this is a problem that i have experienced with my dexcom cgm. from time to time i have put my sensor into what feels like a perfectly good site. no real discomfort (maybe the first 10 minutes to an hour, but then the discomfort goes away). my calibrations are “right on the money”. when i do my finger stick before my meals, my cgm #s are totally accurate. but then, sometimes, i will get a feeling that i have hit something beneath the sensor and i experience temporary pain. i check my sensor #s against my finger stick, and i am still w/in range. after a few minutes, the pain dissipates and life goes on. however, sometimes after that, i experience the same feeling of pain. and then it goes away again. i am neither lying on it or pushing into it during these times so there is no undo pressure that could be causing this pain.
does this happen to anyone else, and, if it does, do you have any suggestions about it?
This happened to me the other day with a metal infusion set. It seemed fine, but then sometimes when I turned in certain ways it would send intense pain radiating out from the site. My best guess is that it must have been right next to a nerve or something. I don’t think hitting muscle would be possible in that spot (nor do I think muscle would hurt that intensely).
when this happens, do you remove the sensor and try again? i know that you pay out of pocket (am i right about that? i can’t remember) or do you leave the sensor in and wait for the pain to dissipate?
also, when you have this issue, do you find that your cgm readings to be accurate?
I’ve never had it happen to my sensor, at least not to that degree. For the infusion set, I left it in for the full two days because my BG seemed fine. The pain only lasted for a few minutes when it did happen, so it wasn’t constant (if it had been, I would have changed sites). My sensor I can sometimes “feel” as a bit pokey, but I wouldn’t call it painful, really. I pretty much never change my sensor unless it stops giving me readings for hours on end repeatedly.
At least I can say that Enlites are painless. Been wearing them for about 10 months, daily and haven’t had any that hurt. The older model, the Sof-Sensor, was a bit more problematic.
Right now, I have my sensor in my upper thigh, but closer to my inner thigh, and if I press on it, it hurts. Like, if I have my legs crossed or something. I will be paying out of pocket starting in January, so I’m leaving it in as long as it’s accurate (and so far it’s been very good). I’m trying to build up a stockpile of them so I’ve got at least a few months into next year.
Once I had an infusion set that hurt pretty bad most of the time, it was in my saddle-bag area. However, it worked, so I left it in for about 4 days and just sucked it up.
I don’t have a very good paying job (though I get by), and I need to do what I have to in order to be frugal and keep my health. If that means a couple days (or weeks) of discomfort or mild pain, I’ll do it. Things could be worse, and I’m pretty used to pain at this point in my life.
if u were using steel needle sets, you could have moved the set to a more comfortable location. the inability to move a cannula set (once the introducer needle is removed) is but one of the things I don’t like about those type of sets. Moreover, if you are on a tight budget and using MM pumps, the Sure T is the cheapest set around, AFAIK.
i use Contact Detach. The reason I didn’t move the site was because it was working so well. Some pain doesn’t bother me, especially if I’m having really good numbers for days at a time.
exactly how much pain do you experience on a scale from 1 - 10 (10 being the most uncomfortable)?
and, at what point, despite your accurate readings, do you feel like changing the sensor?
forgot to ask, how close (accurate) are your numbers from sensor to receiver? i took mine off this morning b/c i couldn’t get my numbers in sync, despite the multiple calibrations.
Well, right now it doesn’t hurt unless I’m pushing on it. So, I just don’t cross my legs that way. I don’t know. I have a high pain tolerance so it’s hard to tell you how much I’m willing to put up with. It hurts less than any of my tattoos but hurts more than a finger stick. Pain to me is nothing, it’s just a feeling. I suck it up and get on with life, it’s just become a part of my life with the D, the IBS, the neuropathy, I have to live with it or I wouldn’t be living. So, anyways, if the pain was interfering with my daily activities, I would remove it, otherwise it doesn’t bother me. The number have been within 10-15%, which I think is really good.
which sensors were you trying out? i am not familiar with sof-sensors? i use the dexcom and often i think of giving them up b/c of the discomfort and/or pain. also, where in your body did you wear the sensors?
They were the first CGM units from Mini med, pretty sure they have been off market for a while…Meant softsensors… Nothing soft about them, had an insertion needle that looked like part of the Alaskan pipeline, lol. hurt just looking at them.
do you use them? i can’t remember?
anyway, thanks for your reply. it helps me to confirm that i am not alone with my physical discomfort.i like to know what to expect (i.e, what the “norm” is)
Hi
I use the MiniMed 530G with Enlite, previously used the SofSensors.
Every now and again I do get a twinge of pain from the sensor, but typically it passes quickly. If it’s consistent then I remove the sensor, fearing infection.
As far as the SofSensors – I hated the insertion process. I sat there for 5 minutes or more psyching myself up for the insertion. The Enlite insertion process is much easier, in my opinion. Yeah there’s still a needle which sometimes hurts given it’s a needle and all, but so much easier for me. I also went for training with my local team to make sure I had the right info and steps.
