Hello , I am 15 years old and my dexcom is bland new its the g4 platinum and when I take a shower no matter how old the site, it’ll cut out for about an hour and its starting to freak me out a bit bc my blood sugars are going high rn , any advice would be helpful , thank you
Hi. It may be that water is getting trapped bt the sensor and the transmitter and you are missing readings until it dries out. Have you tried to remove the transmitter (without removing the sensor from your body of course) drying it off and putting it back in the sensor?
I have not , it literally JUST cae back on, next time I shower I’ll try that. Thank you so much
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Good luck! I hope it’s as simple as that!
My only experience of the Dexcom is by reading what other people say about it … in other words I have no personal experience.
I remember reading a post from someone who had problems which apparently arose because the transmitter was not properly seated in the sensor. I may be remembering this wrong but I think at the time folks said there were supposed to be “two clicks” when the transmitter was attached. Apparently this person was only engaging the retainer on one side of the transmitter not both sides.
If the transmitter is not seated properly then water can get in between the transmitter and the sensor connectors and cause things to be wonky.
Probably not relevant, but figured it wouldn’t hurt to mention.
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If you take showers in a room where steam accumulates, I suggest leaving the receiver in the next closest room. I leave mine on the bed and am about 10 ft away in bathroom for shower and it still reads fine during shower. Mine actually reads much further away than that, however.
In addition to what Irrational John said about proper seating, I place mine vertical on my arm always with the end up that you insert the edge into the holder. The end where the two clicks occur are downward and that end is the most likely end to get water in it, from what I have read.
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I usually have to calibrate after a shower but have not had it cut out on me. I just assume it is damp.
I’ve never had that problem, I usually have mine on my upper arm, vertically also but with the end where the two clicks occur on the top.
this happens to me as well. since, though, i have been using the Tegaderm adhesive, i have not experienced the problem. i am keeping my fingers crossed because i don’t want to “jinx” myself.
but every time i showered, took a bath, or went swimming, i would get the ??? for about an hour. then my sensor would just not work anymore.
the minute this happens, i call Dex Tech Support and they replace the sensor free of charge. they stand 100% by their product no matter what happens.
sorry for your problem. the only other thing i can suggest is to take your showers based on when you are changing your sensor (which i know sounds kind of gross b/c that would be only 1 shower a week).
good luck to you and all others who have this pest problem.
Thank you , I’m relatively new to the dexcom myself and I cant remember if there was two or not, thank you
They just told me to use a blow dryer on it ???
I use extra tape around my sensors (I use Opsite Flexfix). I try and examine the tape before taking a shower to look for any parts that are lifting along the edges, so that I can ‘repair’ (retape) the area before the shower to avoid problems. I’ve also gotten in the habit of keeping the water a bit less hot than I used to use- hot water seems to have a much more significant impact on the tape and sensor.
glad you posted this. i called dexcom before i went on a vacation and asked about going into a hot tub. they told me that it was fine but only for a limited amount of time. as soon as i got out of the hot tub, my sensor failed. no problem w/ the swimming pool though. i will keep this in mind for next time i take a shower, b/c i do like mine very hot.
A few times son has experienced the sensor going to ??? after a shower. At first we didn’t know what was happening but it turned out to be water caught between the transmitter and the part that attaches to his body. I just snapped the transmitter dried everything off and then snapped it back in without untaping anything.
Did that clear the ??? then? This happens regularly to me and Dexcom told me that this was to be expected! They didn’t mention that all I needed to do was too dry it off. I’ll try this next time! Thanks!
Yes. About a half hour after being dried off the sensor would be perfect again.
Definitely check to make sure the transmitter is “clicked in” properly to the sensor. Personally, I’ve never experienced this and I’ve worn the sensor in the shower, pool, ocean and even a hot tub and never had an issue. Good luck and hope you get it worked out.