I see a lot of posts with folks pushing their Dexcom sensor a long time. I am new to Dexcom and just had one last 13 days. Then it quit at a most inconvenient time. Does anyone time their changes to be convenient? And does anyone change it at 7 days regularly?
I pay for my Dexcom myself, so I push sensors as long as theyāll last. You can renew a sensor at any time, even mid-way through a seven-day period. So if youāre worried it may die soon, you can renew it earlier at a time thatās convenient for you.
I have pretty good insurance coverage, so I change my sensor every Saturday ( just picked a convenient day). In the past Iāve used sensors for two to three weeks. When I first started with Dexcom I regularly used the STS 3 sensor for 10-14 days.
Iāve been using Dexcom for a while, and find that you get better at predicting how well the sensor is performing. For example, after 10-12 days, it may be just fine, or I may start to see ājitteryā lines. That sometimes means it will completely stop working soon, but in some cases it bounces back and is accurate for another week.
When it quits, meaning goes to ???, usually around 10-12 days, some times if I wait a few hours, it comes back and works fine for another week, sometimes stays at ??? for several hours and I change it.
When I know there is an āinconvenientā time where it will be due for a change/restart, as Jen says, you can do the restart sooner, using End sensor, rather than wait for it to time out at the 7 day mark.
Nope, self funding, so I change every 2 weeks. I wish I could afford a change every 7 days as my skin would appreciate it.
Iām paying for my Dexcom out of pocket and I still change every 7 days, unless Iām on a trip. I am able to go longer, but it was causing scarring which was immediately apparent. On the bright side, I buy enough sensors that I get my transmitters for free.
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I only change my Dexcom site when it is falling off or when the sensor readings start to fail. 9 times out of 10, the Dexcom starts falling off before the readings start to fail. Right now I am at 23 days with the same spot. Using Leukotape P is a really great product for keeping the sensor attached for long periods of time, in all conditions. I bought mine on Amazon, I discovered it from reading an article by a guy with a Dexcom who tested different adhesive tapes to see which one was best for keeping his sensor attached the longest. Leukotape P was one of the best and I can confirm that it is the real deal. My wife is a nurse and she was impressed by the adhesiveness and durability of the product. Hope this helps, good luck 
I did push it past the 7 days and usually got 10 days before things went sideways. And donāt get mad but I am part of a clinical trail and have a stockpile of them so I currently change every 7 days as they will expire.
Iāve had pretty good luck getting 2 weeks per sensor on Dexcom G5. Every now and then I can exceed 2 weeks but so far only when well taped on belly. That said, I have some activities where I want the Dex to be as accurate as possible. Iāll time a new sensor for 36+ hours before I need the good reliability, even if that means giving up on a sensor on day 11 or 12 sometimes. That gives me the first 24 hours to break in the new sensor plus a 12 hour cushion.
I self pay so I make them last as long as I can. If I am afraid it will fail at an inconvenient time, I change it sooner. I donāt often get more than two weeks but I can get that fairly consistently.
We use them for at least 14 days. We shoot for 14, and have only had one last less than than. We try and change it at a convenient time following the 14th day. Average is probably 16 days. Unlike some others, our insurance is good, so it is not a monetary decision (7 vs 14), but rather a convenience factor. Only having to change every two weeks is easier than every week.
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My dexcom is totally out of pocket, complicated as I have to travel to get my supplies (no dexcom here) Ive worn the same one for 34 days without any issue.
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At this point, for me, itās also a convenience factor to wait longer than 7 days ā i usually go three weeks ā though, thereās a little āfear factorā (what if my insurance stops approving my orders?) mixed in. I like to change mid-week, because the first 12-24 hours or variability causes me more issues on weekends than weekdays. The current one is into its second week, but I will probably change at the end of its week, because it was following one that lasted less than a week on the same side of my body (I like to switch from side-to-side every 3 weeks).
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I donāt know what my problem is, but I canāt get them to give good readings for just the 7 days, I might be able to get a couple extra days out of some sensors, but for the most part, they start giving me multiple periods of ???'s or wildly incorrect or jittery lines between 5-7 days. Luckily insurance pays for mine, so I donāt have to stretch them, but it would be nice.
I have fairly decent health insurance as well.
I have been changing my sensors every 7 days, but I have found that a lot of weeks, I will get a failure after 3 or 4 days, and as the company is still willing to send out a replacement when you call them, I can live with this.
As to extending the usage life, I guess Iām happy with a 7 day usage (the recommended one), and change every Sunday morning, as Iām usually home on Sunday mornings.
Arnold
I also self-pay because I am on Medicare so I change my Sensor when it quits or at 2 weeks, whichever comes first. Always try to restart it if it fails and replace it when it fails the second time. Medicare just announced in February that they now cover CGM but I think I will still follow the same pattern and not waste good sensors and good, working locations.
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I have great insurance at the moment (no out-of-pocket expenses) and was changing every 7 days because I didnāt know any better. After reading tips on how to extend the life on these forums, I started doing so, and have gotten to a place where I can make it stick on my skin for about three weeks (I add the extra layer of adhesive after the first week). I change it once I start getting the missed signals for no good reasons, which starts happening for longer stretches towards the end of three weeks.
Despite the great insurance coverage, I do this for two reasons: convenience but also because Iām thinking of changing jobs and if itās for the job/company I want, I already know that the insurance will not be as good, so having a stockpile of these pricy supplies may come in handy.
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I change mine every 14 days - either on a Sunday evening or Monday morning.
I get about two weeks out of mine. I change when I start getting data I donāt trust.
I change when the readings are spotty and they vary quite a bit from my meter for hoursā¦ or if the ??? message just wonāt go away. I usually get between 14-20 days per sensor.