Sensor Error FAQ

Glucose Sensor Error? What do I do now?

After having my minimed paradigm real time glucose meter for about 5 months, I'm already becoming pretty good at getting those darn sensors to work for about 7-8 days. Let's face it, these little buggers are expensive and my absolute last option is to discard the sensor prior to me getting the mileage from it. Listed below are some of the errors my pump has reported, and how I went about getting them to work: (Please remember, that I am sharing my experiences!!!! I am NOT a doctor or a minimed representative. Read at your own risk)

Sensor Calibration Error: This one can be tricky. This usually occurs when your minimed pump glucose readings are "way" out of wack with your recent finger stick. Now, this can be the death of a good sensor. But, like I said earlier, I always try to work it out. For example, your minimed unit is reading a 140 glucose level, and your finger prick reads 220. After entering in the calibration reading of 220, you meter could come back with a calibration error. At this point I usually tell the meter to start a "New Sensor". After going through the abbreviated calibration (doesn't take 2 hours), the sensor usually works just fine. After this, I tend to finger check more often to ensure the pump and meter values are functioning correctly. If this doesn't work, and the calibration error continues, your only choice is to discard the sensor.

Sensor Error: Just the other day, I was going through the 2 hour calibration timeframe, when my pump chirped at me....Sensor Error. Boy, this was my first day on this sensor, and I wasn't going to through in the towel yet. When this occurs, I usually can tell the pump to start a "New Sensor" and things will work just fine.

Lost or Weak Signal: This has to be my favorite (kidding) error of them all. The transmitter is supposed to have a 4-6 foot wireless range, but I'll be darned if I get 1 foot at the most. I have found that if my PDA phone has the wi-fi networking turned on, it disrupts my sensor to pump connection. If this is not the case for me, sometimes I actually apply some pressure to the sensor infusion site for a couple of minutes. I've actually seen the transmitter green light blink. This tells me that the sensor wire was not seated correctly.

I will share some more experiences shortly. 9 out of 10 times, I'm able to recover from my sensor's errors. I look forward to insurance coverage!