phil1966
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 661
- Type of diabetes
- Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
There is actually a needle in the applicator too (the filament is inside it and the needle punctures your arm and retracts safely inside the applicator afterwards, leaving the filament behind). You can see it if you look at the applicator before you apply it to your arm.Don't worry about putting the applicators into a sharps bin. The only sharp bit of the entire kit is embedded in your arm. It is a tiny flexible filament, like a needle, but not rigid. There is nothing else sharp in the kit, so it can all be disposed of in the normal rubbish. Then when the sensor comes off that can go in the sharps bin. It isn't 'sharp' as such, but it will have some blood and interstial fluid on it, so best disposed of safely.
- just to save filling your sharps bin up too quickly.
(I am a nosey so-and-so, so I had to take everything apart and poke through the bits, when I first started using the Libre )
I agree that it's safe to dispose of in the bin as that needle is normally safely tucked away inside the applicator, but I had an applicator disintegrate on me when applying the sensor and had to recover the needle from the floor (it's very sharp!!)