Has anyone else had luck inserting the dex sensors with one fluid motion, gripping the collar and pressing the plunger down at the same time?
Seems since I restared with Dexcom CGM, after a couple three years without it, I had forgotten the approved method.
Funny thing is the sensors have all worked and the single squeeze method is virtually painless.
I don’t understand. First, you have to insert the needle along with the sensor, which means you can’t be pulling back on the collar. Perhaps you could explain how you can pull on the collar initially and obtain success.
I’m confused, too. No matter how you slice it, that’s at least two steps. You can insert and pull the collar right back up-- but that is two steps. I always do it very fast myself.
I make sure the adhesive is down and flat (and centered on my hydrocolloid bandage), then I insert and pull it right back up. Once I pull the collar back up, it’s a finesse operation to squeeze the sides of the sensor to remove the inserter: I have no desire to pull the sensor out in haste.
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I think if you do this you may risk some insertions where the sensor wire is not fully inserted under the skin, and you would get poor readings. However if your method allows the collar to remain in original position until plunger portion is fully in, or minimal movement of collar, your sensor wire is probably inserted ok.
But why take that chance ?
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I know what you mean and, while I don’t do that generally, I have done a sensor insertion that way several times by mistake. The great majority of the time, as you’ve experienced, it has been fine; however, I did have one where the sensor wire did not deploy under the skin at all. (Dexcom replaced it.) Personally , barely feel the insertion even when I follow the approved procedure - Dexcom sensor insertion is not particularly painful!
The inserter will not release the collar until both clicks have occurred, by default.
In not refreshing my memory when I restarted the Dex, I had forgotten the fingers above the collar step, then fingers below the collar to remove the needle.
So I had been grasping the collar driving the needle in, and pulling up the collar in one fluid motion.
I remembered after the third sensor, that all worked fine, that I was missing a step. I went back and reviewed the YouTube video, but I am not sure I will go back to the suggested method, until I have a problem with a sensor.