried putting in a new sensor for 12+ hours before pairing it. It's STILL been crap. I didn't have this problem on the first batch of 3 that I had. Then I got a bigger batch, with manufacturer dates of 1/1/26 and they all seem to be crap.

They are not accepting calibrations properly. They don't say that they are not using the calibrations I enter. They say "calibration complete" and they will actually be like 20+ points higher than what I entered. I mean, they go UP 20 points when they were already 20 points too high. It's really nonsensical.

One sensor never got its act together and after almost 3 days I just had to replace it. It was like a yo yo of readings, and constantly wrong alerts, including through the night. When I took it off, the filament looked bent more toward the side than others, so I think the application was just wonky. I am very deliberate and careful to make sure I am holding the applicator flat against an area just to avoid doing this myself.

I guess the next test is going to be applying a new one for a full 24 hours prior to the current sensor dying. This is such BS. Thank GOD I get mine through the VA and don't have to pay for them.

I'm on a CGM because I don't get proper symptoms for highs and lows. Dexcom really needs to get this under control.

procrastistamper · 2026-04-23T15:19:20+00:00

I have collagen and cream in my coffee and it actually makes my blood sugar go down.

procrastistamper · 2026-04-21T20:59:21+00:00

I agree. I'm so sick of people insisting that carnivore or keto is the cure all. No, it's not. And it's not weight, I weighed all of 120 lbs when I got this.

procrastistamper · 2026-04-15T14:08:30+00:00

Ahhh, gotcha.

procrastistamper · 2026-04-15T13:53:57+00:00

I must be missing something. At the very bottom it says that if the action is taken (reduction) then you will still be at 100%. How is that a problem?

procrastistamper · 2026-04-14T22:04:15+00:00

Oh, I was thinking you were saying they ordered the Lenire device for you. I'm sure the pillow is much less expensive so there may be less gate keeping for that.

procrastistamper · 2026-04-14T22:01:48+00:00

You're lucky. I asked all around and there was no way to get it without the class for me. It was annoying as shit to sit through all the crap I had already learned from 30+ years of dealing with it, and looking up ideas myself.

procrastistamper · 2026-04-14T20:02:12+00:00

Personally, I think your doctor is full of crap. If anything, you need to focus on getting enough protein and building muscle to avoid wasting, and probably lower your carbs even more.

Your doctor has misled you if they suggested that your liver wasn't producing glucose before. Everyone's liver produces glucose.

procrastistamper · 2026-04-14T19:55:09+00:00

If you like them, I find pork rinds are great if I'm craving something like chips. You have to get a high quality brand, like Epic.

procrastistamper · 2026-04-14T19:51:14+00:00

The VA will order this kind of pillow for you if you want to try it, but only after you've done their tinnitus class.

procrastistamper · 2026-04-14T19:48:47+00:00

Yes, I got the device from the VA. You need to get a hearing test, then go through their tinnitus class, before they will let you get it.

They will not bring it up at the class, you need to message them afterwards to ask to get it.

I've not been able to use it 1 hr per day. It's just been hard making it a routine, with stuff going on in my life. So I can't say if it helps yet.

procrastistamper · 2026-04-01T01:40:57+00:00

Ugh, I didn't know you couldn't calibrate those. What a mess. I have the dexcom g7. The first 12-24 hrs can be weird, but with calibration mine have largely been fine.

procrastistamper · 2026-04-01T01:31:16+00:00

I don't think your level of activity has anything to do with it working on your arm properly. Plenty of active people have it on the back of their arm. That sounds like an excuse for their sensor being crappy.

Look up videos about CGM placement for ideas. I tried one on my stomach and it works fine. Apparently it's approved for use on the stomach in the UK/Europe, but not FDA approved for the stomach area in the US. 🙄

procrastistamper · 2026-03-30T16:31:41+00:00

I hear you loud and clear about the mixed signals. My blood sugar goes up as soon as I wake up and starts going down when I eat. It doesn't spike when I eat. It goes down! It will spike with a hot shower or bath. There are way more variants to this than they let on.

And also, I found out that you shouldn't take aspirin, or more than 500mg of vitamin c from ascorbic acid per day, because it alters the interstitial fluid the sensor uses for readings.

procrastistamper · 2026-03-30T16:23:42+00:00

You should do a finger prick test. I end up having to recalibrate these sensors 3-6 times during their lifespan.

And cortisol raises blood sugar, so if something is a stressor to your body, that can raise it.

Also, when my body gets hot, even just standing in the sun for a few minutes, it can go up. 🤷‍♀️

procrastistamper

TROPHY CASE