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Freestyle Libre 2 won’t stick. Any help?

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diabeticshannon14

Newbie
Messages
1
Hi
I’ve been using the freestyle libre for just over 7 months. About a month ago I was upgraded to the freestyle 2. With both products I’ve experienced a lot of issues with it staying on for the full 14 days, in fact 80% of them fall off within the first week!

as per advice from my diabetic team I’ve tried a few things. I’ve tried the freestyle libre patch on Amazon and this does work BUT it irritates my skin a lot and is so so painful to get off and leaves a rash. It also gets so dirty round the edges and very difficult to clean.
I’ve tried skin tac on 3 sensors now but it literally makes them not work. The first one I applied, the needle of the sensor came out but the sensor stayed in the applicator?? That may have been a faulty sensor though. The next 2 neither of them gave me any readings. It was a series of ‘try again in 10 minutes’ before finally ‘replace sensor - sensor not working’ !!!

I was advised to come on here and ask if anyone else has similar experiences and what’s helped them. I sweat quite a lot and I suspect this could contribute to it but there’s not much I can do about that. Any help??
 
Hi
Welcome aboard.
When i first started way back when i had all sorts of problem keeping them in place but mine was not the stickiness as such but the fact i kept catching my arm/shoulder on doorframes as i walk through.
After researching this i moved the sensor to to my underarm and this worked without affecting the readings.

Good luck

Tony
 
I think there are different types of skin - skin that Libre stick like limpets to and skin that it doesn't.

I am generally of the "limpet skin" variety but there are a few things which may help
  • make sure your arm is clean, dry and has no moisturiser on it. Abbott used to include alcohol wipes for this purpose but have stopped doing so,. It may be worthwhile buying a pack. They are not expensive.
  • make sure you do not place your sensor on a "corner". When my sensors fall off, it is because I have not placed them on a flat part of my arm. I am quite muscly which means there are few flat surfaces. But sensors do not bend.
  • Use a strap to keep your sensor in place. There are a selection of 3D printed straps on eBay.
Good luck.
 
I use a tegaderm clear dressing over mine. It usually keeps them on, means I can swim for an hour, the dressing usually lasts the life of the sensor unless I do a lot of swimming…ie three or more times a week for an hour when the edges might lift. I did have two come off when I got very hot and sweaty though.
 
The problem is that for some, like me, they are allergic to the Tegaderm adhesive which can be nasty.
 
I'm using kinesiology tape on my current sensor and it's working quite well. I usually have no problems with libres sticking but occasionally I'll get one that just doesn't want to stay on, the last one I tried a tegaderm patch but that was coming off by the next day, I've tried micropore tape and plasters too but they didn't do much and just made my skin sore.
 
I use a stretch lace armband to stop the sensor being wrenched off the back of my upper arm.... which had happened a few times and was pretty annoying. If you don't want to make your own, you can find them for sale online, just look for "stretch lace armband to cover Libre sensor". Many colours available. You have to state the size you want. The sensor can be read without removing the armband.
 
when it starts to peel I use wig glue
 
I use KT tape. It’s not a particularly fashionable look but it comes in lots of colours and you know what, I don’t care. What you do before attaching the sensor matters too. I always wash my arm with soap, rinse and dry we’ll just before attaching. The sensor stickers seem to work well for me but that may be because I have dry skin. Perhaps your doc could prescribe a pack of clinical alcohol-based wipes to help with pre-application prep @diabeticshannon14 ?
 
Hi
I have been using the improve accuracy Libre 2 since April 2021 however I have returned a number of faulty sensors with the following error codes:
Er9,978, Er0,2014, Er3,4002, Er3.373, Er3.366,
This month one sensors fell off my arm after 9 days and the new sensor has just sensors fallen off after only 9 days.
I contacted Abbott and explained this, which they are going to replace.
Previously on the Libre 1 the sensors adhesive was stronger, you had a job in removing them, now it would seem that the adhesive has been made weaker.
I have lived with Type 1 diabetes for 58 years and when the Libre 2 works OK it's very good at warning of highs and lows in blood sugars.
I understand that Abbott are bring out a Libre 3 with improvements, I carn't wait!!
 

I use waterproof adhesive patches which are basically like normal plasters, but of course round. They work ok, but towards the beginning of the second week, they too start coming away at the edge. Only once has my sensor fallen out and that was the Libre 2 version. What I did find when I first used the libre 2, was that the applicator would not separate from the sensor, it got stuck and that was pretty scary for a few seconds. But it did eventually come away, and all was well.

The readings are higher - on average 0.8 higher than the finger pricks on this first Libre 2 sensor. Libre 1 was always about 1-1.5 mmoles measurement lower than the finger prick. I don't understand why these sensors cannot be more accurately calibrated...? I wait to see what the next one will be like....

I hope you get all this sorted out soon. xxx
 
Armbands worked well for me when active

I had a dexcom sensor a couple of weeks back that just would not stick I went around the edges with wig glue and it stuck the whole 10 days infact would have stayed longer
 
I myself have , I guess, what is described as “clammy skin” and practically every sensor I’ve worn falls off or fails before it’s 15 day lifecycle. Abbots have been excellent in replacing them but it continues to happen. I’ve tried using other products to secure them but having Urticaria, restricts this as my skin then becomes inflamed. Alcohol wipes are certainly beneficial in such as they help them stick initially though.
 
I totally feel you. My sensors used to peel off within a week, and while Abbott has been great about replacements, it’s still such a hassle. It’s the worst having to constantly reapply or replace them. Most tapes gave me a rash after just a few days, and although alcohol wipes helped them stick at first, they didn’t last long-term. Someone on a forum suggested trying overpatches from "Not Just a Patch", and they actually kept my sensor on for the full 14 days without irritating my skin like the others did.
 
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