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Sensors and swimming

Karen999

Karen999

Well-Known Member
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Type 1.5 LADA
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Hi ,
I'm looking forward to getting in the sea as it warms up. But not sure how long I can stay in and keep my sensor on and working .Most things I read say 30 mins.
Anyone cover there sensors and stay in longer
 
Karen999 said:
Hi ,
I'm looking forward to getting in the sea as it warms up. But not sure how long I can stay in and keep my sensor on and working .Most things I read say 30 mins.
Anyone cover there sensors and stay in longer
Click to expand...
Hiya
Which sensor do you have?
I think I'm guilty of having been in the sea/swimming pools for longer than 30 mins, but probably not more than an hour, with Libre sensors and with the Medtronic Guardian 4 sensors. I'm not sure if this is advised or not though!
 
I have a libre. Wondered if wearing a tight wet suit would effect it
 
Karen999 said:
Hi ,
I'm looking forward to getting in the sea as it warms up. But not sure how long I can stay in and keep my sensor on and working .Most things I read say 30 mins.
Anyone cover there sensors and stay in longer
Click to expand...

I stay in around 1 and a half hours @Karen999 My Dexcom is fine with that.

There are patches you can buy if you’re worried about it falling off.
 
Karen999 said:
I have a libre. Wondered if wearing a tight wet suit would effect it
Click to expand...
It's a valid point, if it's super tight it may cause compression low readings. Also need to be careful putting on wet suit to not pull off the sensor. I've worn them for hours in water with no issues. Best take a spare(s).
 
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I go scuba diving down to 30m for up to 40 minutes wearing my libre and no effect on its functionality. I always wear a patch over it and just take care pulling the wetsuit over it.
 
Dexcom one + is waterproof to 2.4m up to 24 hours - can't think you'd be in the water that long though!
 
I just leave my libre on, nothing over it, and ignore the time. No problems it’s fine. If it comes off early (which is rare) I report to abbot
 
Thanks all ,I'll just go for it see what happens
 
I was wondering the same, I'm going to Turkey for two weeks in April and will probably be swimming. I was going to leave the sensor off and rely on FP, but if it's likely to survive I'll leave it on (sensor change day is the day I fly so it'll be a fresh one)
 
I am a big fan of arm straps that give the Libre more protection in circumstances where it is going to be facing additional challenges. If I was going to be submerged in the water with a Libre for longer than the guaranteed time, which I think as others have said, may be 30 mins, then I think an arm strap might be a useful investment. I also find it acts as a visual reminder when washing and drying myself. For instance, coming out of the water/sea when the adhesive may have started to be compromised and then catching it with a towel without thinking when it is likely at it's most vulnerable. The strap both provides it with protection but also reminds me which arm it is on and to be careful.
 
I do swim occasionally, I usually stick a patch over my Libra just to be sure, especially as following my swim I like to relax in the whirlpool or steam room occasionally, although I saw someone one day wearing kind of a wrist sweatband over their CGM recently
 
Karen999 said:
Hi ,
I'm looking forward to getting in the sea as it warms up. But not sure how long I can stay in and keep my sensor on and working .Most things I read say 30 mins.
Anyone cover there sensors and stay in longer
Click to expand...
Morning Karen I have have tested these extensively, I spend a lot of time in the sea hours in fact I use a patch which you can get on the usual sites, but they really work, while you enjoy the sea without the worry of loosing a sensor 1000010467.jpg
 
AceFace said:
Morning Karen I have have tested these extensively, I spend a lot of time in the sea hours in fact I use a patch which you can get on the usual sites, but they really work, while you enjoy the sea without the worry of loosing a sensor View attachment 34474
Click to expand...
That's interesting Simon the picture shows the sensor hole covered, I thought this was a no no.
 
Karen999 said:
That's interesting Simon the picture shows the sensor hole covered, I thought this was a no no.
Click to expand...
It’s fine, the hole is just where the needle went in. Most people use a breathable type of patch anyway.
 
Karen999 said:
That's interesting Simon the picture shows the sensor hole covered, I thought this was a no no.
Click to expand...
The hole is supposed to be left uncovered, it provides ventilation, apparently, (I think @everydayupsanddowns attended a lecture or spoke to someone at Abbot who was extolling its virtues) and it prevents damp heat building up and causing potential fungal or bacterial infections under the sensor. (I’ve always put a strip of micropore tape over mine, to avoid pinging it off, and been fine, though, the tape itself is meant to be breathable!)
 
Robin said:
The hole is supposed to be left uncovered, it provides ventilation, apparently, (I think @everydayupsanddowns attended a lecture or spoke to someone at Abbot who was extolling its virtues)
Click to expand...

Yes it was an Abbott event where 2 of the R&D boffins were talking about changes they’d made to Libre 1, which included re-engineering the grooves on the underside of the sensor to be more efficient at directing moisture out of the little hole from showering etc, and also allowing moisture to escape from the skin itself.

It was something they added to ensure the skin under the sensor stayed as healthy as popular (ironic really given the ruckus about skin reactions to Libre1 from a proportion of users). Abbott’s thinking was that 2 weeks with the skin completely covered was enough time for it to get pretty squidgy under there if the moisture wasn’t allowed to escape.

Having said that, Dex G6 was a 10-day wear (and I used to wear them for double that) and they have no such ventilation under the (smaller) sensor/transmitter footprint.
 
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