I had that same situation (wouldn’t detach) ands I had to pull like blazes to get it out and I never even thought to check that the wire thingy had come out ! Here’s hoping!
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Do you think that this problem has any correlation to people with less body fat? Or, is it totally independent.
Did I read correctly, you inserted the sensor in your ARM? I have read on another D site about this happening and Dexcom did an FDA Medwatch Form 3500A (Medical Device Reporting) under 21 CFR 803. The patient’s insurance in concert with Dexcom declined to cover any expenses because the patient failed to use the device according to instructions. Everything I read on the Dexcom instructions point to abdominal site insertion.
Heads up on this one, you may have opened Pandora’s Box. Hope this turns out well.
As far as loosing a Dexcom wire, I have always been told to keep a water proof Sharpie close. If the wire is lost, mark the ‘hole’ so medical professionals can know where to start to look.
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I have zero body fat lol I’m 6’4 and 130lbs the back of my arm has more fat then my abdomen insertion in the abdomen is for me painful big chances of hitting a muscle or when I bend it gets in the way of my abs that causing it to fold the tissue around the sensor.
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@Jay6 I don’t think that it matters where I insert in the body. I think if it comes to court the judge would say the same, if a sensor wire breaks loose from the sensor no matter where it’s not good. Period.
If it happens in the arm, abdomen or your forehead should not matter. The dexcom is FDA approved for the buttocks and abdomen because they didn’t had enough time to get approval for other sides arm for me is more steady better numbers and less painful than the abdominal areas
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@Robr Thanks for the reply. I agree about the judicial system may do anything and hopefully decide in the patient’s favor. I have not seen any clinical trials for arms and Dexcom. You and I may need to look again at clinicaltrials dot gov or the NIH clinical site.
Keep this community informed about your journey down this scary road. We all can learn from your journey. Thanks.
Now for a funny. CGMs do best in fat. Some people are described as fatheads. Therefore, they are the ones able to wear a CGM in their forehead. <<<>>>
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@mohe0001 in my daughter’s case, I don’t think so. At the time, I had been concerned with her rapid weight gain (about 40 lbs) for almost a year. Her endo & CDEs basically wrote me off as overly concerned. I had every reason to be concerned. She had PCOS. I don’t remember anyone having a sensor wire break when using only on the abdomen, so I do think the risk might have been higher with arm placement. That said, I knew of several kids who used only thighs & never had any issues.
As I said before, I believe the way she was removing sensors added to whatever flaws were in the wire itself. The sensor inserts at angle. If you remove at the same angle, there’s no stress on the wire.
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Never remove the xmitter prior to removing a sensor. Notice when the xmitter is not installed and the contact flap moves to an upright position, the wire can slide out with very little resistance, from it’s attachment point.
I have heard of this happening but not read about it until this posting. I find the Dexcom quality problem on a device like this to be egregious. Not only should the FDA be made aware. Dexcom like many medical device corporations has a particularly opaque website regarding contacting their senior management or their investor relations people. So this is a shame. And of late, big corporations practically own the FDA and former corp execs now have inside positions with the FDA to “advise” the government agency about avoiding action in the areas of patient protection. Dexcom has just announced a joint venture with Insulet Corp and this corporation does have available contact information for investor relations and might be interested in Dexcom’s issues…Here is the Insulet Corp information:
IR AND MEDIA CONTACT:
Deborah R. Gordon, C.P.A.
Vice President,
Investor Relations and Corporate Communications
978.600.7717
dgordon@insulet.com
ir@insulet.com
Michael True
Senior Manager,
Investor Relations
978.600.7226
mtrue@insulet.com
Insulet Corporation
100 Nagog Park
Acton, MA 01720
@Mila thank you!
@Dave44 we’ve never removed a sensor without the transmitter still attached. The problem was she pulled the sensor from the wrong side, which caused stress on the wire. If it’s enough stress to cause the wire to bend, it’s enough to break it. She hasn’t had any issues the last 8 or so years.
That is wise that u don’t remove the sensor first. Of course, the G6 is less likely to be removed w/o a xmitter, given that one must undo the clips first.
@tiaE the wire was completely dislodged and missing from the sensor. I think it wasn’t correctly attached to the sensor base. It looks to me and the X-rays I’ve seen that it while inserting the needle shot the full wire in including the base of the wire. Leaving it about 1/4 inch under the skin. My problem now is that the wire has migrated to the other side of my arm! What if this happens in your abdomen it’s a pretty straight line to the heart lungs and or brain.
@mohe0001 no I think it’s just a faulty sensor and it has nothing to do with bidyfat. Of course the sensor works only in a fatty area and for me that’s not on my stomach lol 
Just so people don’t miss this: the article though informative is from 2011.
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Thank you for clarifying. Yes, as I mentioned in my first comment, the Dexcom 7+ was fairly well known for broken wires. My daughter’s issues were in 2010.
The very first thing I do when removing a sensor is check for the wire.
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Same here. I always check.
suggest you send Dexcom a formal letter demanding reimbursement and that they file a formal report with the FDA. A migrating wire is scary. Also, here is FDA site to directly report an issue. This one is very serious.
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Hey all, first of all I hope you all stay safe!
So update on my wire!.
2 weeks ago they took me in for surgery and they used me under with full anesthesia. They managed to find and removed the wire. They stitched me back up and it healed great. So I’m happy it’s out
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