Hey everyone,
New to using the dexcom G4 (about a week). Does anyone have any great suggestions on tape to use to keep the sensor from not falling off within seven day? I’m looking for a tape that won’t hurt so much when it comes to taking the tape off.
Thanks in advance
I use opsite flexfix tap and also skintac before I even put the sensor on. My experience is that with a fair bit of hair on my body that the key to it not hurting is to do a good job of shaving.
Hypafix, Tegaderm or Grifgrips. Hypafix is a cloth like tape similar to the Dexcom sensor pad.
I use a combination of Skin Tac (on top of the Dexcom tape so it soaks through) and Hypafix tape when the Dexcom tape starts to peel (again with Skin Tac on top to soak through). I haven’t tried the Opsite tape people mention, but am going to order some to give it a try.
I use the IV-3000 individual sheets (2 3/8 x 2 1/4). I prefer this to the opsite flexifix roll, although can get more coverage with the roll, cut to size.
I also use skin-tac, in the bottle not wipes. I’m still using the same 4 oz bottle I bought 5 years ago, and still over half full.
If you want to avoid pain when removing the tape, use UniSolve (it comes in little single-use sachets) to dissolve the “sticky”. (Have some EtOH wipes on hand for clean-up after using UniSolve because it is oily as all get-out!)
Thanks everyone, I’m going to look into all of these options
Alcohol wipes to clean the skin, apply skin tac to the surface (the surface including the surface area for the tagaderm that will go on top), apply sensor/transmitter to skin (while skin tac is just barely still wet, but not too wet), apply tegaderm (with hole cut out for the transmitter/sensor) to skin over sensor/transmitter. This keeps my sons transmitter on for 2 weeks easy and at the end of the two weeks, it’s still so stuck that I have to use uni-solve to get the tape off his skin without ripping.
Just my own personal experience with Unisolve is that the wipes didn’t work…I had to go through 4 - 6 wipes PER change out for my son. The liquid; however, applied to a cotton ball works like a charm! But as with everything else YDMV!
De-solv-it works great on any type of adhesive. It’s much easier on sensitive skin than Unisolve (Unisolve leaves a burn-like rash on my daughter.) & considerably cheaper. We’ve just started our 3rd year using the same bottle. I picked up a travel sized spray bottle to fill for the pump pack. Cotton balls, gauze or make-up remover pads work well for applying.
What’s already been suggested here may be enough for your current purposes, but if you want the firehose of information from previous discussion on this topic, just search the forum on “skin-tac” or “opsite” and you’ll see LOTS more comments and experiences! Good luck and enjoy your CGM.
I ordered tegaderm patches (approx same size as sensor adhesive) on amazon years ago. I had asked a question on the listing and somebody told me they swear by putting tegaderm down right on skin and sensor and adhesive right on top and punching the sensor right through the tegaderm… they sweared it didn’t affect the sensor and that the adhesive on the dexcom lasted essentially forever bc it was adhered to clean tegaderm instead of oily sweaty skin… I had never tried this but thought it soun…
http://dextape.com/index.html?m
Can’t wait for ours to arrive!