I have a question for all of you CGM wearers. I use the MM CGM, I can only leave a sensor in for about 3 days before it itches so bad I can hardly stand it. Am I the only one with this issue?
Maybe it’s the adhesive. Try a different type.
Mine itches too. The following steps have allowed me to wear my sensor for up to 6 days but never any longer.
I:
- Apply IV Prep to skin (leave a small circle in the middle where you don’t use any or the sensor won’t work).
- Fold a piece of Tegaderm or IV 3000 (one site suggests using Opsite FlexiFix tape which comes on a roll) into fourths and cut a small piece off the inside corner so it makes a hole (for the sensor to go through) in the middle.
- Apply tape to skin lining up the are without any IV Prep with the tape to protect your skin.
- Insert sensor inside the hole, use tape on top, etc. (One person suggests a dab of Vaseline on top of the transmitter with paper tape so it will come off easier if trying to use it longer than 3 days.)
Another person recommends putting a small piece of cotton or gauze under the transmitter but I haven’t tried this yet.
My biggest frustration with the MM CGM sensor/transmitter is it takes up so much real estate on my skin and the site gets red and itchy. I haven’t had as much accuracy on the 2nd round of use (days 5 and 6 especially). I am also so ready to get it out from the itching by then anyway.
I have the same problem. I use IV prep and IV 3000 cause it is the only tape I don’t react to but it seems around the 3rd day the itching starts no matter what I try. I even have tape under the transmitter. I may be something in the sensor not sure. Also I can only wear the sensor in a shallow angle on my arm so I end up having to take breaks cause I have no place to put them. But my arms are less reactive then my tummy or upper butt area but only when it comes to the sensor. Since infusion sets are fine I am thinking it has to be the sensor itself.
Be well and be loved
I am with you, it isn’t my skin that is itchy. It is actually where the sensor inserts into my tissue. I have no problems with my infusion set, so I am thinking it is actually the sensor itself. I always use my abdomen because that is where I have the most excess tissue and insertion is less painful than any other body part. Thanks for the replies.
I read the following from Roberta under the question “Has anyone gotten a bad rash from the adhesives?” and wondered if anybody else with sensitive skin has noticed Skin Prep wipes work better than IV Prep?
I used Skin Prep for years and started using IV Prep about 2 years ago.
Reply by Roberta on November 4, 2008 at 6:14pm
"I have been pumping for 14 years and have always been sensitive to the adhesives. I have used skin prep wipes (sensitive skin formula) NOT IV PREP to create a barrier between my skin and the adhesive. This seems to do the trick for me, but every once in a while the itchiness flares up, especially when I notice that I get histamine bumps from exercising. I have been taking claritin, and it has helped tremendously. It just seems to calm it all down."
Mine starts itching after about the first day. I only use alcohol as recommended, not IV Prep. Sometimes I can kind of stretch or scratch the skin around the site very gently to get a little relief. But yes, it’s a big relief to finally pull it out after 6 days, then I scratch it like crazy. As Roberta suggests, Claritin or Benadryl might help.