Conquering life living with Type 1 Diabetes

Monday, August 12, 2013

Keeping my good ole Dexcom on for 14+ days

So I am in a lot of Diabetic support groups on facebook.  I am there to help get ideas and share ideas but I get that not EVERYONE in the planet is on facebook.  Battling a chronic disease for your entire life every single day, sometimes you need some support from others going through the same problems. 

Anway I know a lot of Dexcom users out there have a lot of problems getting the Dexcom to stay on.  For me, pretty much nothing will stick to me and if it's sticky enough to stick to me I get a hellatious rash.  Rashes SUCK from diabetic related items that are stuck to you for several days.  Skintac wipes work great, but if I don't want to itch like a dog with fleas I cannot use it.

After several trials and errors I have finally found a process that works, for me.  On the days  I need a new sensor I am sure to take a shower first and scrub the dead skin off the area I plan to use, which for me so far the only places that work comfortably are my sides and or love handle areas. I get out all my supplies and wipe my sides down with at least 2 alcohol wipes.  I wipe down the transmitter and get out my smith and nephew opsite flexifix that my insurance covers from Edgepark Medical (which by the way after 14 days it rips every spec of hair clean off, so that's your forewarning and no it doesn't feel good, but its not as bad after a shower).  I have a pattern that I have made to go around the outside of the transmitter and over the build in tape/adhesive.  They basically look like two big letter C's.  I will post pics when I change my sensor out on Wednesday (if it fails, I am on day 19 right now).  So I have my husband (who is a Dexcom pro now) put the sensor on me, since I cant bend like a pretzel to do it myself and then he also applies the tape for me.  I put this tape on from day one, or by the end of day one it is falling off.  I have also started putting a long skinny rectangular piece over top and across the transmitter to make sure it stay on and because I am known to get this stupid thing stuck in the back of chairs with slots.  Hey Dexcom people, Gen5 needs to lay flatter to the skin, OK?  This protruding thing sucks, the SevenPlus was better, by a LOT in this aspect!

All in all though the G4 Dexcom is awesome, the accuracy is better, the reliability is MUCH better and the range is just awesome.  If I had to choose between being on a pump or a CGM, I would choose the CGM without a doubt.  I have taken short little breaks from the Dexcom and hated every single day it was off.  I loved not having it on me but hated not knowing what my Diabetes was in the process of doing, crashing, rising or staying steady. 






2 comments:

  1. Exactly what do you do with/to the transmitter and receiver if you want to start up the old sensor to go 14 days on ONE sensor? What are the steps? Is there a place o
    n the web that gives ALL the steps?

    ReplyDelete
  2. At the end of 7 days your receiver will tell you have to replace the sensor and gives you a count down at various times. You dont have to wait for the time to run out, at whatever time you choose you can select stop sensor and then go back into the menu and select start sensor without actually doing anything to the sensor. This will give you the 2 hour warm up period again, ask for 2 bg readings and then you are good for another 7 days. You can keep restarting the sensor as many times as you want as long as it stays accurate. I personally cannot get more than 3 weeks of accurate readings and by then I am just ready to take it off that area anyway. If you are on Facebook there are two very good Dexcom support groups and I recommend joining them to get assistance if you ever need it! Feel free to also message me via this blog if you so choose or you can also join my Diabetic Warrior facebook group as well.

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