We might need one. 
Iām thinking this is probably the last day Iāll keep this one in because Iām beginning to feel the first hints of irritation today. Itās Day 22, btw. I know Iām pushing it, so donāt scold me, 
but honestly, if Iād had any inclination that it was getting infected or causing other problems, Iād take it out. I am really amazed that itās reading so accurately. The farthest itās been off is 10 points since Iāve gone past Day 7 and that was only once. Otherwise, it is often just 1-3 points different than a fingerstick.
How long have you guys kept a sensor in??
Now, if we could just get the transmitters to last longerā¦ 
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Hey - day 22 is great! My ārecordā for a sensor is 31 days, but that one started to get quite irritated. My current sensor is on Day 19. Considered changing it today, but, like yours, itās worknig and comfortableā¦
I generally donāt like to replace sensors that are working and comfortable ā Iāve had too many fails when I change them! Problem for me is that I also have certain days when I feel the need to rely more heavily on the CCGM (like weekends and holidays), so I donāt like to insert a new one that will be going thru its 12-24hour less-accurate stages on those days. That means that waiting until a sensor actually starts to fail is a sorta dice-roll ā and I donāt do well with games of chance! 
So, I do my changes mid-week, most of the time.
As I said, my current sensor is on day 19. Itās had a āhard lifeā ā¦ Last one fell off on a Saturday morning, due to the heat and my efficient sweatingā¦ Then, I had a transmitter battery die two days laterā¦ On top of that, I started a new receiver the following week. Fun?
Soā¦ considering starting a new sensor tonight, but may yet wait another dayā¦ hm.
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So you win the Old Timerās trophy with 31 days!! 
Wow! I agree that itās hard to always get the timing of changing sensors just right. I also hate the idea of tossing something that is working just fine (thatās where I get my torn feelings about glucagon, too! 
Posted about that here>> frankly friday: to glucagon or not (it shouldnāt be a question)
Anyhow, thanks so much for sharing your experience with pushing the sensor-life envelope! I donāt feel like such a bad girl now. LOL! 
Scold you? No chance. We routinely wring every last drop of CGM magic out of my daughterās Dexcom sensors. They are the Energizer Bunnies of the D world!
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No way I would scold you. I pay out of pocket so I get all the days I can out of a sensor. Unfortunately, my ārecordā is only 17 days. I just canāt seem to get the days that some people can.
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It really seems to be an area where YMMV ā everyoneās physiology reacts differently to the presence of the sensor under the skin. Some For some people, the sensor is mostly ignored for extended periods, for others, itās āviewedā as an invader and eventually the immune system goes after it. For me, the biggest issue is how it stays attached - the tape from the sensor and any other tape that I put over it to keep it in place. I tend to be sensitive to adhesives, so most of the time irritation from the tape is what prompts me to change sites. The only times Iāve gotten irritation from the sensor itself is when it got bumped badly, or the tape loosened enough that it partially dislodges and presses back in - ouch! Otherwise, I get extremely reliable results for at least 21 days ā after that, reliability differs from sensor to sensor and site to site - for me.
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My record, which I achieved two sensors ago, was 46 days. It was on my arm, and the price I paid was an incredibly itchy rash and areas where skin was so irritated it bled that lasted about a week after the sensor was removed. Well worth it, though. I pay out of pocket for everything, so every extra day I can squeeze out of a sensor is about $12 saved (the price of an individual sensor divided by seven). Iām willing to put up with a lotāpain, itching, inaccuracyābefore removing a sensor. About the only things that will cause me to remove it is if it actually dies (???, āSensor Failedā, or inaccurate readings for more than 24 hours), and even when those happen, Iāll usually try to restart twice to make absolutely sure itās dead before changing (Iāve had times before where I thought a sensor was dead but restarted and had it work beautifully for another week).
Jen, thriftiness has always been a trait that I admire.
Iād wager a guess on the fact that you probably eat your leftovers before they become āscience experiments in Tupperware containers.ā Am I right? 
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Unfortunately, no, mostly because Iām not organized enough to pre-plan what Iāll eat each day, and often forget I have something way in the back of the fridgeā¦ Something Iām striving to achieve, though!
Wow. 46 days! Iāve not had one Iāve wanted to push that longā¦ Though, to be honest, I extend sensor life for convenience, not thriftiness. I suppose itās one of those āthingsā Diabetes is an inconvenient-enough condition, I may as well make it less-so whenever I can.
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Are you paying for your own Dexcom? If I wasnāt paying for Dexcom supplies myself, or if I had greater income, Iād probably follow your philosophy (I do for infusion sets, which are covered 100%).
Sorry, I thought Iād mentioned that my insurance pays - though with a copay. I suppose I could save some money and stop shipments for a while, but Iām always afraid of the next fight with the insurer, so I donāt - and pay more copaysā¦ Still, I fully understand how tough it is to pay completely out of pocket. Ironically, I also sometimes push infusion sets just a bit longer than I should ā No 100% coverage for me, there, either, but I do get 20 sets/month, per my docās script ā still, if itās working and comfortable, I get lazy sometimesā¦
If I changed everything as much as ārecommendedā (new sensor every week, new transmitter every six months, new receiver every year) Iād be spending about $6,700/year on the Dexcom. By pushing everything as far as itāll go, I pay around $2,500/year. Itās still a lot of money, especially when added to other health costs and costs of assistive technology, but hopefully itās something Iāll be able to afford until they come up with something better.
Iām still new to this whole Dexcom thing, I only started in June. And I am fortunate to have good insurance, I only have a 10% copay and a $2K out of pocket max. But I am intrigued by the sensors lasting longer, my current sensor has been in 22 days. What concerns me is knowing when it fails. Sure, I know the stuff the manuals says about displays that suggest sensor failure, but are there other indications like flat lines, major errors at calibration or just wacko readings?
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I guess I spoke too soon. I began to get the dreaded ??? on my receiver and it wouldnāt clear, so I took the sensor out. sigh
Brian_BSC, I just watched for accuracy and comfort, mainly. If the readings were good and the sensor felt good, I was okay with keeping it in. Once it started giving me bad readings (or none at all, in this case) I figured there wasnāt a whole lot of use keeping it in there.
I am going to see if I can order some more sensors today (still waiting on that check!) since my husband is leaving town for the weekend and is now hooked on having my info through his Share app. If it gives him peace of mind, itās all good.
I will definitely be wearing the sensors until they poop out on me.
Someone also mentioned pushing the envelope with their pump sites? ahem Um, I guess I do this as well.
First of all, I am going to get every drop of insulin out of the thing. Secondly, I push the time-in of my sites almost unintentionally. When I got this pump, for whatever reason, I either didnāt put my preference in the form or they didnāt ask me, idk, but I ended up getting the larger reservoir pump instead of the smaller like Iād previously had.
When I filled it for the first time, I just filled the thing almost all the way, out of habit. That was quite a bit more insulin than I needed in three days, so I just wore it til it was out, which amounts to almost 5 days (sometimes 6). Iām sure my endo can see this when he downloads my pump info, but heās never mentioned it and I never think to say anything eitherā¦not that thereās ever been anything to say about it. Iāve never had any sort of ill effect.
So there. Iāve confessed about the pump thing, too.
I hafta say, I donāt FEEL any lighter. LOL!
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Heh. Iām an Asante Snap āorphanā - my first pump - so I learned so habits that, pehaps make me a "bad pumper in Animasā eyes. I, too, want to use as much of the insulin as I can, so for one, I donāt always change the reservoir when i change sets - in fact, I usually refill it at least once. I know plastic cartridges could cause the insulin to degrade, but, so far, I have seen no such issue. I also examine the tubing each time - and if I see no issues, I reuse that when I changes sites, too and save on the priming insulin. I also overfill the cartridges just a tad (10-15u), which forces insulin through the tubing when the cartridge loads, effectively auto-priming it. (Note - I push insulin into the cartridge from pens, rather than draw it from a vial, so this is easier.)
None of that was what Iād meant by āpushing the envelopeā ā by that, Iād simply meant leaving comfortable sites in a bit longer than the 3 days - if there are no issues. I make up for that, I suppose with ones like the current one that is GOING TO GO tomorrow, on Day 2 
For me, aside from straight out ??? or āSensor Failedā or wildly inaccurate readings, one big sign that my sensor is about to fail soon are āwavyā lines, lines that go up and down constantly (but slightly) even when my blood sugar is straight. The other thing is persistently low readings even when calibrating multiple times to try and get readings back into range.
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Thatās a key indicator for me, too!
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While Iām all for getting every minute possible out of Dexcom sensors, sites are a different matter. Even if it appears that leaving sites in for 5 days is doing no damage, I wouldnāt risk developing lipoatrophy/lipodystrophy. The following made a huge impression on me, and I never let my daughterās sites go beyond 3 days:
http://sixuntilme.com/wp/page/2/?s=GlucoLift
Go to the second entry on the page entitled āGuest Post: The One Diabetes Rule I Always Follow.ā
Btw, I know and pay attention to that. By āover 3 days,ā my limit is usually 3.5 (except for once, when circumstances made 4 my best option). Until recently, it wasnāt even a consideration for me at all - my sites would become irritated after just 2 days, 2.5 the most - but with my changes this summer, Iām using so much less insulin that the difference is noticeable even at the site level! Three days is effortless and comfortable now.
(Note, I was using Novolog until a couple weeks ago to finish off my supply, and I do notice marginally more irritation with Apidra than I ever felt using Novologā¦ And, considering that we only feel āirritationā for good reasons, I may have to consider making the switch again sometime down the road.)