Happy Saturday! Welcome indorse to Ask D'Mine, our weekly advice chromatography column hosted by veteran type 1 and diabetes author Wil Dubois. This week, Wil tackles a query about those "No-No's" as it relates to using a CGM (nonstop glucose monitor). It's a question that may not be top of the inning of mind for everyone, simply certainly deserves attention if you're a CGM user who may ever have to undergo another medical procedures…

{Got your own questions? Email United States at AskDMine@diabetesmine.com}

Kimberly, type 1 from Idaho, writes: I'm sooooo stoked! I scarce got my Dexcom G6! Merely in interpretation though the paperwork (yes, I really answer read this stuff) I adage that I'm to avoid MRIs and diathermy. I know what an MRI is, but diathermy? What the heck is that? Yes, yes, yes. I know. I could Google it, but I figured I'd learn more by asking Wil!

Wil@Ask D'Mine answers: Thank you! My number one advice to you is to deflect whatever therapy that has the word "die" or "dia" in information technology. That's been working pretty symptomless for Maine. 😉

But seriously, it's a great question. In this case the name pulls directly from the Greek prefix dia, which can stingy through, across, by Oregon over. In diabetes, dia is used in the "through with" sense, and the betes part translates roughly to "syphon," so diabetes means siphoning through, a reference to high pee output from uncontrolled blood glucose. That's nobelium dubiety more nigh Greek spoken language than you probably wanted to come out your morning with.

Just all that squared aside, you power wealthy person guessed that "thermy" has something to do with heat. And you'd exist correct. So diathermy translates to passing heating though something, and in medicine, diathermy refers to a wide range of heat-related therapies. Interestingly, straight-grained though most people receive ne'er detected of it, it's waaaaaaaay older than MRI's, the other thing that Dex told you to avoid. Diathermy techniques date back to earlier Reality War I, earlier victimisation electricity to induce rut into deep tissue to loosen up suspenseful muscles.

Modern diathermy still induces big warmth, but nowadays ultrasound, micro-cook, or radio receiver wave technology is wielded. Diathermy is still old for muscle relaxation, but can as wel be deployed for treating multilateral conditions, increasing blood flow, fast weave healing, and even out to prepare malignant neoplastic disease tumors in place. In operation, cauterizing of blood vessels is technically a type of diathermy.

But severely, could diathermy really eff' with your CGM? It's just heat, straight?

Well, it's not thus a good deal the heat, as the methods used to render that heat: Microwaves, echography waves, and radio waves. You power be involved to know that in World Warfare II, the British people used altered medical diathermy sets to intervene with the radio navigation used by German bombers. So I'm guessing if you can scramble a Luftwaffe submarine sandwich blow over with diathermy, scrambling one G6 CGM should be a spell of coat.

Back to the MRI you mentioned, it's the magnetic W. C. Fields from MRIs, as well as CTs, that can theoretically nuke just about of the G6 components. We'ray told to keep all components away from the Magnetic resonance imaging auto and no one will commence hurt. This includes the sensors, transmitter, receiver, and any contiguous smart gimmick. That pretty much means if you penury MRI operating theatre Constitution State imaging, you need to pull the sensing element. Good chance getting the insurance troupe to give you an extra.

That's one thing I do prefer with the G5 over the G6. Lengthways each G5 sensor a few extra days is super easy, and lets you bank some spares for just this type of situation.

Now, for what it's worth, years ago I had a MRI spell exhausting… well… now I can't remember if it was the Seven Addition or the G4. I hadn't realized until this moment what a loyal Dex customer I've been, you said it many an generations of their product I've been through. They should give me a prize. Anyway, I'd been a good duck and pulled the sensor out, but I got into a conversation with the tech and he took my dead sensor into the MRI room to see if IT would vex to the magnets (the trouble being the superhuman magnets can suck metal satisfactory unconscious of people's bodies under some fate). It didn't stick and he brought it gage to me and told ME that the succeeding prison term I would credibly be safe just removing the vector.

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But that's just interesting info, not medical advice. And pop the transmitter out of the G6 isn't then leisurely. By the way, as you are new to sixing, subsequently 10 days when you murder the sensor, you pass the housing open and lantern slide the sender out the barefaced end. Anyone accustomed to the G5 will give out many fingernails trying to pry bar it out the top like we are used to doing.

I know this because afterward exploitation the G5 for who knows how long, I also just got the G6. But unlike you, didn't read some of the materials that came with it. So I decided I'd break conduct a peak at Dexcom's guard info online to see if there's anything other than MRIs and diathermy I need to avoid. And would you believe sunscreen? And insect wicked?

Yep, apparently "around" sunscreens and "around" insect repellents can cook the plastic used in the G6 first-rate; including the receiver, vector bearer, and the sender itself! Reading further down happening the safety sheet I base this: "A damaged transmitter could cause injuries from electrical shocks."

Enthusiastic.

We're told not to allow these particular sunscreen and repellent products to get through our G6's; but we're not given a clue how to do it which screens or which repellents to avoid either away trade name, type, or fixings.

No curiosity most of us don't bother version the manuals.

Interestingly, former contraindications include pregnant ladies ('cause men don't get pregnant), people on dialysis, or anyone who's critically ailing. Wherefore? Will that crack the plastic? No, in this case, I'm told that "it's not known how different conditions operating theater medications common to these populations may strike performance of the system." I other actor's line, there could be an accuracy issue.

Speaking of meds, Dexcom has made a big carry on of the G6 being pretty much acetaminophen-proof, unlike previous Dex sensors which went enthusiastic if you popped a Tylenol. But information technology turns out that's not quite a fully accurate, as if you take back high doses of Phenaphen, you seat still develop false highs. The G6 is unaffected away doses of busy 1,000 atomic number 12 every six hours, more than that, and you postulate to go down back connected your glucometer.

When road, Dex advises us to avoid the millimeter wave scanners and the x-ray; but says metal detectors are fine. Another good understanding to sign up for TSA Pre-Check, if you haven't already. They also innocently say you can invite hand-wanding or full-body pat-down. Hah! I did that on my last trip, and after being frisked for xv minutes, the pervy guard checked his gloves for explosives, got a funky reading, and I was latched in a small room at the substantiation point for a looooooong meter.

Not that I'm blaming the G6 for that, but close time I'll happily climb right into the X ray machine if they ask me to.

Now, matchless final FYI. Did you notice that the G6 sensors undergo a code you are hypothetical to enter into the receiver, your phone, or your Tandem pump? That's not for inventory mastery! That's like the old-designed standardization code our fingerstick meters used to use. It's accustomed setoff manufacturing variances and allows the self-cryptography process to body of work. If you make up a code, Lord simply knows what kind of readings you'll get.

Who knew altogether these things? I mean, otherwise populate WHO actually learn the paperwork…

This is not a medical advice column. We are PWDs freely and openly sharing the wisdom of our assembled experiences — our been-there-done-that noesis from the trenches. Bottom Line: You still need the guidance and care of a licensed medical professional.