After five months of trying to get a CGM out of Medicare, it has finally been approved. The frustration has paid off. My Dexcom will be here in a few days. Having never worn any kind of CGM, I’m totally clueless. The few videos I have watched show the patient using their arm for placement of the device. If the CGM can only be worn for 10 days before replacement, doesn’t the arm get all lumpy from inserting in relatively the same spot, on either arm? Are there alternative places to put this? What do you all do?
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It’s a very thin filament. It does not cause any lumpiness. It doesn’t need to be rotated to the extent an infusion site does because it’s not putting anything into your body. Some people leave them in for well over 10 days.
Some people report skin reactions to the adhesive, but that’s a different issue and may not happen to you.
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I am a side sleeper, so to avoid compression lows, I have always worn all my Dexcom CGM sensors, including the G7, on my stomach between my belly button and my xiphoid process. Since it takes a little force to push the insertion device firmly against the skin before pressing the release button, it is far easier to do that on the stomach than the contortion required to apply on the arm. Furthermore, once the sensor/transmitter has been inserted, a flimsy supplied over patch must be used, which is much easier to apply on the stomach. If you screw up the over-patch application, you can’t get a replacement, so you either need to make your own or, if you call Dexcom, they need to replace the entire sensor/transmitter.
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Thank you for your input. I was under the mistaken impression that it went deeper into the skin, such as a pump infusion set.
Thank you, CJ114. That sounds like a great idea. It does seem like the tummy would be a less awkward application process.
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It does go into the skin. It’s just that it’s very thin and once it’s there causes very little irritation (unlike a thicker infusion set which is pushing out insulin and irritating the area.)
To my knowledge no one has figured out how to extend the G7, but I used to keep the G3 sensors on regularly for 3 weeks (might have gotten 1-2 up to 4 weeks). No bumps/scaring.
G7 is really nice though. Good readings, easy to use, and ready in 30 minutes. They sent me a receiver which I thought was unnecessary since I read it off my cell phone, but the receiver has a battery life of like 2 weeks (really good) and is tiny, so it’s actually very useful.
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So far my pump sites haven’t given me any problems so I’m happy to hear about the CGM being even better.
I’m happy to hear the receiver isn’t huge since that’s the device I’ll be using. My basic iphone runs low on battery power and barely makes it through the day, without a CGM, so I’m hesitant to even try using that.
I too use the G7 on my abdomen because keeping the G7 on for the full 10 days on the back of my arm was nearly impossible. Not only is insertion more difficult to do by oneself but putting on the over-patch is even more difficult. And I stopped using the Dexcom-supplied over-patch because it wasn’t as good as other ones being sold on Amazon. But because Dexcom got FDA approval for use only on the back of the arm they will expect you to place it there and only use it elsewhere with your doctor’s approval (which shouldn’t be difficult to get). I have found the readings on my abdomen to be as accurate as the back of the arm - but now the G7 stays on for the full 10 days.
In regards to the 10 days, be aware that you will get an additional 12 hours of use after the 10-day expiration. So I keep it on for as long as I can and end up getting an additional 4+ days of G7 use over a 3-month supply. That can come in handy when/if your supplier screws up the delivery of your next shipment. And it will happen.
Another advantage of the G7 is that the transmitter is built into the sensor. This means you can insert a new G7 CGM during your 12 hour bonus time. This is called pre-soaking and it helps the new sensor to acclimate itself which reduces the number of calibrations to the readings that always happens when a new sensor is inserted. Having two G7 units inserted at the same time is no problem because the Bluetooth signal is connected to the “old” G7 and when it’s time to switch to the new G7, the Bluetooth will get connected to the “new” G7.
But be aware that due to the smaller size of the G7 (compared to the G6) the transmitter is smaller and the signal doesn’t reach very far. Keep your phone or receiver within 10 feet and closer if possible. Even when in a pocket on the opposite side of my body the G7 is on, I sometimes get a “signal loss” error message. Fortunately it will reconnect.
Hope this has been helpful. Without the Dexcom CGMs I don’t know how I managed my diabetes back in the day. But now I have great control.
Thank you so much for the helpful information! Is it necessary to get my doctor’s approval of the CGM’s location other than back of the arm? My next appointment is in three months.
No, it is not necessary at all. If you ever call Dexcom and they ask where you wear your G7, just tell them where you wear it and tell them your doctor approves of that location. They never actually check with your doctor. On your next visit, if you wish, you can just tell your doctor why you wear it in a certain place, that is up to you. Chances are that your doctor will always know more about medicine than you will, but you will always know your body and how it reacts to a device better than your doctor.
My opinion is that it is better to tell the doctor where you wear it and why rather than ask the doctor if a certain place is OK. If you ask the doctor, they may give you their personal preference with no basis for their reasoning and then you are stuck.
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It was unclear what was required for a “doctor’s approval.” I simply asked my doctor if it was okay based on the difficulty I had keeping the G7 on my arm and she said it was fine with her. Nothing in writing. So if you have a way to communicate with your doctor via email or a patient portal, ask for approval to wear the G7 on your abdomen instead of your arm and say it’s because the back of arm is too difficult to reach to put on the required over-patch - which is absolutely true.
Is there a brand you recommend?
I hope this link works - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C38ZKFH8
- Larry
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One of the prints with the amazon overpatch shows two hands putting it on. I live alone and if on my arm would only have one hand available.
I prefer to use my arms, front side so no problem sleeping on my side. My pump insertion goes on my abdomen. I will have to start g7 vwdoew llong and need a one hander application.
No problem at all putting on front of arm. I sleep on my side, no compression issues, and you can put it on all by yourself Been doing this (G6 and G7) across many years. Always use the same arm, just small differences in positioning. All good.
Thank you!
Thank you all for your helpful input. One more question I have is can I use IV Prep Pads before insertion of the CGM? Those are what I use when changing my pump infusion set and I wonder if the same pads would be useful in making the CGM adhere more securely.
I generally alternate arms, mainly so that I can start the new while in the grace period of the old. After an hour or two to get the new one to good accuracy, I switch over. Using different arms makes it easy to remember which one to remove. Data shows that arm placement is a bit more consistently accurate than abdomen. I don’t think the difference is so great that you would make incorrect decisions from the readings.