Hi, Gang – I’ve had my Dex for about three weeks now, and need some help when it comes to insertion, site rotation, and … well … pain.
First of all, that’s some big needle! I made the mistake of putting it in my belly right at the exact point where the kitchen sink hits it when I’m standing there. Since that’s a place I stand a lot, it got very sore and bruised. Had to switch before the week was up.
This morning I put it in my left hip. This location really hurts as well. Don’t know if my pants are rubbing against it, but there doesn’t appear to be a seam there, so who knows what the problem is.
What sites do you find as the most comfortable?
Does anyone use any kind of skin prep or numbing agent?
What method do you follow for site rotation of your Dex and your pump?
Hi Jan. I’m a fairly new Dex user too (just a few months), and you’re absolutely right, that needle is crazy big! I do experience a little bit of pain during the insertion, but I find that the faster I insert the needle, the less painful it is.I don’t use any skin prep, or numbing agent. I have found that if I use alcohol or a skin prep wipe before I put it on, it tends to get itchy after a few days. I usually insert it after I take a shower, when my skin is clean & dry and that seems to help keep the adhesive sticking too. But, I think every person’s skin is different, so you might just have to see what works for you.
I have only experienced pain while wearing the Dexcom once so far, and I’m pretty sure the sensor was hitting a small blood vessel or something. I wore it for a few hours and knew it wouldn’t work, so I removed it. I have so far only used my stomach, and I find that the more fatty parts of my stomach seem to be less painful. If I use an area closer to my hips or an area with less fat, it is much more painful for me. Some people have put it on the back of their arm and on their legs, but I haven’t tried that yet.
From what I understand, the Dex won’t cause scar tissue like the pump will, so I just rotate it around where I am rotating my pump. I think you’re supposed to keep them three inches apart, but other than that, I just make sure I’m rotating my pump and fit the dex in around that.
Hope that helps! Good luck, and it is seriously SO worth the initial trial & error in figuring it all out period! I love my Dex!
Erin, thanks for the great reply, my dear. It helps to hear your feedback.
I’ve actually been inserting the slow and careful way. My endo inserted it for me the first time, and it was so fast and so jarring that it hurt like hell. So now I want to be in charge, and to control the speed. I’m actually afraid that if I insert it fast, I’ll have the same experience as that first time.
Location is a problem – I don’t yet have a rotation scheme worked out, as I don’t yet know where my good sites are.
Hi Jan. LOVE my dexcom, I’ve never had pain on insertion. Bill at 1HappyDiabetic.com has a series of videos here. This one takes you through inserting the sensor, I strongly suggest you watch at least this one!
I find faster is better - pinch up some skin and just whip it in. I have mine in my upper arm for the first time and it’s been fine so far. I get the best readings with it on my upper/inner thigh - about 10:00 as you look down at your thigh. I usually rotate abdomen, left thigh, right thigh, back to abdomen, etc. Don’t use anything before inserting. The sensor is coated with an enzyme and skin prep etc. can interfere with it.
Stick with it, keep posting questions… it’s soooooooo worth it!
Hey, thanks, jrtpup! I am a bit jealous that you’ve never had pain on insertion (aargh), but it’s good to know that there’s a solution possible!
Thanks for the video link. I just watched it, and parts of it looked familiar. I may have seen it – or parts of it – a whilej back, early in my research. But it was good to see again.
I suppose I’ll try the quick insertion again at some point. Once I feel a little more confident. In the meantime, a Dexcom nurse just recommended a numbing agent called Emlax. Going to look into it to see if it can help with the discomfort.
I’ve been on it for about 6 months. I was only using my stomach, but between that and the omnipod, i was running out of real estate. I recently tried it on the side of my butt with some success. The good is that there is almost no pain when it goes in, the bad is I’m not sure how effective it is. I had some bad readings and a lot of ??? on the last one, however it might have just been a bad sensor. I’m going to try again when I get to a new box of sensors to see if I get the same result.
I saw a video from a parent on the childeren with diabetes site that uses frozen stones. She has flat stones that are super clean and stored in a zip lock bag then kept in the freezer. They put one on the site for a minute or two to numb the site. Its not messy like an ice cube since there is no melting. I have not tried this yeat but it looks tempting.
Haven’t had a problem sitting down. You have you find the spot that works while sitting. The sensor is so small that I rarely notice it wherever I put it.
My son uses the Emla cream. It’s best if you put it on about 45 minutes ahead of time, and he rarely feels the insertion. I think it starts to wear off a little after an hour, so we usually aim for right about an hour.
He wears his on what would be his “love handles” if he had any. He’s 10 and pretty thin so there’s not much there.
Also - the needle that you can see is not the needle that actually goes in. Someone explained to me that it’s the case that the needle is inside, and you can’t ever actually see the needle that goes into you unless you take apart the device. At least that’s what I’ve been told. . .
I noticed when I started wearing the Dex it was uncomfortable but as you get used to it and or the sensor sits in there a day or 2 it gets comfy. I wear it on the side of my butt cheek.
Hi Jan,
My 13 yr old son got a Dexcom a couple of months ago and wears it on the top of his butt cheek, alternating sides each time, and switching directions as well (cannula towards the spine or towards the side). He wears his Omnipod on his belly and arms, so we wanted a different body part for this new gadget. Several people on this community recommended it and it has been great for him, because it doesn’t hurt at all to insert and is out of the way of every other activity. I put a 4"x4" piece of opsite flexfix tape over it so that it doesn’t catch on his waistband. I insert it for him. It might be tricky to get it on by yourself back there, but may be worth a try.
–Cynthia
I have also covered the transmitter completely. I usually do not do this until the adhesive starts to come up on the corners and have never noticed a difference between covered readings and regular ones.
