I'm just curious. I run an xDrip set up and I've played around with a couple of the "DIY" closed loop setups.
Because we're in the hospital and can access IV lines, we also have rapid access to data, and the drugs we infuse get taken up much quicker (5-10 minutes for insulin, 3 minutes for dextrose).
The terminology is overlapping but the space is very different than outpatient glucose control.
Additionally, dextrose is inexpensive, more available (rural county hospitals don't stock glucagon), easier to mix and store, has a longer shelf life, and most importantly, has a far quicker response time.
Glucagon has promise for outpatient work, where the volume of fluid is much more of a factor, though the stability and cost are still unsolved problems. The patients we treat are in a bed, monitored periodically by trained healthcare providers, with routine access to a pharmacy.
TL:DR Hospital control is just a different beast!
Have you done much research into that area? Do you know if there's a brand we should check out or any common gotchas? (I can't find much reasonable info on this online due to my poor Google skills and all the bad info out there..)
1. Wait 24 hours, the CGM needs time to adjust to your body
2. Don't overcalibrate in the first 24 hours, or when sugars are in flux. You'll mess up the factory calibration which can lead to worse accuracy over the session.
3. Try a different insertion site. Behind the arm and on the abdomen are the two most common ones.
4. Talk to your endo
5. Call your CGM maker, they will almost always overnight you a replacement if it's demonstrably failing.
It used to be that they (older models) were off by huge margins, and the auto modes had to be constantly calibrated against as it was often not only off, but suggesting/dosing dangerous amount in either direction.
Nowadays, SO calibrates a few times a week and the pump is extremely reliable. Longer periods of highs are usually due to infusion set leaking (eg. line snagged and pulled the needle).
Like the other reply, it takes a day or two until the system is reliable.
Sensor on back of the arm, infusion on stomach is the combo we've found to be the most safe and reliable sites. Make sure you rotate as often as possible and avoid putting them in the exact same spot.
Calibrate it several times when her blood sugar is stable. (Stable means not changing. I want to see a line on the CGM like this "-------------" not one that is going up or down.)
Make sure your test strips and CGM sensors are in date and have been stored at reasonably indoors temperatures.
Source: My wife and I both use CGMs. Our common medical issues were something we had in common.