I get confused when I read about people taping over their sensors. I´m new to this whole thing and in my Dexcom G4 user guide it says the following:
"If you use tape, only tape over the white adhesive patch on all sides for even support. Do not tape over the transmitter or any of the plastic
parts of the sensor pod."
Does pepole still tape over the whole thing?
And if so,- does it still work properly?
I use a 4x4 Bandage either McKesson or Tegaderm to cover the inserted device and the Transmitter.
My favorite is the Tegaderm Transparent film dressings designed for protecting skin and wound sites.
They are water resistant and therefore I can go swimming (with pump removed) or take a shower without fear of loosing the sensor.
To cover the transmitter with a water resistant Tegaderm was a really good idea when you go swimming. Thanks for the advice.
Stil I´m confused about covering the sensor because the user guide clearly says not to. It advices you just to secure the white adhesive patch on all sides for even support. I worry that covering the whole thing will reduce accuracy. Dexcom have put this in the user guide for a reason.
We don't tape over the entire sensor either. Use the tape at about 8 days into it, just to keep the curled up edges down. It buys my son another 6 days or so. Thought once about taping over it when he went swimming in the ocean last summer, but I was too scared he'd still loose the transmitter, so we took it out and I thought we could reinsert it, but the nodes in the sensor had been washed away.
I am running Medtronics not Dexcom and never go beyond 7 days
Did you work this out already?
I use the DexG4 and tape over the whole giant thing once my tape edges start peeling up or if I anticipate lots of wet (swimming) or sweat (long bike rides in hot weather). I either use standard athletic tape or IV3000. Its also way easier to put a big (4x4 or so) patch of tape over the whole thing than to try to just tape the white tape part.
I usually stick the sensor on the back of my arm, so taping is less onerous than on my belly (in my opinion) but if I do a sloppy job and get one side of the tape but not the other, it has a tendency to pull itself to the taped side. Thats the only reason I can imagine they tell you not to tape it, but in my experience (which also includes 4 years with the Minimed CGM), tape is more helpful than hurtful and doesn't even slightly get in the way of the CGMs accuracy or performance.
It might eb wroth calling and finding out why they say not to tape it just so you know, but as a CGMer I'm going to continue to tape away regardless of what reasoning they have!