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Sensor caused nasty bruise, what should I do?

V

Vectian

Well-Known Member
Messages
92
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Diet only
I inserted a new sensor about 4/5 days ago, it started to bruise which never happened before. Since then the bruise has been getting worse, and there is now a nasty looking dark purple ring all around. Should I take it off and start a new one on the other arm, or leave it and see if it improves? Thanks

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Vectian said:
I inserted a new sensor about 4/5 days ago, it started to bruise which never happened before. Since then the bruise has been getting worse, and there is now a nasty looking dark purple ring all around. Should I take it off and start a new one on the other arm, or leave it and see if it improves? Thanks

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It's more than likely you have hit a blood vessel which in turn has caused the bruising. I was always told bleeders are better readers. If your sensor is still matching up with finger pricks I wouldn't worry too much about it, just be prepared for that bruise to stick around for a little while. I've had a few that have gone like that before, unless they've bled a lot and are still reading fine I've left them as is until I need to change my sensor again.
 
Nicola M said:
It's more than likely you have hit a blood vessel which in turn has caused the bruising. I was always told bleeders are better readers. If your sensor is still matching up with finger pricks I wouldn't worry too much about it, just be prepared for that bruise to stick around for a little while. I've had a few that have gone like that before, unless they've bled a lot and are still reading fine I've left them as is until I need to change my sensor again.
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It's reading a bit erratically, said 3.4 earlier and fingerprint was 5.7. I have a lot of trouble with the inaccuracy in general, they always read too high in the first couple of days, sometimes 2 points too high, 24/7. Usually they settle after about the 3rd day, but I have had to remove quite a few that were reading way too high even on the 4th day. It's been pretty frustrating overall especially when it is saying my BS is high when it isn't.

This is the first one that has created a bruise and first one that seems to be generally under reading. The bruise is getting worse, not better, presumably the thing that has caused the irritation is still there rather than a normal bruise which is an impact then recovery. Have you had a bruise as bad as this, and did it heal?
 
If you are concerned about the readings, I would remove it and start a new one. From my past experience Abbott were always good about replacing sensors that had failed early.

Obviously, you don't know how long under the sensor that it bled for and the blood would have pooled under the sensor which is probably why it looks as terrible as it does as it had nowhere to escape to except under your skin. I've had many bruises like this, some from sensors some from accidents and mine always take upwards of a month to properly heal but my healing has always been extremely slow, it can differ from person to person.
 
Hi,

Under arm fittied?

I’m an underarm person too.
Had a couple of bleeders work fine.
I’ve had the blood a little under the double sided tape looking like a bruise, too?

Could you post a screenshot of how erratically the readings are?
I’ve hit muscle tissue in the past & seen some wild readings for the duration I’ve been cutting wood using the Libre arm..
 
Jaylee said:
Hi,

Under arm fittied?

I’m an underarm person too.
Had a couple of bleeders work fine.
I’ve had the blood a little under the double sided tape looking like a bruise, too?

Could you post a screenshot of how erratically the readings are?
I’ve hit muscle tissue in the past & seen some wild readings for the duration I’ve been cutting wood using the Libre arm..
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They have to be worn underarm don't they? I tried it once on the stomach but readings were way off.

I just took the one off as the bruise was getting worse and it's not reading right anyway. I have a lot of trouble with these being inaccurate, almost always reading too high but this is the first one that has been reading too low. Always too high in the first couple of days then often settles down, but not always. I have had to remove quite a few. This one said 3.4 earlier and it was actually 5.7, overall a bit lower that it is. I don't really 100% need a cgm as my blood sugar is fairly stable at the moment, but that could change and it feels strange now not knowing what my levels are.
 
I’ve had quite a few bruises like that. Not caused by diabetic sensors but when I’ve had IV’s inserted into veins. So similar in the sense there’s an object in place causing bruising. Although the intended location is different it would appear your sensor hit a vein too. The hospital staff removed and replaced them in this situation. If it were me and I had the option to replace the sensor in the other arm I would. The bruises heal, eventually. Some have taken a good few weeks though.
 

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Vectian said:
They have to be worn underarm don't they? I tried it once on the stomach but readings were way off.

I just took the one off as it was getting worse and it's not reading right anyway. I have a lot of trouble with these being inaccurate, almost always reading too high but this is the first one that has been reading too low. Always too high in the first couple of days then often settles down, but not always. I have had to remove quite a few. This one said 3.4 earlier and it was actually 5.7, overall a bit lower that it is. I don't really 100% need a cgm as my blood sugar is fairly stable at the moment, but that could change and it feels strange now not knowing what my levels are.
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Can you try another fattier location.?
Like back of the arm..
I appreciate you have the hair. Might need to shave the spot?
The sensors read or interpret BG levels from the interstitial fluid under layer the skin. (Not blood.)
You may well have hit a capillary??

I wouldn’t disagree it don’t look happy..
 
Jaylee said:
Can you try another fattier location.?
Like back of the arm..
I appreciate you have the hair. Might need to shave the spot?
The sensors read or interpret BG levels from the interstitial fluid under layer the skin. (Not blood.)
You may well have hit a capillary??

I wouldn’t disagree it don’t look happy..
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The back of the arm is where it is, I don't have much fat there though which may be why
I have problems with accuracy. The newer Libre plus sensors do seem a bit better than the previous ones.
 
Vectian said:
The back of the arm is where it is, I don't have much fat there though which may be why
I have problems with accuracy. The newer Libre plus sensors do seem a bit better than the previous ones.
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It looked inner under arm. My mistake,

you could have caught bicep. (Hence the inconsistent readings?)

You could try the Libre plus.
Or maybe the Dexcom on a different part of the body?
I’ve seen some sports people try on other sites.

This is a YouTuber that might be worth checking out?
He’s done other videos on site placent experiments, too..

 
There is no need to replace these unless the readings are off or you have an error reading. I have had similar as well as heavy bleeders and the readings have been ok so just left it on.

Always go by what your sensor is telling you and if it's not reading, has an error then replace otherwise leave it.
 
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