Comments on: Revel Continuous Glucose Monitor Alert Volume – Can it be Adjusted?

By: Kev

Kev — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 00:11:22 +0000

I haven’t ordered one yet, but it looks like Medtronic has released a new product that might help to amplify the alarms a bit. It’s actually a remote monitor called mySentry that, according to Metronic, “Alarms and alerts sound loudly to awaken deep sleepers, and the volume can be adjusted to your desired level.” It’s really supposed to be a way for parents to monitor a child’s blood sugar through the night, but I imagine we could just use it in the same way and keep it next to the bed. Here’s a link that explains more about it: http://www.medtronicdiabetes.com/products/mysentry

By: John Culberson

John Culberson — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 15:47:43 +0000

I even bought a hearing aid, but that has not solved the problem of the weak sound made by the 523. With the aging population, Medtronics needs to pay attention to this problem.

By: Kev

Kev — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 01:47:07 +0000

dirk, I had thought of the microphone idea to amplify the sound. It would be kind of like watching nature shows when you can actually hear the ants walking along (okay, maybe it’s not that bad), but like you said, my Medtronic pump/CGM is tethered to me and if I sat it on the bedside table, I would surely end up yanking it onto the floor during the night. Ouch. Here’s a hopeful sign for the future of CGMs – http://www.mevsdiabetes.com/c8-medisensors-cgm-noninvasive/

By: dirk

dirk — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 17:31:10 +0000

I opted to keep my dexcom seven plus when going to the medtronic pump. the volume was a big factor. Moreover, the non connected design lets me sit it in a metal dish, or, i’ve thought for us seriously deep sleepers set it on the bedside table with a mike plugged into my load clock radio….

By: Kev

Kev — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 06:10:49 +0000

James, that’s interesting because my wife and I actually thought of putting the pump inside of a tin can, figuring the CGM alarm vibration might cause a loud rattle. For now, I’ve been going with 32-inch infusion set tubing, which provides just enough length for me to use my belt clip and attach the pump to the side of my pillow. That way it’s about as close to my ears as it’s going to get short of me sleeping on top of it. Even still, like you I also manage to sleep right through the alarms. It’s funny, being able to sleep through annoying noises used to be a good thing, not anymore.

By: James D. Gafford

James D. Gafford — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 23:47:02 +0000

I’ve used the DexCom (System Seven Plus) since May of 2009. My GF and I have noted that I’ve become inured to the hypo alarm while asleep. The DexCom also has no volume adjustment (although I cannot compare it’s volume with the Medtronic). DexCom tech support suggested (with a strong “…this isn’t something we officially recommed…”) putting the receiver in a water glass on the bedside table. This *does* amplify both the vibrate and beep sounds. Worth a try, methinks!

By: Natalie Sera

Natalie Sera — Sun, 15 May 2011 11:09:47 +0000

I keep my pump clipped to my pajama bottoms at night, and while I don’t hear the alarms, I definitely feel the vibrations. And since I live alone, that’s VERY important! I don’t know about the x23 models, but my 722 vibrates if I don’t respond to the alarm or siren.

By: Caroline

Caroline — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 23:00:30 +0000

Sadly this is a MAJOR problem with the Medtronic CGM. If you Google it you’ll find lots of frustration. It was particularly frustrating that the original Guardian truly had siren alarms – mine woke people sleeping in the next room as well as me! The switch to the 522 was a big disappointment, although the rest of the device had improved immeasurably.

There are two potential solutions to the problem. One is to buy a Dexcom (I’ve recently switched after 4 and a half years with Medtronic), and the alarms are much better. I realise this is not a very practical solution for most though! The alternative is to use a wireless radio microphone to amplify the sound at night – again Google is a good source of info on this – and stick with vibrate during the day. I wish that reps would realise that wearing it close to your body can be a pain when you also want it easily accessible to monitor the trends!

Oh, and the speaker button is for the audio bolus.

By: Sandy

Sandy — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 23:52:12 +0000

My hubby has the revel with CGM and we love it. We wouldn’t live a day without it now. I agree though, the alarm are not loud enough!!

By: Kev

Kev — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 17:04:11 +0000

Beverly, I cannot give you advice on whether to use a continuous glucose monitor or not. Obviously, using a CGM is a personal decision that should be made by you in consultation with your doctor. For me, it is worth it because it could potentially save my life, or in the least alert me to a coming low blood sugar. It has also been a big help to see the peaks in the daily graphs of my blood sugar. For example, analyzing the online reports has been a big help in seeing what foods are causing my BS to spike the most, in addition to noticing that my BS has been spiking quite a bit when I wake up.

Sure, there are certain cons to the model I own, like the volume, but it does have a vibrate option that I have yet to try. I’m going to get longer pump infusion set tubing as well (mine is currently the 23in, but they offer 32in and 43in), so if my infusion set is attached to my abdomen I can clip the pump to the side of my pillow. This should hopefully help a lot in hearing the alerts. I haven’t had too much trouble hearing them during the day and my CGM has already helped me to avoid more than one oncoming low BS. For me, so far this has in part been a matter of setting the low and predictive alerts correctly.

My advice would be to obviously educate yourself as much as possible before you make your decision about a CGM. Did your doctor set up a demo for you with a CGM rep? It’s a great opportunity to ask questions.