I just got my CGM and its working great. My first time to put it on myself and I have major bruising!! What did I do wrong? HELP, any suggestions or hints would be greatly appreciated!!
Welcome to CGM world. Mine has made a huge difference in my life, Congratulations!
Unfortunately, bruising is a fact of life for me and my CGM. Generally, I have no problems. Sometimes the sensor goes in just fine, and hour later I have a bruise the size of my palm. I had a major one about 5-6 weeks ago and it has finally dissipated. I have also had faulty (MY fault) sensor inputs which have left massive bruises.
I hate it, but I love the CGM, so it is a trade off.
Which CGM, Jenny? I have the dexcom and haven’t had any issues with bruising, but it probably depends on some different factors, i.e., location, prep, etc. When I used The Harpoon (Medtronic) I would always have bleeding and tenderness at the site, but never major bruising. I hope this gets better for you…I couldn’t live without my cgm…love it!
I really love it, I am thinking the bruising is something with the way I did the insertion.
I needed better control and feel like this is definitely the answer!
Thanks! yes definitely could be the location and the angle of insertion. This was my first time doing alone without my trainer. Hopefully next time, Im better at it. I am hoping for a huge difference in my A1C because over the past 2 years, it continues to rise. Time to get tighter control and I think the CGM will help
Jenny, unless you did something really wrong at insertion (in which case the new sensor would probably fail) it is most likely the location. I even get bruised around the transmitter, depending on the location and how I lay on it.
Shelby is correct, though. I am assuming yours is a Medtronic, which is what I use. I saw the greatest name for the insertion needle on this sight--ten penny nail---but I sure like The Harpoon!
Hi Jenny this is trial and error.
Sometimes you fire it in and get no bleeding other times you do. Its all about knowing where capillaries are under your skin to avoid them when the sensor needle enters.
I have found aiming for the sides of your abdomen in the fatest place you can find away from the most sensitive area works best. I have used these for 6 years and still sometimes get a small bleed/bruise; once a month or so.
Treat the area when the sensor is in a different location with Vitamin E oil and your skin will bounce back. However, its a never ending issue of chasing the sites to make sure you do not get nasty skin marks.
I insert them manually and I do not get bruises. I just transitioned from the sofsensors to the enlite. The enlite sensors are extra easy to insert manually. You just push them in straight. I find the spring loader devices use too much pressure and sharp movement.
I insert my insulin sets manually too.