I am on my 4th week with my Dexcom unit and loving it. It is like driving at night with headlights on and you can see around the corner. Wow. One question though. I play racquetball hard about 2 - 3 times a week and I get a lot of sweat with a torque motion during serves. I finally had my sensor come loose last night into the 4th day. I am using a sticky pad for better adhesion when first putting on. I wanted to know of any experience with a particular brand tape or setup that would allow you to pull the tape off easy after a workout. Not sure if any of you guys toy with any type of cover pad to keep the sensor in place or what? Just looking for ideas.
By the way, I am glad I have found this site. I am not alone on some island anymore...yay!!!
My son tried for months to wear the sensor on the abdomen (as recommended.) For the few months we tried that area, only one time did the sensor stay on 7 days. On average it fell off 2-4 days in. We tried EVERYTHING to get it to stay (skin tac, IV tape, matisol, etc.) and nothing worked.
So now he wears it on his backside and we haven't had one sensor fall off in less than 7 days. Actually, we get at least 2 weeks out of each sensor, or longer. I guess, like you mentioned, all the twisting/turning/bending at the abdomen was just too much for the sensor to stay put. Also, wearing it on the backside, the accuracy has still been exceptional.
Many people mentioned wearing it on the back of their arm. We haven't tried that yet.
Yay for getting the Dex! We feel the same way about ours (my 7 yr old daughter wears it). We use Op-site Flexi-Fix tape and it works great for us. We use the wide - I think 4" - tape and cut out an oval hole for the sensor and also cut off the corners on the outside. I've made a cardboard template that we trace to cut out the shape each time. We also use Skin-Tac to help stick down the edges when they peel up after a week or two. Maybe those two things will help.
I second the use of Op-site and Flexi-fix (with skin tac), as these work great for my son as well. However, neither worked for us on the abdomen...the tape peeled off in a couple days no matter what we tried. But he's a sweaty, active, 11 year old boy! :)
I played racquetball last night as well, and won the league championship at my club. I use the G4 and love it as well, it is only inserted in my upper thigh because it stays put and I get great readings there. The longest I have had a sensor last was 25 days but I generally get at least 2 weeks out of a sensor. The best tape I have found for sweat, sports, swimming etc is called Opsite Flexifix http://www.smith-nephew.com/professional/products/all-products/opsite-flexifix/ the rolls I buy are 4" wide. And they last a very long time. I have had the G4 since November and I still have not gone through a whole roll. I have a template where I cut out the space for the transmitter and I just place the tape over the white adhesive. It comes off cleanly and easily and does not irritate my skin. Welcome to TuD, glad you found the site as well.
Thanks, it was a lot of fun. I only recently returned to the game after about 25 years off but it is such a great workout. I usually play singles one night and doubles another night. I started with an omnipod insulin pump in May and no I can play r ball, swim, play tennis, bike or anything else without worrying about going low. The dexcom also helps me keep track too I can catch my blood sugar falling before it gets too low.
My daughter swims a lot, we use Mastisol with the Opsite flexifit tape over it as explained above. It works great for us but I will say you won’t be able to remove the tape after without removing the sensor tape. Just leave it for the duration. She only uses the back of her arms.
I never had a problem with the old Dexcom SevenPlus not sticking, but with the G4 it seems the tape isn't quite as sticky, and usually by the mid or end of a week it starts to come off. I just bought a roll of waterproof medical tape for like $2 from a local drug store, and taped down the edges, and that keeps it on for about 2 weeks. It's awesome, and I don't end up spending a ton of money on fancy prescription medical tape.
One other thing you might try is inserting it without wiping the area with alcohol first. I've noticed that when I use an alcohol wipe it doesn't stick as well, and I also get more of a skin reaction to both CGM and pump sites. So I usually do my insertions right after I shower. Good luck! You'll find a solution that works for you, just keep at it!
Another vote for Opsite Flexifix. Also I prep the area with an alcohol swab and let it dry. This helps to remove any skin oil, moisturizer, dead skin, etc so the tape can stick. I get 3 weeks even with swimming, sweating, etc.
I use 1 piece of 4" wide tape with a hole cut out for the sensor to stick out to let it dry. You can always reapply another layer if you have to, or just a few strips on one side if it pulls up.
For us hairy guys 'shaving' the area with clippers has been recommended. Has anyone tried Smith&Nephew Skin Prep to help adhesion? It seems to help, and it seems to do a pretty amazing job of cleaning up tape residue.
Keep in mind that they are 70% isopropol alcohol, 30% water. The alc evaporates quickly, but the water stays behind, and hydrates the skin a bit. This will cause the adhesive to have problems.
While I'm waiting for my G4 start kit, I do have some experience with medical dressings and adhesives. Get a bottle of 91% rubbing alcohol (available at Walgreens, CVS, etc.) and use that with a cotton makeup pad to prep the area. There is still 9% residual water, but it's not enough to soak into the skin appreciably.
99% pure isopropol alcohol is also available on-line from a variety of suppliers, mostly chemical supply houses.
I've been looking for 91% individually packaged swabs (like the 70% ones we all use). If anyone knows of such an animal, please share!
I don't use alcohol preps I just wash the area with soap and water and wait for it to dry. My skin doesn't get irritated. I tried to look for 91% alcohol preps but the best you can get is 70%. Unless you want to buy a gallon of 99% from Uline - and make your own preps.
I use UV prep when inserting and then I run it around on TOP of the tape portion of the sensor after insertion - after I've snapped the transmitter in. I can usually get 6 to 7 days this way before it comes loose. Once I notice the tape coming up, I put a tegaderm on. I can often get 21 days this way.
both super cheap (I used to use skin tac wipes, until someone told me about the liquid... way less messy and WAY cheaper!)
Then I use UniSolve Wipes to remove it (which I also use to remove my Mio insertions sites) so it doesn't get all red and irritated.
(although I just found out this week that my insurance was covering my UniSolve Wipes before, but shouldn't have... so now I have to find a
cheap place for them! Like the Hypafix that I found it on amazon for
$15: http://tinyurl.com/cq953bt)
