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Thinking of CGM

Another vote for opsite flexifix and you can get it on prescription...I alcohol wipe, pop the sensor in and then add some tape over the top straightaway with the whole in the middle. I have some extra all over cover tegaderm style dressings to try out in the holidays when hopefully I will get some pool time, but I reckon the flexifix should hold well as it is still very sticky when I take the sensor off a couple of weeks later.
 
So you basically add more tape on top of the one on the sensor? I was thinking about it as it seems like the easiest idea please let me (us) know how you get on with it after swimming!
 
I can't keep a sensor on for more than a week without some kind of reinforcement. I suppose a week is the designed duration so the adhesive is aiming for that. Currently I am cutting a sensor shaped hole in a Tegaderm and that works well. The Tegaderm is strong adhesively, and protects from dirt and water. It can be replaced or reinforced during the wearing period.

The limiting factor (of how long the sensor lasts) for me seems to be irritation / infection, not adhesion. So my focus is on very thoroughly sterilising the insertion area, keeping the sensor immobile so that the insertion wound doesn't enlarge through movement, and keeping the whole area free from influx of dirt and **** while I'm wearing it.
 
Lol ive got a better idea............dont wash just use baby wipes to clean yr stinky bits
 
iHs said:
Lol ive got a better idea............dont wash just use baby wipes to clean yr stinky bits
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LOL....

@Spiker - I'm just on my 7th day of the sensor and the tape is peeling off
I guess if I was removing it today like it's intended, the tape did a pretty good job. I'm getting an opsite flexifit tape (when amazon manages to find my order!) to keep it in place longer. Skintac didn't seem to stick to me for longer than few hours
 
While waiting for the flexifit you can put 2 or 4 strips of micropore tape or surgical tape around the transmitter, over its own adhesive patch and onto your skin. Replace the tape regularly and that will go the distance

Miraculously sent via Diabetes Forum App. Probably on the 4th or 5th try :-/
 
As previously mentioned I find Skintac excellent. Clean well then apply Skintac before initial insertion.
Then as the adhesive patch begins to curl, clean again, apply the Skintac, leave to dry & press the patch down firmly.

I think the key is to wait a while (3 or 4 minutes?) before attaching/resticking.

I'm currently on day 28 of this sensor and haven't needed to add any extra tape, despite the recent hot weather.
 
Dune, skintac is not working for her.
 
I did understand that, but initially it didn't work too well for me either. Then I found that leaving it longer made a big difference.

I'd bought a big box full so had plenty to experiment with!
 
That was the first thing I tried since surgical tape is easy to get. But my skin doesn't seem to like it, it gets itchy and red it was red all dat yesterday after I put the tape on for the morning shower... Had to take it off right after it :/

Opsite tape should arrive today so I'll be praying my sensor stays on until then. If it survives this morning shower
 
DunePlodder said:
I did understand that, but initially it didn't work too well for me either. Then I found that leaving it longer made a big difference.

I'd bought a big box full so had plenty to experiment with!
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Ha, thanks for the tip! I'll try the Opsite tape first since it's on its way already, but I'll keep that in mind for later

It was a bit hard to clean the area under the edges since I was afraid to do any more damage
 
I'm happy to say I finally got a hold of the opsite tape (amazon didn't deliver, but a local pharmacy did) and I just taped my sensor. It was a close call, because my sensor was holding on by a miracle I think... most of the lower part of the tape was already not sticking to me, similar for the top part. basically only a part of the side tape was holding it on...
I didn't have time or skills yet to cut the hole in the middle of the tape, so I just cut 4 pieces and taped them on all sides of the sensor. This thing is really sticky! But it's holding on now, and my sensor is still in place! And I didn't miss a single reading
 
Soo... I'm at a day 10 of my sensor. It's still staying on (with help of the opsite tape) but a moment ago I had my first series of ??? and I'm not seeing a trend arrow (but the readings are there again) . Does it mean that my sensor is coming to an end and I'll have to replace it?

When do you usually decide to change the sensor? Assuming that you're not having any infection or skin irritation - when do you decide it's time for a new one?
 
My current sensor was inserted on June 15th and the transmitter is still transmitting readings. I have had the occasional ??? or gaps in the trend line.when I have been lying on the transmitter or the receiver. Sometimes I am too far away from the receiver but it always recovers.
 
Like Ambersilva on occasions I've had ??? and breaks in transmission but then continued happily for many days.

Eventually it reaches a stage when it doesn't recover, or the readings become unreliable despite calibrations, at which point it's time to insert a new one.
My current sensor was inserted on June 25th.
 
I did have a sensor that lasted about 60 days before it became inaccurate. I was glad to take it off anyway because I had tried resticking it with hypo-allergenic eyelash glue but... I was allergic to the the glue!
 
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Ambersilva said:
I did have a sensor that lasted about 60 days before it became inaccurate. I was glad to take it off anyway because I had tried resticking it with hyperallergenic eyelash glue but... I was allergic to the the glue!
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Wow! I had to take mine off today as I stopped trusting it. I was missing the trend arrow many times yesterday and kept beeping this morning that I was going low and hypo when I was not hypo and stable. Only stopped that after 3 corrections but started going off again my skin was itching anyways because of this heat and sweating.

I was surprised to see how tiny the actual sensor wire is! I could barely see it!

Do you usually add extra tape straight away or only after it starts to peel off?
 
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