Just wondering if anyone has noticed decreased accuracy on the dexcom sensor based on placement? I'm trying my upper arm for the first time and sometimes the cgm is dead on and then another time it's way off. I have seen other people wearing theirs in their arms so just wondering what people were experiencing. Thanks
My upper arms are my most accurate location. There is a learning curve of inserting on the arms because it is a one-handed insertion unless you have someone who helps you with insertions.
My hips are the only place ive found to be inaccurate
Thanks Laddie...sounds like I may need to play with things a bit. BTW, we met at the Diabetes Uncon...nice to "see" you again. I need to get my profile pic loaded.
Thanks, I'll give that a try.
I find that the back of my arms and outer thighs are most accurate. I never get good results from the stomach and the insertion sites tend to get sore and don't stick as long. Back of the arm is my fave. It's not hard to do one handed just takes practice. Let us know if you try it and how it works for you.
back of upper arm exclusively.
I get insane, scary accuracy.
Sarah and Dave - Do you "pull up" on the skin away from your arm via the adhesive tape as you insert the needle? I don't feel like I have much cushion on the back of my arm and feel like the sensor gets inserted into muscle if I don't do the equivalent of pinching the site. My accuracy has been hit or miss on the back of my arms.
I tried all sorts of stuff like that early on, and had quite variable results.
What I do now is be very careful to hold the inserter/sensor so that it is absolutely flat on my skin, in front of a mirror, then carefully insert the needle/sensor. Once the plunger's all the way in, you can relax and be sloppier about holding position while you retract the hollow needle.
This is based on looking at the inserter assembly, noting the angle, and then just being really careful to make sure the needle/wire goes into the skin truly at that angle. If the actual angle of insertion is true to the mechanical angle of the sensor carrier with the inserter plunger, I have excellent results. If it gets too steep, often I'll feel the wire scratching my tricep, and have had to remove it once or twice because of this. Too shallow, I don't get good readings.
that basically describes what I do. Especially the making sure its flat part. I don't pinch up or anything. I would add that I make sure the needle is pointed toward the elbow, this doesn't affect accuracy but it make the one handed insertion easier because when you press in the side tabs, gravity will make the plunger fall out rather than having to use another hand to remove it. I try to go for that sweet spot toward the inside of my arm but not so far that it rubs against my side. There's a great video by DiabeticDanica on you tube. She's very slender with not a lot of extra fat on her arms, so that might be helpful to watch.
Thank you for both of your responses. I’ll give the back of my arms another go. I like the fact that that site eliminates the sleeping compression problem. I did have some good sessions on the back of my arm, just not consistent. My technique was not as careful as yours, Dave. Are you both getting 14 days with each sensor on the back of the arm?
Yes, I have never had a sensor last less than 14 days and I usually pull them because of adhesion issues not accuracy problems.
I don’t visit here very often but logged on specifically to find out if there’s any other places to put on my CGM besides my waist. Thanks, it’s really helpful to find out about the arms and upper thigh. I only started thinking about this last year when I went on vacation and was trying to learn to surf - I had a large bruise on my waist from lying flat on my belly on the board. Of course I left my receiver in a dry bag on the beach, and yes, the transmitter still worked fine after I was finished. So my kids were asking me why I always wear a poly shirt when I swam, and it’s because I felt self-conscious with my CGM visible. next time I will try it on my arm or upper thigh and see how that works. I was wondering if anyone put it right under their butt so it’s covered by your swim trunks?
Roger