We purchased a Dexcom for our son and he does not like it. It has been less than 30 days from the purchase date. We were told that Animas and Dexcom have a no return policy in Canada for the pump and CGMS. I talked to Minimed and they have a 90 day return policy on the pump and CGMS in Canada. I just wanted everyone in Canada to be aware of this.
How much does a Dexcom system cost over there? I am sorry to here that, I am frustrated enough that as it stands right now in the US you can not trial the G4, just purchase and return in 30days if you do not like. Cash price for the system here is $1547 US.
It was about the same price with the dollar conversion. I was also very disappointed that there was not a trial available for the G4. Nothing is a guarantee, and I thought my son would love it. I'm encouraging my son to give it another try now that the 30 days don't matter. If he still dislikes it, I would rather give it to you than have it sit in a drawer. I'll let you know how it goes.
We have only ever used the Dexcom and love it, and there are many that switched from integrated systems that say they prefer it. What did he say that he didn't like about it?
Anything specific he didn't like? Was it an adhesive issue? Maybe we can brainstorm some ways to make it a better experience for him.
In New Zealand we can now hire the receiver/ transmitter along with paying for a box of sensors, and your hire fee is credited to the purchase price if you decide to buy. It seems a sensible system. They also have loan pumps you can trial before buying. My 12 yr old doesn't want to try G4 and I don't want to fight with her, but I want her to give it a go - bribery maybe..?
His issues are all about the lack of integration with the pump. He has a sensor on now that is fine and he likes that part. Dislikes that it is a stand alone unit. Dislikes carrying two devices. We thought that the accuracy would outweight the negative of not being integrated with the pump. He hates the insertion of the minimed soft sensor and finds that the enlites are not as accurate as the soft sensor for him. That's why he wanted to try the dex. He misses how the integrated pump has blood sugar already in so he doesn't have to input it, etc. He is due for a pump upgrade soon, and he is hoping for the integrated tslim and dexcom. Since Animas has a no return policy on their pump, that has taken it off the table for consideration in the future. Thank you for your offers to help!
Just curious how you were able to get your Dexcom? I called and they told me that they were not approved yet by Health Canada for children under 18 unless I had an approval letter by my doctor. Called my doctor and was told that until Health Canada approves it, no endo will give my a letter.
Your doctor is mistaken. All endos here will give you a letter of medical necessity if you ask for it. We got the dexcom for our 4 yr old in the week after it was approved in Canada. I think even a regular physician can give you the letter of medical necessity - call Animas and ask!
I had no problem getting my son's endo to sign off on the form in order to get the Dexcom for my son.
Can someone please give an estimate of how much a Dexcom G4 will cost if I was to pay out of pocket? Per year cost, rough estimate, starting from Year 1 (purchasing unit etc.) and then going forward to year 2 where you are just buying the supplies? Thanks. I'm just trying to figure it all out incase my insurance does not cover.
It seems like most people report they get 14 days out of a dexcom sensor. So the year two cost would be about 2080 $ on sensors if you can get 14 days out of them. That does not account for the possibility that you would need to replace the transmitter in the second year (I think the transmitters commonly last a year.) The last I checked dexcom sensors were 80 $ each in Canada
The receiver is $700, the transmitter is $800 and a box of four sensors is $340 (so $85 each). So far we are getting an average of 9 days from each sensor.
We get 9-10 days out of our sensors. I would love to get 14 days, but I guess Christopher's body doesn't want to.
Thanks guys. That gives me some idea as to what the cost will be. I am still in the process of getting the doctor to sign and return the approval form, since Animas needs that to order dexcom for pediatric use. Will let you guys know how the insurance battle goes, once I get there.
