I understand sensors will last more than 7days, how can I get mine to last longer? Please help!
When your Dex says "Change sensor soon" (or something like that)....DON'T DO IT! Instead, activate the "Stop sensor" option, and once that is completed....activate "Start sensor". The old sensor will then begin just like it is a new sensor. Most of my sensors have lasted 12-15 days. I stop and change sensors if my numbers have become way out of line and they keep on giving me lousy results. That has happened for me at about 12 days, and other times at 14 or 15 days.
Yup, what Richard said.
Or just wait until the Dex says change sensor now. The "start new sensor" is available again, just click and go. I will also get a good 2 weeks with pretty stable readings, by the 3rd week (second restart) I tend to not catch highs and the numbers change slower (i.e. finger stick may be 70 but sensor still reads 120 and is slowly trending down.) You just need to find your own pattern of "sensor decline" as I tend to baby mine along for as long as I can!
hi i dont have a dexcom yet as sensors are to expensive but am getting one now after someone telling me they use tac wipe to take the moisture out to keep it dry an keep the adhesive paper stick for longer the person told me they can get 14 days out of it hope this helps i cant wait to get mine as i have lost hypo awareness any tips on getting it back would greatly appreciated ive been type 1 24 years
I know I'm a little late to the game here but I'm hoping you all see this (or at least someone who can give me some insight). I had the Dexcom 7 and upgraded to the G4 Platinum last spring. With the 7 sensors I could get 3 weeks out of them, easy, assuming I could keep it stuck to me ;). Now with the G4 every time I restart it I'll get errors left and right. It could give me ??? before I even enter the calibration numbers. If I get past that point then it might only register for about an hour and then give me ???. If I'm lucky enough to get a few extra days out of it the numbers are usually off and I will get the ??? after 2 or 3 days. The difference between the first week and the restart is stark and more than noticeable. I can have a great first week with perfect accuracy and then I restart it and it WILL NOT WORK. I'm wondering if this is only me or if others are having this issue as well. I recently moved from NY to FL and as such lost my insurance. My stockpile is now dwindling and I'm down to the sensor I have on right now (trying to restart it today) and 3 left in the cupboard. I need them to last as long as possible but at this point it seems hopeless. Not sure what I'll do without my sensors...
I was just wondering how you keep your Dexcom stuck to you for that long. My daughter is nine and within the week it is practically falling off of her. Thanks.
From what I have read people use things like opsite flexifix by smith&nephew.
I bought a 4 in by 11 yard roll from amazon for about $20 to $22. They also claim 1 roll lasts about a year. My sensor made it 5 days before starting to roll undone so I applied the tape with out covering the transmitter and sensors as recommended by dexcom. I’m on day 7 now and still looks good.
I also use skin tac - I use the skin tac pads and “soak” the outside of the tape after I have inserted the Dexcom sensor. I believe you can also purchase skin tac in liquid form. I have also used mastisol liquid adhesive and soaked the edges of the tape after insertion. A q-tip works well for the mastisol. If you are really talented at inserting you can paint the skin prior to insertion with either adhesive, however, you must leave a unpainted “hole” where the sensor needle will pierce the skin as both the skin tac and mastisol will make the sensor unable to work properly if you insert through the adhesive. I also find it seems to help after showering or heavy exercise (I.e.sweating) to use a low heat blow dryer to help dry the tape. Only 20 to 30 seconds is all but I get more than 2 weeks with no trouble keeping the sensor adhered. Good luck!
Wow, how I wish just skin tac would work for me, lol. I use that for my infusions but still only get 6 days with skin tac. I also prefer to soak the pad and not take a chance of getting any on the sensor. But I guess it depends on everyone’s skin being a little different. I like the idea of the blow dryer, I may have to buy a cheat little one. Currently I just pat it down after the shower if I don’t have the opti tape one.
I also wanted to mention that the trainer gave me a few tips like swabbing with the alcohol pad, letting dry and swab one more time and let dry. She also said you can use a quartermaster putting the sensor on, take the quarter and from the base of the sensors apply pressure and slide the quarter to the outside of the adhesive. Do this one section at a time moving the quarter around the pad until you meet get to the point you started.
I usually do this in a plus shape then the X shape for 8 swipes.
This is what I use now for my Dexcom G4:
Clean area with alcohol wipes to get rid of dirt etc.
then:
Liquid SkinTac + Hypafix Tape that I cut out like this:
both super cheap (I used to use skin tac wipes, until someone told me
about the liquid... way less messy and WAY cheaper: I got it for $12.92 with shipping:
http://search.americandiabeteswholesale.com/search?keywords=50000MS407)
All this gets them to hold for at least 3 weeks each time, over 4 weeks most of the time! (by replacing the Hypafix after 2 weeks)
Then I use UniSolve Wipes to remove it (which I also use to remove my
Mio insertions sites) so it doesn't get all red and irritated.
Although my insurance was covering my UniSolve Wipes before, but shouldn't have... so now I have to find a
cheap place for them!
(Like the Hypafix that I found it on amazon for $15: http://tinyurl.com/cq953bt )
Does anyone have a cheap place for UniSolve Wipes?
Does this happen to you with the current sensor you are trying to restart, or has this happened every single time you try to restart with different G4 sensors?
I have never come across this issue (unless I'm on week 3 or 4 of the same sensor). On the contrary, my G4 gets more accurate in the second and third week!
Probably not related, but just in case: how often do you calibrate your G4?
I know i have only had mine 3 weeks but i get the same results you do. I was hoping to get them to last at least 2 weeks but the amount of errors i get after restarting i just end up changing the sensor. I wonder if the software version is different on mine compared to people that get good results for 2 or three weeks. Just a thought since mine is new. Wondering if they changed something in the software to detect this. After all im sure dexcom would look at using the sensors longer as a loss of income. My receiver details are:
Software # SW10050
Software Rev 2.0.1.158
I have the same software number, but revision number: 2.0.1.104
My receiver just past its one-year warranty, so I am ordering a new receiver (if my insurance lets me).
I hope that will not be the case, but it wouldn't surprise me!
Maybe you could start a thread asking if anyone that switched receivers recently has noticed this. I know I am not the only one hitting the G4's one-year mark:
http://www.tudiabetes.org/group/dexcomusers/forum/topics/dex-receiver-transmitter-failure-looking-for-advice