I am a big baby when it comes to needles. So when I saw the size of the needle on the sensor I freaked out. How bad does it hurt inserting it? Plus I can’t put it on my stomach because for practice we wear sports bras so I always have my sites on my butt area. Will the dexcom work there too… because the directions said belly?
doesn’t hurt that bad…I think the device is intimidating, but the actual insertion is not really bad. As for sites, I use my butt quite often because it helps with all the swimming I do and adhesion.
I think Todd hit the nail on the head with his observation that the “insertion device” looks more intimidating than it actually is…Its bark is WAY worse than its bite! (natually, I put everything in dogs terms). Do you do MDI’s, or are you ona a pump?: The reason I ask is, the insertion will be no more difficult than when you do injections! Remeber the first time you had to inject? The horror? NOw, it is like brushing your teeth! Thats where you’ll get with this thing, I promise!
The needle isn’t very bad - especially because you never see it. The whole thing is quick and, for me, completely painless. The Dex is only approved by the FDA for use on the abdomen but I often wear mine on the back of my arm and I’ve heard of many people using thighs, butt, and lower back. Anywhere you would put an infusion site or do a shot seems to work. The main thing to consider is that the transmitter will sometimes return an error message (???) if the sensor is located somewhere where your clothes rub to much or you lean on it when you sit in a chair, or you sleep on it. I sleep on my side and I only have this problem with maybe 20% of the sensors I wear on my arm, and then only while the sensor is being rubbed or pressed. The best thing to do is to just try it in a variety of places and see what works best for you.
Inserting the sensor if it’s done correctly and quickly does not hurt anymore than injecting insulin or putting in a pump site. I have been wearing my sensor in my arm because I am out of space on my stomach so even though the company does not tell you about other places as long as your receiver can pick up a signal, and it’s a fatty area it should work. I would check with your doctor before using an altervative site to make sure or your CGM trainer for suggestions but this is what I have done so far.
I’m not convinced that there even is a “needle”. I believe that the sensor wire itself is pointy and that the insertion device somehow helps push it in. If you examine a used insertion device carefully you’ll notice a thin-gauge tube, not a tube that’s been sharpened to a point like a needle. The tube is just big enough for the sensor wire to fit inside but beyond that it’s seems magic to me. I may disassemble a used inserter to try and figure it out.
I just want to add to insert the sensor quickly. If you push it in s l o w l y, you will feel it more than if you just push it right in. At the beginning I had a few bother me because I inserted too slowly. Lately I have not had a problem. And I too, am a baby when it comes to needles. My mother used to tell me that she never worried about my using illegal drugs because of the needles. lol
Ok, I stand (sit) corrected. There is a needle but it’s not that big. I disassembled an inserter and found that there’s both a tube and a needle. How it works is still magic but I’m working on that. For reference I’ve taken a picture of the actual needle, the tube that the needle fits inside, an older 28 gauge insulin needle and a modern 31 gauge insulin needle.
I have to say that 90% of the time, it doesn’t hurt. Then there’s the 10% when I want to rip it out immediately rather than keep going. However, having the CGM is SO WORTHWHILE that it could hurt more and I’d still do it. It really is that awesome!
I think this picture just scared me!
Sensors are expensive. So pick your site well the first time. Sort of measure twice, cut once when thinking about a carpenter building something.
The difference between a big needle and a little needle… it is a little needle if it is pointed at you and it is a BIG needle if it is pointed at me. Turn this around and look at it from your perspective.
As far as stomach versus another location… “I can’t put it on my stomach because for practice we wear sports bras” has me pondering what sport? Dance, basket ball, etc…??? How much impact will the transmitter get? I find it easier to protect my stomach when I am teaching fire rescue field exercises than to protect my back and sides from impacts.
First time, stomach and cover with flesh covered tape. Mount it vertically with the “lip” end of the transmitter up.
It’s really not bad. I tried a Minimed Guardian for a week after trying the Dexcom and I could notice the difference in its larger gauge inserter. Let’s just put it this way: how does the needle in the picture (once every 7-14 days) compare to 2016-4032 finger sticks (every 5 minutes for 7-14 days)?
I used the Dex for one week as a demo model. I wasn’t prepared for the injection. I figured something would click and it would be automatically inserted like when I put a new omnipod on. Then I realized I had to help it along. It HURT and kept hurting for awhile and blood entered some part of it because the diabetes educator said he had never seen that before. Not a good beginning experience. But I kept it in for a week and it gave pretty good numbers.
I just got approved by insurance to get my own device. I expect it will take awhile to get used to but getting the results will be worth it.
My son wears his on his lower back, and rarely has any issues. He has anxiety issues though, and we got a prescription for EMLA cream to put on his site an hour before injection. Then he doesn’t feel it at all. I put one on in the middle of his sleep the other night and he didn’t even flinch. So if you are that freaked out - don’t let it stop you - the device is so worth it!!
ive heard that the MM CGM hurts a bit more than the dexcom which is one of my reasonings behind getting the dexcom. But when you put it that way it doesn’t sound so bad
It’s not bat at all…BUT I’m scared silly of insertion!
My boyfriend does it EVERY time.
It doesn’t hurt, but it just looks creepy! I know I am capable of inserting myself, but I’m still a little chicken.
Hey Jay- Why mount it vertically? I just got a trial one put on me and they did it horizontally. Just wondering…
About an hour ago I had one put on my upper stomach, actually directly under my rib cage. I would have never picked that spot because it seems like it would hurt.
Seriously, it did NOT hurt at all. I felt it but it wasn’t painful. I was so nervous about it and I know I will be again when I have to do it myself, but I was thrilled that it was painless and know with practice it will painless when I do it too!
Good luck!
The idea is that you want to lay it on as flat a surface as possible. I put it horizontally on my abdomen since you don’t want to mess it up as you bend and stretch (if horizontal, you can imagine being impaled by this thing every time you bend over), but when placing it on your arm or a thigh or something, vertically works better because the curve of your arm would prevent it from sitting flat otherwise.
This might be a better comparison… looking at this image from left to right on the lower needles, you have the same guard needle shown above (it’s just a tube, to help guide the long insertion needle, it has NOTHING to do with your skin! It never touches it) then the insertion needle (beveled) and the “pusher” wire that actually pushes the sensor wire out of the inserter needle (you might not realize it when you’re doing it, but when you push down to insert the sensor, it’s a two part process, the insertion needle goes in, then the sensor wire (with the help of the pusher), and when you pull back the collar it retracts the needle first, then the “pusher” leaving the sensor wire in your skin, coming out through the sensor pad). The final needle on the bottom right is an animas cartridge needle for a size comparison (that one is scary huge!), the blue lancet is a BD 33g, then a 30g syringe, and a 29g softclix lancet. Keep in mind the dexcom insertion needle is long, but probably less than half of it actually gets inserted… I recall hearing 16mm, which may in fact be more like a third of it’s total length. I think the length has a lot to do with fitting all the mechanics of actually being able to retract it automatically.
I have "heard" that the dexcom needle is 27g... I can't find anything to verify that, but considering that the Animas needle is something like 23g, it looks about right... the sensor wire itself is much finer.. it's the thinnest sensor available currently :)
You never actually see any of the “needle” during any portion of the insertion process, which is a huge help for me… there’s no way I could do this if I had to stare at it (and it’s acually pretty hard to pry these things out if you want to see them). You literally apply the sensor pad to your skin, remove the plastic retainer (which is also used to remove the transmitter), push down on the white plunger, pull the collar, and disconnect the inserter. It’s SUPER simple… easier than an infusion set.