Dropped libre sensor

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Sugarcoated

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
I was changing my libre & i accidentally knocked it off the table as i was swabbing my arm. I don't think the needle touched the floor.
I had to use it as i don't have a spare & getting one from Dr would take upto 48hrs.
I don't have enough needles at home either to keep checking as Dr only gives me limited supply as i have libre.
Do you think was safe to use? I imagine the needle was clean & it was only on skin a few seconds. In abit of a panic now incase i get sepsis or infection. Anxiety much?
 
Sugarcoated said:
I was changing my libre & i accidentally knocked it off the table as i was swabbing my arm. I don't think the needle touched the floor.
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If you mean it was in the applicator (either half, though if it's in the first part then you're definitely OK of course) then I'm sure that's fine. I'm pretty sure it won't move much until it's pressed with some force.
 
The needle was showing as i was getting ready to access it into skin.
Its taboo to use a dropped needle & wondered if this was the same.
I've used it now but thinking, maybe i shouldn't have.
 
Maybe i should take libre off to be safe as needle was exposed. Even though I'm 99% surr it didn't touch the floor
 
I shouldn't do that!! - exactly how filthy was the floor, running with sewage, or what?

Nowhere in either home I have had over the last 50 years has been sterile, neither is/was anywhere else I have ever been and waved hypodermic needles about in, pre jab, during my entire life. You know when you need a blood test so the phlebotomist sticks a needle into a vein in your arm - is the room she does that in protected by an air lock so it's sterile? Of course not.
 
Sugarcoated said:
The needle was showing as i was getting ready to access it into skin.
Its taboo to use a dropped needle & wondered if this was the same.
I've used it now but thinking, maybe i shouldn't have.
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But it was inside the applicator, presumably, so wouldn't have touched anything?
 
I opened up the libre pushed the the applicator into the part that clicks & pulled it out & you see the needle, ready to be inserted. That part fell onto the floor & the needle was facing upwards.
I'm sorry i guess I'm being alittle dramatic but i have health anxiety. So dropping the libre is a big thing for me.
 
trophywench said:
I shouldn't do that!! - exactly how filthy was the floor, running with sewage, or what?

Nowhere in either home I have had over the last 50 years has been sterile, neither is/was anywhere else I have ever been and waved hypodermic needles about in, pre jab, during my entire life. You know when you need a blood test so the phlebotomist sticks a needle into a vein in your arm - is the room she does that in protected by an air lock so it's sterile? Of course not.
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Its not the waving needle about that bothers me. It was that i dropped it. The needle was exposed but i don't think, well I'm sure, it didn't touch anything.
I just wanted reassurance it was safe to use. When you have health anxiety, it feels quite scary when you do silly things like drop libre sensor.
 
The sensor filament is recessed inside the applicator so unless you have really thick carpeting and it landed sensor down or on something that was sticking up and capable of touching the filament there is an absolutely negligible risk. I do find it odd that you removed it from the sensor housing when you weren't ready to apply it or did you knock the housing and the applicator off together and they parted company in the fall or on landing?

Personally I would not remove it but perhaps keep an eye out for any redness or itchiness at the site if you are particularly concerned. I wouldn't give it a second thought as I feel the risk is that negligible.
 
I was about to insert it & i realised i forgot to alcohol wipe my arm so set it down carefully on table but it rolled & dropped to the floor. I picked it up instantly & checked for hair etc but i saw the way it landed & needle didn't seem to touch floor.
I'm usually very careful but i was rushing, so that didn't help.
It'll teach me in future to be more mindful & careful...& not be so dramatic
 
Provided my arm was dry, had no moisturiser on it and I had recently had a shower, I would not have bothered with the alcohol wipe. In fact, since the wipes were removed from the box, I have had no need for the extra waste.
But as the others have said, it is incredibly unlikely that you got anything on the filament into your arm. Just keep an eye on it ... but I assume you'd do that anyway.
 
Yes, I don't use alcohol wipes either since they stopped providing them, just wash and dry well and then apply. I find it best to apply on an evening before bed so it has all night to adhere well before it is exposed to the rigors of daily life and risks of getting caught on bra straps or door frames etc as Libre sensors are predisposed to do. You also usually have plenty of time on an evening to take your time without being rushed or feel under pressure.
 
:D - you said it, not one of us! Hope you didn't mind me mentioning sewage, I wasn't suggesting for a minute that your floor was - but you caught on what I was getting at anyway so that's the only thing that matters.

I'm exactly the opposite of you, with knobs on. I'd do summat like that and never even think about it being unwise. Then come on here and find someone like you pondering about whatever and think, Oooh, should I have been concerned?

Ah well, haven't dropped dead yet .....
 
The 'needle' is actually a flexible piece of special plastic (the filament) that is inserted by the applicator needle which come back out after the filament is in place. As long as the applicator works there will be extremely low risk of any infection. BTW I bought a box of 100 alcohol wipes off ebay for a very low cost.
 
trophywench said:
:D - you said it, not one of us! Hope you didn't mind me mentioning sewage, I wasn't suggesting for a minute that your floor was - but you caught on what I was getting at anyway so that's the only thing that matters.

I'm exactly the opposite of you, with knobs on. I'd do summat like that and never even think about it being unwise. Then come on here and find someone like you pondering about whatever and think, Oooh should I have been concerned?

Ah well, haven't dropped dead yet .....
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I don't mind you mentioning sewage. It's funny actually as I'm a cleanaholic lol
 
DaveB said:
The 'needle' is actually a flexible piece of special plastic (the filament) that is inserted by the applicator needle which come back out after the filament is in place. As long as the applicator works there will be extremely low risk of any infection. BTW I bought a box of 100 alcohol wipes off ebay for a very low cost.
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I was concerned the applicator needle would have got contaminated but as i said, it didn't touch anything...as far as I'm aware.
Oh well, too late to worry now. Its been in my arm for a few hours & i haven't grown another head so must be ok lol
 
Sugarcoated said:
I was concerned the applicator needle would have got contaminated but as i said, it didn't touch anything...as far as I'm aware.
Oh well, too late to worry now. Its been in my arm for a few hours & i haven't grown another head so must be ok lol
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Just to be clear, the fine filament you see on the underside of the sensor is not a needle, but just a sampling sensor. The needle is within the applicator body and fires through the centre of the sensor carrying the filament into your arm with it when you apply it and then is instantly retracted by a spring, so the needle remains inside the applicator housing after application which is why the applicator needs to be disposed of in a Sharpsafe..... unless you are prepared to dismantle the applicator as some of us do and remove the needle itself for Sharpsafe disposal and the remainder goes in household waste. This saves the authorities money on sharps disposal but it is a bit of a faff and is not recommended by clinicians or the manufacturer just some of us feel quite strongly about the amount of plastic being incinerated and the cost of a greater bulk of sharps disposal.
The reason I mention this is that some people are of the misunderstanding that the applicator can either be disposed of in household waste or recycled as hard plastics, when in reality there is a used needle within it, so it is a hazard and should be disposed of appropriately.
 
I put ALL of it in household waste. The NHS does not let me have bigger than a one litre sharps bin and no way was I told to dismantle anything - I would not have agreed to have Libre had that been the case. I'd rather dispose of things properly that chuck em in landfill knowing they are going to rot - but that's up to the NHS, not me - so No Way Conchita am I going to feel guilty.
 
trophywench said:
I put ALL of it in household waste. The NHS does not let me have bigger than a one litre sharps bin and no way was I told to dismantle anything - I would not have agreed to have Libre had that been the case. I'd rather dispose of things properly that chuck em in landfill knowing they are going to rot - but that's up to the NHS, not me - so No Way Conchita am I going to feel guilty.
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Yes, I think folk tend to get a bit too uptight about disposal of applicators. The chance of anyone getting a needle stick infection from an applicator is somewhere on the far side of zero as the needle is completely retracted and it would take a heck of a lot of work to get anywhere near it. Mine goes in the bin. There’s more chance of spreading blood related infections from a used sticking plaster or piece of cotton wool that’s been used to clean a cut.
 
Yes but how long will it take them to rot in landfill, Dave? A thousand years?
 
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