Is new sensor day aweful for any one else

[Sara Grice]

I use libre 2+, due to the moderate failure rate I've experienced I can't help but dread new sensor day (today as it happends), so just want to get my feelings out

I do feel like alot of my problems may be because i use an over patch (only way I can manage to keep them on, I do everything else that's recommended) because why else would I get things that seam like compression lows when laying down not on the sensor side. I use not a patch which doesn't have a hole for the sesnor and am thinking I should maybe switch brands
I know skintac is a thing but how does it work..isn't it a whipe. As I thought you weren't supposed to put anything apart from an alcohol whipe on the site as it could effect the sesnor

 

[Thebearcametoo]

I’m sorry you’re having so many problems with your sensors. Tech is great when it works but a pain in the bum when you’re not sure if it will be ok or not.

There are various over stickers and they do vary in how well they stick and other factors. We use type one style for the Dexcom. We’ve tried others but always come back to those.

Compression lows when not lying on the arm I suspect are a fluid issue - the sensor not getting enough fluid. My kid has had it several times. We try to make sure he’s well hydrated before bed and it’s been a while since we’ve had any.

Skintac is a wipe and it does help adhesion. If you’re worried about it being where the filament is then you can wipe around the area and leave a gap in the middle. We have used it with cannulas before and it helped but now we just use a bit of kinesiology tape over cannulas as it’s easy to cut and remove and cheaper than over stickers when we’re changing so frequently.

If you’re having so many issues with the libre it is worth trying Dexcom as some people suit one over the other.

I hope today’s sensor behaves.

 

[Sara Grice]

I’m sorry you’re having so many problems with your sensors. Tech is great when it works but a pain in the bum when you’re not sure if it will be ok or not.

There are various over stickers and they do vary in how well they stick and other factors. We use type one style for the Dexcom. We’ve tried others but always come back to those.

Compression lows when not lying on the arm I suspect are a fluid issue - the sensor not getting enough fluid. My kid has had it several times. We try to make sure he’s well hydrated before bed and it’s been a while since we’ve had any.

Skintac is a wipe and it does help adhesion. If you’re worried about it being where the filament is then you can wipe around the area and leave a gap in the middle. We have used it with cannulas before and it helped but now we just use a bit of kinesiology tape over cannulas as it’s easy to cut and remove and cheaper than over stickers when we’re changing so frequently.

If you’re having so many issues with the libre it is worth trying Dexcom as some people suit one over the other.

I hope today’s sensor behaves.

Thank you for the reply, I am currently 15 minutes into the one hour count down (that always stresses me out having a countdown, I know why is does it I just wish it worked right right away so ide know quicker

Hmm interesting about the fluid issue, because it's weird, without changing my hydration routine (it's not the best, but I don't think I'm overly dehydrated) one sensor will have this problem while the others will be fine, so I just put it down to either a faulty sensor or when it happened twice to the patches. If it was the fact I don't drink enough then..shouldn't it be all sensors having issues?

I do also use one arm....I was gonna try the other arm today but..I am a creature of habbit and am scared of trying something that didn't work in the past.

I like my brand of patches in terms of effectiveness, they stick well and keep the sensor in place. Only ever had to replace one or two before the sensor ended

I was offered a free trial of dexcom, but I dunno, I like that you can calibrate it, but don't like that you only get 10 days pre sensor (unless I'm mistaken) having to change it regularly kinda feels like it would suck. And I'm sure they have there faulty sensors too

But I also know that you can use it on more areas than the libre which is a pro..maybe I should at least give it a try once

 

[Woodywoodpecker]

I use libre 2+, due to the moderate failure rate I've experienced I can't help but dread new sensor day (today as it happends), so just want to get my feelings out

I do feel like alot of my problems may be because i use an over patch (only way I can manage to keep them on, I do everything else that's recommended) because why else would I get things that seam like compression lows when laying down not on the sensor side. I use not a patch which doesn't have a hole for the sesnor and am thinking I should maybe switch brands
I know skintac is a thing but how does it work..isn't it a whipe. As I thought you weren't supposed to put anything apart from an alcohol whipe on the site as it could effect the sesnor

Hi I use a patck

I use libre 2+, due to the moderate failure rate I've experienced I can't help but dread new sensor day (today as it happends), so just want to get my feelings out

I do feel like alot of my problems may be because i use an over patch (only way I can manage to keep them on, I do everything else that's recommended) because why else would I get things that seam like compression lows when laying down not on the sensor side. I use not a patch which doesn't have a hole for the sesnor and am thinking I should maybe switch brands
I know skintac is a thing but how does it work..isn't it a whipe. As I thought you weren't supposed to put anything apart from an alcohol whipe on the site as it could effect the

Hi I use these ones not had a problem with them, I tried skin tac and it burnt my arm, was an awful mess. I swap arms each time

 

[Chelseagirl]

I don’t have many problems with my Dexcom One+ but I still agree with you! I have a 24 hr period at the beginning where I check readings with blood, maybe a calibration or two and then it runs well. I hate changing it! One day, I guess, you will pay/be funded for a monthly premium for a permanent one.

 

[Sara Grice]

Hi I use a patck

Hi I use these ones not had a problem with them, I tried skin tac and it burnt my arm, was an awful mess. I swap arms each time

Thanks, I did hear some people saying skin tac can rip skin and cause burning when trying to remove it..which is a concern.
In terms of swapping arms....I know I need to, but because I'm right handed putting it on my right arm with my left hand is so difficult and the sensors always just don't work. I'm also on the overweight side so the positioning is more difficult because I'm large..I dunno what else to do about it

 

[Sara Grice]

As an update...

I realy don't know what I'm doing wrong.
It's come up as readings and as a test I took a lay down, it then went down from 11.7 to 10.1 in like 3 mins

 

[helli]

I wonder whether the frequent compression lows are caused by the cover being too tight and applying pressure even when not lying on the sensor.
Thankfully, I have "limpet skin" so don't need covers. However I have used SkinTac as a barrier when i reacted with the adhesive on my pump. I had no issues of pulling skin off when removing it.

I am aware I am from the old school when I had to depend upon my hypo awareness and finger pricks. Despite working in IT (or maybe because I do), I am still nervous of relying on technology can fail or be wrong. A fault sensor is frustrating but does not make me anxious because I know 8 can cope without.

 

[Sara Grice]

I wonder whether the frequent compression lows are caused by the cover being too tight and applying pressure even when not lying on the sensor.
Thankfully, I have "limpet skin" so don't need covers. However I have used SkinTac as a barrier when i reacted with the adhesive on my pump. I had no issues of pulling skin off when removing it.

I am aware I am from the old school when I had to depend upon my hypo awareness and finger pricks. Despite working in IT (or maybe because I do), I am still nervous of relying on technology can fail or be wrong. A fault sensor is frustrating but does not make me anxious because I know 8 can cope without.

I know that is my main problem. I'm to reliant on it, but I don't just wanna stop using them..it makes everything so more worse

I've only one 1 weekend without and it was so stressful for me and my mental hsakth really suffered. That's what I think about the patch pushing on the sensor, I should probably get ones with a hole in it.

I'm on the waiting list for therapy that should help me cope when things go wrong

 

[Lucyr]

Stop using the patches as that seems to be the problem. If a sensor comes off early just report it to abbot for replacement.

 

[Sara Grice]

Stop using the patches as that seems to be the problem. If a sensor comes off early just report it to abbot for replacement.

I see it as the lesser of two evils, occasionally getting it wrong it's better than having the sensor fall off even before the 1 hour calibration was over (that happend twice
once when I Didn't do all the best practices and once when I did everything your supposed to..just just not feesable to ask for that many fall offs replaced

 

[Woodywoodpecker]

Thanks, I did hear some people saying skin tac can rip skin and cause burning when trying to remove it..which is a concern.
In terms of swapping arms....I know I need to, but because I'm right handed putting it on my right arm with my left hand is so difficult and the sensors always just don't work. I'm also on the overweight side so the positioning is more difficult because I'm large..I dunno what else to do about it

I used to keep mine on right arm all the time, but arm was getting bit sore. I also apply my new sensor the day before, find it works better not had many pressure lows since. I have had loss off signal couple off times, but just reinstalled app and worked fine after that

 

[Pumper_Sue]

I use libre 2+, due to the moderate failure rate I've experienced I can't help but dread new sensor day (today as it happends), so just want to get my feelings out

I do feel like alot of my problems may be because i use an over patch (only way I can manage to keep them on, I do everything else that's recommended) because why else would I get things that seam like compression lows when laying down not on the sensor side. I use not a patch which doesn't have a hole for the sesnor and am thinking I should maybe switch brands
I know skintac is a thing but how does it work..isn't it a whipe. As I thought you weren't supposed to put anything apart from an alcohol whipe on the site as it could effect the sesnor

There's a simple way of using skin tac 🙂 just swab the patch rather than your arm this way no gunk goes on the sensor.
I have Dexcom G7 which claims a 10 day use. Considering the first 24 hours are a complete night mare as reading are well out, thus alarms going day and night it becomes very wearing and that's an understatement.

 

[Woodywoodpecker]

There's a simple way of using skin tac 🙂 just swab the patch rather than your arm this way no gunk goes on the sensor.
I have Dexcom G7 which claims a 10 day use. Considering the first 24 hours are a complete night mare as reading are well out, thus alarms going day and night it becomes very wearing and that's an understatement.

Mibi that’s what I did wrong, put it straight on my skin

 

[Sara Grice]

There's a simple way of using skin tac 🙂 just swab the patch rather than your arm this way no gunk goes on the sensor.
I have Dexcom G7 which claims a 10 day use. Considering the first 24 hours are a complete night mare as reading are well out, thus alarms going day and night it becomes very wearing and that's an understatement.

But if the point is to get to a point where I don't need the patch I can't realy do that, and it's sort of what I thought dexcom isn't much of a improvement in terms of failure rates ahd reliability with just less time on the sensor. Again least with libre when i get a working sensor I get 14-13 days of relative normality (because the frist and last days are usually a write off)

At least as a update this sesnor seams fine, just a few hiccups over the frist hour.

 

[Pumper_Sue]

Mibi that’s what u did wrong, put it straight on my skin

it's meant to go on the skin, so no you didn't do anything wrong 🙂 putting the skin tac on the actual patch just avoids any damage to the sensor when it's inserted. Skin tac wasn't manufactured originally for pump/sensor use.

 

[Pumper_Sue]

But if the point is to get to a point where I don't need the patch I can't realy do that, and it's sort of what I thought dexcom isn't much of a improvement in terms of failure rates ahd reliability with just less time on the sensor. Again least with libre when i get a working sensor I get 14-13 days of relative normality (because the frist and last days are usually a write off)

At least as a update this sesnor seams fine, just a few hiccups over the frist hour.

Put the skin tac on your sensor sticky which holds it in place. The extra patch you are on about doesn't then need to be used.

 

[Lucyr]

just not feesable to ask for that many fall offs replaced

Why not? Just fill in the online form. Abbot needs to know how many fall off to understand how many people have this issue.

 

[Woodywoodpecker]

it's meant to go on the skin, so no you didn't do anything wrong 🙂 putting the skin tac on the actual patch just avoids any damage to the sensor when it's inserted. Skin tac wasn't manufactured originally for pump/sensor use.

Thanks, won’t use again as badly burnt my arm

 

[Woodywoodpecker]

But if the point is to get to a point where I don't need the patch I can't realy do that, and it's sort of what I thought dexcom isn't much of a improvement in terms of failure rates ahd reliability with just less time on the sensor. Again least with libre when i get a working sensor I get 14-13 days of relative normality (because the frist and last days are usually a write off)

At least as an update this sesnor seams fine, just a few hiccups over the frist hour.

Try putting new sensor on the day before, but don’t scan till other one runs out. Ive not had one fall off, but did catch a couple on clothes that’s why I wear a patch round the sensor