Medtronic Diabetes Guardian Sensor 3 Insertion - How to insert the Guardian 3 Sensor 

Glad it helped!

I think it's all about personal preference. I used to use the skin tac wipes but found that it was a bit of overkill with the simpatch and skingrip patches.

I was diagnosed in 2016 when i was 6 But i had it from birth only that i did not need insuline but now i do

@@Giupeppe098 Ah, that sucks.. You can do it though! It's hard but try your best and it does get easier. Eventually it is almost second nature and less stressful. There's definitely a lot to learn and it can be really stressful learning everything while trying to keep it under control while the rest of life goes on regardless. I will say that getting an insulin pump is the greatest tool. I finally got the continuous glucose monitor with a new pump and it's been great. After all this time I either know or can guess how many carbs are in nearly everything 😆 Good luck with everything Antonio!

@@CNinjaa ye i dont rrally mind it ya know i live normaly fortunatly and you?

Good luck James! Let me know how it goes or if you have any questions :)

Glad it was helpful! Yes, the thigh is not approved for on-label use, but I know some people like to use it. I just upgraded to the 780g system so I'll be making content about it very soon

Thanks so much Denise! I'm proud of you for attaching the sensor yourself, nice work!!! The Skin Grip tapes are great, and they're a great company as well. Glad there are multiple tape options for people.

Skin grips are hard to place on my arm smoothly sometimes. Love the video

The back of my arm is my favorite place to wear it. I'm glad you found me!

So glad you found it helpful :)

Nope! I love the simpatch and skingrip tapes - I linked them in the description if you're interested in trying them.

@@DiabeticsDoingThings Very interested! Thanks Rob.

@@adventureseeker9800 tell them I sent you :)

I’ve had best experience with the inner part of my arms. I like his technique to give full exposure of the adhesive even tho both ways seem to work for me. I was skeptical at first going closer in under my arm but once done it was quite comfortable and out of the way.

Update: So now I've been using both my arms since watching this video. I like it a lot better. I find the arm to be much more comfortable than my previous locations. I can't seem to pull the needle from my arm once inserted. I have to get my wife to help me. I'm always afraid that when I pull the needle the whole sensor will come right out. Any tips? Also find that using a pair of tweezers to pull off the backing is much easier than reaching into the serter with my fingers to pull it off.

@@aliciabrooks4829 I wish MiniMed would take cues from the Freestyle Libre Sensors. Despite being quite different as the libre sensors are a complete throwaway unit and the Guardian and Dexcoms have the transmitter units as they don't use NFC like the Libre's do, the Libre setup is vastly superior and so much more simple. I like the the Freestyle inserter automatically pulls the adhesive backing off when loading it, and also pulls the needle and keep it in the inserter. But the issue with that is each inserter is 1 time use only and had to be disposed of which is just more plastic waste we don't need! My new endo I met with today wants me to try a pump again since I've been off one for about 9 years after I was on one kinda on and off for 13 years (originally had a Disetronic, but then switched to Minimed after a year and had to replace my pump at least a dozen times and several almost killed me when they stopped working but didn't show any errors) And one aspect I really don't care for on the Guardian 3 system is having to do 2 calibrations/day. Since I'm now on disability due to complications from diabetes, I have an erratic sleep schedule where I might not be able to sleep for 3 days, and then crash and be out for 18-36 hours, I don't want the pump and cgm to stop working together and being able to auto-correct just because I was asleep and never woke up to do the mandatory calibrations. I saw the Guardian 4 is supposed to eliminate these calibrations so if I do end up going on yet another MiniMed pump, I hope the newer Guardian 4 cgm comes out sooner than later!

@@VinVizz62 You could try making a custom little strap (sort of like a tourniquet) with a hole cutout so the needle will poke through but the rest will hold down the sensor and allow you to use a weight or something to attach the strap to in order to out pressure on the sensor and keeping it firmly attached to your arm while you use your other arm to pull the needle out. It'd be nice if they just incorporated a mechanism in the inserter to spring back up after the insertion and pull the needle out with it like the Freestyle Libre inserter does (except theirs are one time use only and the needle is then permanently stuck in the inserter) But I'm sure with the amount of $ Medtronic makes off of the pump and cgm systems, along with all their other medical equipment, some engineer should easily be able to figure out a practical solution to reduce the number of steps required when changing out sensors.

I totally agree in regards to the Dexcom part!

Glad it worked for you :)

Glad it was helpful!

You said it!

@@DiabeticsDoingThings Probably gonna have to switch to Dex and Tandem soon, the inaccuracy of this sensor is too much to handle. At this point I have to stick myself more than I would if I didnt wear this sensor at all 😂

agreed!

​​@@pat9902 I'm on dexcom know and the dexcom sensor is not as accurate with the finger pricks on me hope you have better luck

After you added tjesencer you didn't push it down after you say that it's launched, and it showed that it was up a small bit.

Medtronic has their own channel totally accurate and lifesaving

good question why medtronic is more accurate and reliable

@@lewisfagiola4086 actually i dont expereience significant difference in accuracy, even though the 2 calibration/day of the medtronic sensor

Thank you!

Congrats!!! Glad this was helpful :)

It was 1 week after my training day appointment and I just looked at all of it and was like "somebody on RU-vid can help " 🤣

@@krystinab8409 hahaha youtube is so great

My wife helps me sometimes too!

they need to get out of the pump and sensor business there is a law suit against them all ready for the poor glucose control of there equipment.there c3 sensor needs to be calibrated so much because is it so off the mark.one time i calibrated it it was 89 off high.get you a tandem tslim x2 100% better at controlling blood sugar the sensor last 10days rarely needs calibrated

thanks for the comment Mary. I hope you're able to get it to work.

That’s the worst! I have definitely taken a corner too quickly and pulled off a site

Skingrip is the brand of over tape I use

Hi heather, I think you could probably find a space where it’s a bit more to the side of the arm than directly on the back that way when he’s laying on his back the sensor will still be visible to the receiver.

Glad you enjoyed the video! Let me know how the new site goes - I had a lot of trouble with my abdomen sites before I switched to the arm. It's a little more difficult to insert, but it works wonders once it's on.

@@DiabeticsDoingThings Yeah, I think I have to switch it out tomorrow. I’m sick of the cold compress on the abdomen each week, adding one more step to the process. I have this sense that inserting into your arm is going to hurt more for some reason. Has that been something you’ve experienced, or no?

@@krisbraaten I'm actually switching mine tomorrow as well. I think it really depends on your physiology, but I find that my arms 8 times out of 10 have almost no pain. Super manageable. I think it all depends on the actual placement, but as I say in the video, that little region between your triceps and your deltoid is a fatty tissue area that I find super effective. Let me know how it goes! I'm cheering for you - NO FEAR my dude

@@DiabeticsDoingThings Update! So I was very nervous leading up to it, but I officially got my sensor in my arm this morning! I went with my non-dominant arm. The pain was minimal, and I was thrilled there was no blood at the site (which has been an issue with me this past year in my abdomen). It was awkward getting the tape on with just one hand but I made it work. If I like this placement, I might look into those round adhesives that you use. It’s still in the warm up period, so I am eager to see if there is any difference in accuracy and the experience this next week compared to it in my abdomen.

don't push teh applicator against the skin, that makes the needle to pinch yout muscle and bleed, never push the applicator, just put on the surfece os the skin without pushing.

keep working through it. learning the steps is the trickiest part. Medtronic will replace the sensors as well - you can even fill out the form online to replace them. www.medtronic.com/ca-en/diabetes/home/support/product-support/sensor-replacement.html

Yes, you won’t get sensor readings during the 2 hour warm up

That's so awesome! So glad to hear that your sensors are lasting longer. So my skin is a bit sensitive as well so I also get a small minor burn around where it attaches. I don't have a great answer for this yet, but I will look into it for you

Thank you, hopefully you find something that will work for you as well. ☺️

I have super sensitive skin and Skin Grip works great. No itching, no redness, no skin breakdown. I buy them in Amazon. They have lots of different colors. I buy the clear ones.

for bleeders, it really just varies from sensor to sensor. Some bleeders I don't have any issues with, and some fail early and need to be replaced.

I hope you like it as well! How is it going?

I think it’s definitely worth a try. It has extended the life of my sensors dramatically. And had no issues with exercise or anything like that

@@DiabeticsDoingThings i'm going to try it. but they sent me the sensors with no transmitter, no insertion device, or battery charger, thanks for the tips if it were not for you tube i would not know what i was doing, new 770 pump i want to set it on auto mode. any tips, have to wait for transmitter

The sensor needle is small, I truly don't know the actual size off the top of my head but I'm sure it's googleable - the blood didn't affect my readings and this sensor lasted the entire time.The bleeders can be scary but from a functionality standpoint I've never had a problem.

You can see your pump data and time in range on your phone! The transmitter has also been upgraded. I did an unboxing video on my channel, let me know what you think

@@DiabeticsDoingThings Watched the unboxing video. My warranty on my 670 isn't up until March 15 - Guess my local educator will be in touch with this guy Josh in San Antonio mid March. I am not anticipating any problems switching over when I do. Is there a way I can email you privately

go to the tandem tslim x2 100% better than any thing medtronics sells

@@bobshat1104 But why? email me at JDsSchatz@gmail.com

@@bobshat1104 better in what way? Thanks in advance.

It’s tricky and definitely takes practice. Asking a friend for help the first few times can be helpful

Not yet but I’ll make one for you Patty

I prefer the back of the arm to the abdomen, there are way fewer variables. I can’t speak to whether it would work for a welder but I would try it out and see!

@@DiabeticsDoingThings thanks! I will be giving it a stick next site change!

I would say it hurts about half the time. I benefit from a good amount of tricep muscle/skin/fat and find it much less painful than other areas

The way to do it by the book is to place two fingers at the base, then pull the top of the needle to remove. But when you’re doing it yourself on the arm it can be tricky. There are two ridges on the sides of the needle housing that you can “squeeze”/“depress” that help with the removal but it’s more art than science

@@DiabeticsDoingThings Okay, thank you Rob!

Sensor 4 doesn’t require finger sticks to enter smartguard. It’s a much improved sensor

Me too i have the same problem and i cant solve it

I am seeming to have the same problem. I ended up with bruising bad after the last one. Today the same thing seems to be happening. Any advice from anyone?

@@rachelleschlottman8793 i try avoiding the centre of the arm and get either a little higher or lower also when i apply the sensor i give it some time to rest.Hope i helped you

I switched to dexcom and I don't bleed as much because the needle is very flexible and shoots at an angle

Yes, a calibration is still required every 12 hours

@@DiabeticsDoingThings why you decided to stay with Medtronic? Dexcom doesn't ask for calibration. Thanks in advance for your response.

Good grief. Having to calibrate is ridiculous.

I just received my 770 G - the CGM is antiquated. Every 12 hour calibration and a 2 hour warm up? It feels like I am back in the 1990s with the system technology. I will most likely return to Libre ~ lasts 14 days and no calibration required. Disappointed in this technology. All of these extra steps, every 12 hour calibration, and 2 hr warm up is exhausting - all for 7 days - if you are lucky. 😣

Yes! All details available at theskingrip.com

I get mine from Skin Grip. Www.skingrip.com

Yes it stays. Sometimes the insertion hurts but otherwise not really

yes! I also use skin grip www.skingrip.com

not enough people are saying this

skin grip! www.skingrip.com

Amazon - this one is a simpatch

It’s for a continuous glucose monitor

That's neat thanks

Oh I’m not sure! Call the Medtronic 24 hour help Line and see if they can help

Yep - I don't do it that way, but I know it's technically the on-label process.

​@@Tom-ru9ds Apparently, the cost of the software upgrade is US$3400.00 - Insurance says it is a different "model" and not covered since it has not been long enough. The sensor in the arm is about as effective as in the stomach for me - ymmv.