Very Frustrated with Navigator

[moco89]

For the past month or so I keep on getting "sensor error-replace sensor" either within minutes of inserting the sensor, or halfway through my 5 day wear.

When it happens during calibration, I ignore it, and pray it works when it's time to go live.

When it goes on in the middle of wear, I'm basically screwed......

I have also run out of sensors, because my doctor's office is incompetent and takes FORRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVVVVEEEEEEEEEERRR to fax the lab notes to the distributor.

So, I'm out of sensors, and half of the time, it's not working for me due to this one stupid error.

I currently have a 5.8 A1c, but without a reliable system, I lose the opportunity to achieve exceptional numbers.

I am dependent on this technology to get great scores......

I just hope that the second gen Navigator will improve.

So is anyone else frustrated?????

[Mama Belle]

I haven't had this particular issue, but last night Sam's Navigator just up and quit working. So yes, I am a little bit frustrated. This last sensor change before it died we had a heck of a time trying to calibrate. It was rejecting perfectly good cal BGs for no apparent reason. Then the screen started to flicker. Thursday she went to change her sensor and the receiver (which previously had 50-75% battery life) was saying that batteries needed to be replaced. Say what? Once they replaced the batteries it just wouldn't turn on. We are waiting on a new system that we should receive on Monday. But yes, I am frustrated and hope that Abbott gets these kinks worked out.

Hang in there Monica!

[ecs1516]

I haven't had th eerror where it says replace sensor. Just the one where it asks me if we have replaced the sensor. The transmitter just came unclicked and I click it back. Maybe Abbott would replace your whole system if there is a problem with it?

[moco89]

I am just going to keep on (politely) complaining to their customer service, whenever I experience problems. I pray that they will eventually replace everything. I heard that they are using better firmware (software) for the Navigator, in terms of calibration and accuracy-not the format or arrangement of the menus, though.

I guarantee you, I will for sure get some sort of sensor-ending error next time I put one in.

But, the benefits of the navigator beat out the negatives. It's just very frustrating because the thing alarms a million times a day, occasionally has accuracy problems, the tape on the sensor doesn't work, sensors go bad easily, and the firmware (software) on the receiver is a joke.

I also have to use a separate meter during calibration times to make sure my blood sugar is stable, prior to calibrating. It is stupid that Abbott kind of assumes that testing during a calibration means that you have the intention to calibrate. "Smart software" is not a smart idea, in general-including on computers. I know what I am doing, so please make the software so that the user can make their own decisions.

Thanks.

[hold48398]

I can fully understand your frustrations, Monica!! I just told DH last night that sometimes I just want to take the darn thing and throw it out of the window :eek:. Then again, I hate being without it even more :rolleyes: We have not had the error you are describing but we have issues with

kinked cannulas
tape coming loose despite all efforts
itching under the tape
calibration rejections (same as Heidi)
hourglass symbol for looooooong periods of time


Btw does it bug anyone else that customer service has a script to follow when you call??

[Diana]

I also have to use a separate meter during calibration times to make sure my blood sugar is stable, prior to calibrating. It is stupid that Abbott kind of assumes that testing during a calibration means that you have the intention to calibrate.

AMEN!! I HATE this about the Navigator. I still use the Navigator to test BG - I just mark all the tests as controls, but sometimes I forget and then we have a "bad" calibration. Very frustrating.

[Diana]

Btw does it bug anyone else that customer service has a script to follow when you call??

Yup. I even had one customer service rep tell me that she didn't have an answer for my particular situation because it wasn't on her flow chart. I thought that was kind of funny but also very frustrating.

[moco89]

AMEN!! I HATE this about the Navigator. I still use the Navigator to test BG - I just mark all the tests as controls, but sometimes I forget and then we have a "bad" calibration. Very frustrating.

Yeah, it's rediculous!!!!

Thanks for the idea. I didn't think about this earlier because I am so used to making "no control" after every F#@$%$ test that I am on autopilot when I am doing this.

[Twinklet]

We've never had that error, but it sounds like a real hassle.

In 7 months of continuous use of the Navigator, the only issues we've had have been related to the battery life in the past few weeks. I don't know if the receiver and transmitter are starting to wear out or what, but it seems like we need to replace batteries every time we change the sensor. :rolleyes: Twice the battery has just up and died in the middle of the 5 days! We had to restart the entire 10-hour warm-up. I haven't called the help line yet, but was encouraged to. I will definitely do it next time!

[Nana]

This is not a good topic for me to read just after agreeing to participate in a 6 month trial for the navigator ;) (I am currently using Minimed's system) :D

[moco89]

This is not a good topic for me to read just after agreeing to participate in a 6 month trial for the navigator ;) (I am currently using Minimed's system) :D

Oh, I promise you will not regret using the Navigator. It is supposedly the most accurate system out there. It also sends the sensor readings every minute to the receiver, and it receives over long distances. The problems with the Navigator are mostly design and software/organizational flaws-that's pretty much it. Since these systems are still in development and have not been perfected, they have a ways to go before they are completely reliable.

There's no way I am going back to doing just fingersticks to manage my blood sugars. My A1c is too good from this cgms to just quit using it. I will just deal with the annoying problems that they need to fix.

[hawkeyegirl]

We use the MM, and I love it, but we too have "issues" that frustrate me. It seems like they're just *this* close to getting the technology to be great, but it's not yet, and I'm impatient.

It's good enough that I don't want to be without it, but annoying enough that I complain about it an awful lot! :p

[Mama Belle]

Personally, I do not regret using the Navigator for one second. Yes, there are a few things that bug me, but it is way better than the alternative.

[Mama Belle]

Although, now I am just plain mad.

You know Sam's Navigator stopped working on Thursday. Her dad called that night and spoke with someone who did troubleshooting and then said they'd have to send her a new unit. They said they'd have it to us by Monday. Well, today is Monday and it isn't here.

So I called the Navigator number and after waiting a ridiculously long time I find out that the units are on backorder and ours was never sent out. They went on backorder Friday (we called at 10pm Thursday night). They have no clue when they will be available again. It really irritates me that we were told we'd have one by Monday, but now we don't. But things happen, I get that. But what really irritates me the most is that the stupid Navigator people couldn't be bothered to call those of us who have been waiting for our Navigators to show up today to tell us that they were on back order. Honestly! I spoke with two different supervisors and ate up a good 30 minutes of their (and more importantly my) time. That 30 minute call could have been avoided if they had bothered to make a simple 30 second call to let us know about the status of our order. I asked the last supervisor I spoke with, who was very nice btw, to please pass along to the appropriate folks that they need to take better care of their customers if they A) want to keep them, and B) want to have more. Hopefully they'll get the message.

Anyway, they are sending us 200 test strips so we can test with her meter until they get more units in. Hopefully they wait won't be long. I miss the Nav!!!

[ecs1516]

I agree! How can they be on backorder? Same with the replacement sensors I called Abbott for. They said they are backordered until Nov. 20. ???
I remember one other sensor that they replaced that it did not arrive on the day it said. I called and they said , "Oh, it didn't ship for some reason" No one bothered to call and let me know. I have had that from Edgepark too. If Minimed didn't have that long needle I might be looking at them . :rolleyes:

[moco89]

I remember one other sensor that they replaced that it did not arrive on the day it said. I called and they said , "Oh, it didn't ship for some reason" No one bothered to call and let me know.

I had the exact same problem with MM pumps. Whenever one broke, I had to worry about them shipping it and not screwing up. They screwed up half the time, and sometimes I was pumpless for 4+ days! That is completely unacceptable for any company to pull off.

[moco89]

Great, I just got another "Sensor error-Replace sensor" alarm.............again!

This is completely ridiculous!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ecs1516]

Monica ,
Could it be something wrong with your transmitter and not the sensor?

[moco89]

Monica ,
Could it be something wrong with your transmitter and not the sensor?

I hope that is the case, because there is no way things are going to improve unless it is a tx problem.

There are too many batches of sensors and too many quality control issues related to sensors for abbott to fix, if it was a sensor problem.

Did you read my post in the "navigator failed" thread from yesterday?

Something bizarre happened with the receiver from some sort of interference.

[ecs1516]

I have never had that sensor error and we have been thru 6 boxes of sensors. I would try to get them to send you a new transmitter. Or is that a joke? You might get one in a couple of weeks who knows? They sent me a replacement transmitter in September and I had it in two days. Maybe they were not backordered then.

[moco89]

I have never had that sensor error and we have been thru 6 boxes of sensors. I would try to get them to send you a new transmitter. Or is that a joke? You might get one in a couple of weeks who knows? They sent me a replacement transmitter in September and I had it in two days. Maybe they were not backordered then.

Now, somehow the sensor is working, but who knows how long it will last. The sensor, or the tx is messed up. I'm betting on the tx.