I have heard of folks being able to use them for three or more weeks. How do they do that. For me, some last a week to week and a half. When lucky, I get two weeks. Is there a trick to getting more use out of them?
Suzan
I don't know that there is a trick. I've gotten a bit over 3 weeks. I think location is important - I find that if it's in a place where it doesn't get bumped/knocked it tends to last longer.
Lately? About 3 days! I've had terrible luck lately - don't know if a bad bunch came out or what. I have gotten up to 13 days but would LOVE to get 3 weeks.
My best is 14 days and my average is 12 days. I do not push it out on this as I like to pick when I shutdown and swap sensor usually in morning after inital body waltz getting up dancing with liver in a usually stable operating interval
i hear that if you agitate the site a little bit that it makes it read longer.
My personal belief is that how long a sensor will last will vary from person to person and is based on small variations in biochemistry and immune system response. I am consistently right around 10 days and then readings get too flakey and aren’t worth putting up with. Once in a blue moon I can get 14 days. I never get longer than that no matter how securely it’s taped.
excellent thoughts. Suggestions on lifetime make good sense. My experience very similar on lifetime.
For the reasons stated by DianaS; I also suspect that the dynamic range of sensor shrinks with usage time and folks who still have better controlled BG with smaller range changes get to sneak usage out further.
I average 2-3 weeks on mine. That's twice what I used to get. I find if I use waterproof tape to cover the upper margin of the sensor before I shower, it stays on longer. Otherwise I agree with the other comments that each person autoimmune system will start to reject the sensor at different rates.
Mine have averaged right at 7 days. The longest I've had one work is 10 days, and the shortest I've had one work is 6 days.
Chris
I am just getting ready to start with Dexcom in a couples of days- training session in two days, reading up to prepare. The user's guide says that the sensor will last only 7 days? It sounds like a sensor's life is set at 7 days the way they speak of it. But I see here that people have been able to get more time out of the sensor, sometimes a lot more. Is the sensor good as long as it continues to stick on you and to gather readings? There is not battery life limit to worry about? I'd sure like to get as much use out of a sensor as possible!
thanks!
Maggie
Hi Maggie, yes the guide and instructor say the sensor lasts for seven days. What they don't tell you is that often you can use it longer. At the end of seven days, the receiver will say 'change sensor soon' and eventually it will say ' change sensor now'. At this point, I wait a bit, sometimes two or three hours, and then I go into the menu and push 'start sensor'.
It will often work longer, sometimes just a few days, sometimes a week. If it lasts a week, then it will once again do the ' change sensor now' routine. Sometimes it will do another few days. Some folks have it last longer, and sometimes it will not work past the original seven days. If it doesn't work by restarting sensor, a couple of times I have gotten an extra day or two by 'stop sensor' and then restarting. I figure that if it says 'sensor failed' it doesn't hurt to muck about with it.
There have been a few times when the sensor seems to continue to work past the first seven days, but I have replaced it because the numbers are becoming totally wacked.
I hope this helps, I had a lot of trouble at the beginning. Ask questions. After about a year, someone (on another list) suggested that I try it in my thigh, I did, and my reading accuracy improved.
Suzan
I also get more than a week. Two things happen ... either the calibration goes nutz (after about 12-14 days) or the adhesive REALLY starts to itch. I think I am somewhat allergic to the stuff. But 2 weeks is reasonable compared with the 3 days I hear you get with the MM.
Jeff
I echo the improved accuracy using the thigh! I am on day 7 of the first sensor I've used on my thigh and the accuracy has amazed me. So much better than any sites I've used on my abdomen.
Interesting feedback.
Abdomen is useless.
I use arm with good results but I am aware of folks using abdomen with greata sucess.
Thanks Suzan,
I'm on day 9- no problem. I did get some serious adhesive tape- Optiflex, recommended previously here. I noticed that the edges were starting to loosen. Been taking long showers lately. :)
Why are we not concerned about any scarring/hardening around the site?
Is it because it's not administering anything, like a pump site?
It seems to me that just having even that tiny probe set in one spot for potentially weeks, would
your body start to heal around it? Creating hard spots, scarring? Which would make that site not
good for near future use?
Why doesn't it scar/harden? or does it?
Maggie
I'm not sure about the scarring issue but I can use a sensor for between 8 and 14 days. Toward the end there is a lot of irritation due to the adhesive. But the sign that I get that it is time to change a sensor is when I consistently see a 30-40 point difference between sensor readings and normal BG meter results. But it seems to be fine to just re-start a sensor when it says change it. Just beware of calibration losses. Sometimes a sensor won't last a week and you can almost NEVER trust it on the first day!
Have fun,
Jeff
wow- first day it was off by 60. Since then better and better, I'm learning when/how much to trust at diff times of day.
First sensor and I am starting week three today. Almost suspicious at how well it's going for me.
Site is back of left arm. I gave this a lot of thought and figured that this would get the least amount of
jiggling and bumping. Guess I was right.
I'm not wanting to try the stomach/belly as I do a lot of lifting and carrying.
And the thigh, think it would rub on my pants too much.
The tape still looks good, I got some serious IV tape, it's starting to lift and I may have to
apply more.
And I am loving the CGM more and more every day as I learn how and when to trust it.
Dr made some adjustments that we could have done before and I am already seeing better, more level readings.
Catching the lows before they go too low is huge for me.
very happy.
Maggie
Glad to hear it working out. Real issue here is once one understands the gronks of interstitial readings and the sensor and its 1st day coming up to better readings, one can better appreciate its help. As for gut, in my mind was waste of time, tons of points off - useless and others said the same.Looking at body physiology would suggest arms are closest to best source - accurate latest blood activity.
Generally I get readings Dexcom to caveman machine within 5 to 10 points but I take fingerprick on each hand and average finger readings. Some times one gets 135 on one hand and then 170 on the other hand. In that spread I take another reading on the high reading hand and many times a new reading gets within 5 to 15 points of the other lower reading hand. The interstialial and machine filter delays mean many times the CGMS is scrambling to catch up and yes one can see big point differences until body readings stable and cgms caught up.
My caveman machine can still track faster and more instantaneously fast moving glucose changes caused by liver dumps.
Frankly, a users guide to instruct a new user on the gronks and fun would be a great help enabling one to cope and work ones diabetes rather than debugging out the dexcom legitamate but heart stopping behavior and make DEXCOM look a better as well.
As I have been exercised thru all /most of the fun, it is now much easier and more satisfying.
Best of season and holidays to you.