The Dexcom system forces you to use the One Touch Ultra meter for calibration, and a fairly new One Touch Ultra meter at that. Meters manufactured before One Touch paired with Dexcom won't have the calibration ability. My Dexcom trainer sent me a free One Touch Ultra meter when I discovered that the one I already had was too old.
The exclusive calibration arrangement doesn't bother me much, because I like the One Touch Ultra just fine, and even if you don't, the whole point of a CGMS is that you don't have to rely so much on finger stick testing.
Then they make you calibrate with a cable. OK, that feels a little clunky to begin with, but I have been told they will put wireless transmission in future models. The thing that gets my goat is that the cable they make you use is like three feet long! (When I get the chance I will measure the cable and report its actual length.*) Of course anyone using this system will coil the cable and keep it in the case that comes with the One Touch Ultra so it doesn't get lost, but this is a big pain in the neck because that much coiled cable is very bulky and the case is the same little case they included with the meter before the cable was added to it.
What makes it really crazy is WHY on EARTH do they think we need such a long cable? When you calibrate your meter, you are sitting right there, you do the finger stick, you plug the meter into the receiver, wait a minute, and unplug. This could easily be accomplished with a 6-inch, or even a 3-inch, length of cable. The only reason I can think of for such a long cable is to swing it over my head like a helicopter when I get mad about a large discrepancy between the meter and the Dexcom receiver. This is one of those features where you wonder whether they REALLY tested this system on people who have to live with it? I mean I know they did, but still, it's one of those thorns in your side that seems insignificant but makes a difference in daily life.
Wish list item #2: Shorter calibration cable while we wait for wireless transmission.
* Update: Read the first comment on this post. Bernard reports that the cable is 6' 6" long. Can anyone come up with a good reason for this?
* Update (Sept 12): I was re-reading the manual the other day and in the specifications section it states that the meter calibration cable is 1' long. Hmmmm. It also says the Receiver charging cable is 6' 6" long. Apparently they are recycling the charging cable for meter calibration.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
Clemma the current cable is actually 6 feet 6 inches long (about 2 meters). You know this is really handy when you've tested your BG and you want to throw the meter on the floor while it's still connected to the Dexcom receiver.
I still have no idea why they wasted so much material when a 6-inch cable would have been plenty long enough. Plus everyone I know who has a Dexcom hates this cable length. So the company is wasting money and frustrating their customers. Good mix Dexcom.
Wish List Item #3: Pay attention to what the meter tells you. If I calibrate and get a reading 10 minutes later that I need to recalibrate, I keep wondering why? Also if I calibrate at say 160, when the Dexcom says 110 why does it say 130 20 minutes later? Shouldn't it be a little closer to what the meter said?
I don't have a Dexcom device. Does it have a USB connector for calibration with the Ultra? If so, the reason why the cable is so long is perhaps they are reusing the data cable that the Ultra uses to transfer meter readings to a PC.
Good thought about the USB cable. I don't have my camera handy so I can't post a picture, but the connections are not USB. I don't know what they are, but it definitely won't plug into my computer.
one of my wish list items----ditch the one hour graph---the diamond is so big you cant really look back and tell what your BS was 30 minutes ago...plus, even if you are trending...it is deceiving on the one hour graph...what appears to be fairly level, is not level at all when you get to the 3 and 9 hour graphs. so ditch the one hour graph and add a 24 hour graph...the 24 hour graph would be great to see what happened yesterday without having to upload data.
Better yet, give the user the option for the graphs they would like to see... after all...this is a WISH list.
Mollie - nice idea. Duly noted.
I think the 1 foot cable is only with new systems.
Someone sent me an e-mail with a cable he'd hacked from the long one. It was very elegant and only a few inches long so you could leave it permanently plugged into the OneTouch. I think he needs to make a business out of it!
You should consider the Minimed RealTime system. No cable, a 24 hour graph, no required meter, amazing software to use the data, beter calibration periods, smaller device, AND it communicates with the pump... Better altogether device...
Post a Comment