Dexcom thigh placement

Where are you guys placing your dexcoms? For the people that put there dexcom on there thighs. Are you placing it horizontal or vertical?

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I place mine on my inner thigh, vertically. It works very well for me in that spot.

I’ve been using a Dexcom for a year and four months. Since I pay for sensors, I was scared to use them anywhere other than my stomach, for fear that they’d get pulled out. However, this most recent sensor I got brave and put it vertically on my arm. Best move I ever made. Usually sensors last me about three weeks. This arm sensor is on day 41 and still going strong—no dropouts and minimal weird data—although my skin is reacting horribly to the tape (which I keep changing), very itchy and sore, and I’m sure I’ll rip my skin off when I remove the sensor. :worried: I’m debating trying my leg for my next sensor, but am hesitating because my thigh does not like infusion sets and tends to make them fail within a day.

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Awesome!! :smile_cat:

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Vertically? Is the small part of sensor going down or up? How far down on your thigh?

Small part down. I move it up and down my inner thigh around halfway between my knee and groin

If it’s any sort of flexible/breathable tape, try soaking it thoroughly with unisolve, or baby oil before trying to rip it off. Or if you’re patient, go for an edge that’s lifting and work it up with a cotton ball that’s soaked in baby oil if the skin doesn’t seem too raw.

Judging by how much itches constantly and hurts when I change tape and the bits of irritated skin peeking out from the edges, I think it’s pretty raw under there! I do have adhesive remover stuff, though, so I’ll definitely be using that. Hopefully it doesn’t sting. :slight_smile:

Do you have any issues with rubbing or getting it caught on clothing?

I placed it on my outside thigh yesterday. It was working OK for the initial 12hrs but has gone wacko after I almost ripped it off a couple of times. I kept forgetting it was there.

No but u tend to learn to work around your chosen placment site. I bump this far less often than other areas

My favorite spot for sensors is my arm. I tried my thigh once with terrible results. Shouldn’t be surprised because I don’t do well with infusion sets in my thigh either. You may have better luck.

Vertically on the arms only. Do not use arms at all for pump and reserve the arms for Dexcom use only.

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Awesome! 41 days. My record is 29 days on the back of my upper arm (tricep area).

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My previous record was 32 days, and the next-previous record was 26 days. So I’m quite impressed!

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I have used thigh sites with some success, but there is one thing you need to be careful about. If you wear athletic clothes a lot, most are made from synthetic fabrics and that can cause static problems with the transmitter. Also pockets made from synthetic fabrics can do the same thing if they touch the sensor site. I will provide a link to a blogpost I wrote about my experience with this. Mind you, my biggest problems were during a very dry winter in Arizona, but I know of a cyclist in Newfoundland who has also had static problems with athletic gear and his Dexcom.

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Can wearing compression shorts cause this issue?

So I’ve found with both infusion sets and CGM sensors that after the first couple of times with a new location my body-image kind of incorporates the thing and I stop having so much trouble with it–your body “knows” it’s there even if your forebrain doesn’t and you start to instinctively adapt to avoiding it around door jambs or when you’re removing clothing. Though it breaks down for me when I try to put an infusion set on my upper arm–with a tubed system (Medtronic) it’s just too damn awkward.

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I am a stomach only person. I am very lean and have tried both the arms and thighs and only have gotten about a day out of them before it sticks the muscle and hurts so much I have to remove it. I would love to place it in other areas but nothing has worked for me.,If anyone has any ideas I would love to hear them

At a guess I would think not–static requires friction, so the issue would be caused by looser artificial fabric continually brushing across the insertion site. But trial and error is the only way to be certain.