Fun With Sensors

So the one and only time that I have used a sensor for my Real Time Transmitter was back before my old pump died. I lost all the settings (and all the data) because I didn't know how to get it off of the old pump. I found out that to get the data off, you have to go through the Link Blood Glucose Monitor. To do so, you have to turn a setting on in your pump. By the time I found this out, my old pump wouldn't let me change any settings so the data was lost forever.

So this time around, I know how to get the data off of my pump AS SOON AS the sensor is finished. The only problem I'm having is actually getting the sensor to work.

The Transmitter came with an insertion device which I'm terrified to use. So I've manually inserted both sensors. The first time went alright - I was with a Diabetes Educator who talked me through it. This second time, however, was like the first time I tried putting an infusion set on by myself: it went wrong.

I'm not entirely sure what went wrong this time. I thought everything was going alright. But within the first minute, it started bleeding. Not a whole lot. But I guess it was enough to screw up the whole sensor.

Two hours later, my pump demanded a blood sugar to calibrate the sensor. That seemed to go alright, but then it kept telling me that the sensor had failed. After seeming to be alright, it demanded another calibration. Then it told me the sensor failed again. At this point, I knew the sensor wasn't going to work, so I took it off, and decided to try again today.

Today, I almost did use the insertion device. But I chickened out at the last minute - I don't want to screw up and waste another sensor. So I manually inserted it again - thankfully this time it didn't bleed.

Of course, this one didn't go perfectly either. I didn't connect it properly, so it kept failing. I took the protective coverings off so I could properly connect it. It seemed ok for a bit, but then it told me the sensor failed. Hopefully now *touch wood* it's going to work properly!!