Has anyone tried a shallow sensor insertion angle and had it work?
I love my CGM but the sensors are killing me. The 45 angle is not only leaving me bruised but bleeding for hours after it is inserted. I know the whole thing has to be in but I am thinking I am going to start playing with the angle a bit and I wanted to know if anyone else has.
I know the sensor has to be in the that special ( forgot what it is called) tissue place but really one length is not one size fits all. Share all your wisdom please for us less enlightened
Be well and be loved
UPDATE
SO I found an angle that works for me. Thank you everyone. 30 degrees is my fit with readings that match my meter almost perfect. I still only have 2 places I can wear it but this my second sensor tested at this angle. The first lasted 2 days I knocked it out but the readings were great. This one is on its 3rd day and still giving me great results. It saved me last yesterday from a very bad low. Woke me up this morning with a bad site. I know this angle is weird and not suppose to be good but it works at least for me. I might have to change it later though I am trying to gain weight so maybe 15 pounds later the angle will have to change but that would be a good thing.
Thanks again, take care and be loved
I use the inserter. But I tilt it up a little making it more of a 60 or 70 degree angle. It hurts less. Sometimes it still buises or bleeds, but it happens way less often. The 45 degree thing sucks!
I tried doing 60 also but its the same. I am not giving up though. I do leave the needle in for a bit it helps to stop the bleeding sooner. I don’t use my stomach for anything right now so the only place I have for the sensor is hips and it gets bumped a good deal there. I did use my butt once and it did not bleed or bruise but it moved so much …um cause it’s your butt that I kept getting errors.
I use the inserter and a little cardboard angle that mu dear hubby madefor me soI get the 60 angle…really helps…when nI don’tuse it is when I get most of my ouches!
I am not sure what angle I use but I try to make sure the needle point does not hit any muscle because that hurts like hell. For the most part I have not really had any issues with bleeding. I do try to put it in places that have some cushion otherwise I am not a happy camper. I use the Medtronic CGM and let me just say that the picture of the woman they use in their advertisements is way to thing for CGM, it would definitely hit her muscle!!!
You guys are great and all trying to help let me give you a better picture.
I was born with Cystic Fibrosis that is what gave me type 1. I am to skinny I am trying real hard to gain weight but I have to eat 2300 calories just to maintain, which gives you all a pretty good idea why my numbers are jacked up. I need to get to 2600 calories to gain but the CF of course means I have trouble digesting meats and fats so hitting 2300 calories without tons of fat or meat is hard enough or I eat tons of meat and fat and spend my day curled up in a ball :P…um no pitty party just wanted to give you an idea.
Cara bless your heart my legs could not take the CGM I can only use Confort/Sills there and maybe 2-3mm in. I’ll try the icky fatty place in my arm that I got at 41 see what happens, but even 6mm sure T give me bruises there. But hey I can have my daughter (the one who drew my pic) make a pretend tat out of it maybe.
Denise I have a awesome DH to so maybe I can get to make different angle guides.
David your so right there is no way I could do as the picture I might as well just stab myself even the trainer was like “hmm lets see”
So lets say I try a 20 degree angle can anyone think of any damage that would cause? It is what I have to use on my legs with the comfort/sill’s and I know its shallow but I am under weight so it makes sense to me but since I am not all knowing I could be missing something important and we know Medtronic can not tell me outside the FDA approved box.
The CGM really helps me alot. I found that 2 weeks out of the month my liver was always playing catch up with my basal so I dropped it from .6 to .45 and nice stable fasting sugars. What would happen before is my liver would catch up and dump causing a rise I would treat with a bolus just to crash an hour later. Cause i am a chic the other 2 weeks I play the great sugar chase! The CGM lets me sleep through the night which I have not done in 11 years so it mean a very big deal to me. Plus I look so much better when I sleep in a block of hours and I am vain enough to care about it! Don’t think less of me.
Ill try a lesser invasive angle today in my arm and see what happens. I will let you know and maybe take a pic if it works out. I hope my arm does not fall off.
Hi. I find that roughly a 60 degree angle seems to work best, and I’ve also been leaving the needle in for a few minutes after insertion which has definitely cut down on bleeding. The last sensor I inserted was in my “love handle” area about 2" above the bone. Interesting thing is that I got weak signal and low ISIG the day I inserted it, but left it in overnight and restarted the sensor the following morning…been working like a charm since! :-)) BTW…no discomfort from inserting the sensor in this area, and it’s not in the way of anything. I’ve also used the side of my upper thigh with success also.
well I am going to try a 60 in a bit upper outside of thigh. I found some pushy places if that does not work I will try it at 45 on the other side. I know for sure from pullin and pushing places this afternoon a 60 degree is not gonna work on my arm so if nothing else I can try a manual insert where I have much more angel control to feel.
On your thigh do you insert horizontal or vertical?
I also tend to get weak signals the first day then about 12 hours after they stop and the readings match up closer. I don’t understand why though. My readings match pretty exact when I have a sensor in so that’s a plus. The only time they really do not is if I am rising fast or failing fast to I do a finger prick whenever I see those 2 arrows in any direction.
Thanks again everyone for all the time you have given trying to help
Be loved and be well
I am getting better results no black and blue bruising at lesser angles. Still bleed but that’s ok. As long as the sensor is all the way in it seems to be fine. Also I did a hand insertion and that worked for me but it is a bit tricky so the tool is faster and easier if you can get the angle you want from it.
Thank you for all your advice.
Be well and be loved
Hi all,
New to CGMS and currently wearing a Paradigm 722. I have read a lot on the web and I have asked a lot of questions of my trainer and not received good answers. A lot of people on the web state that they use a 60 degree angle but which way are they measuring the 60 degrees. From parallel to the skin or from 90 degrees? Also no one tells us the physical form they possess. Are you thin as a rail or do you have some real estate to play with in the insertion areas? I need any help that I can get because I while not a woman, I am thin. My “Love Handles” may let me pinch that proverbial inch. My upper rear has about the same fleshy area as my “Love Handles”. I as a male also have the Hair issue with a lot of potential sites. Please be more explicit in the descriptions you give of insertion sites and physique.
Thanks in advance.
Jody20
My sensor angle is about 20 degrees now and tends to be almost perfect at that small angle. I am measuring from 90 degrees down so it goes in at barley an angle. I am very thin and don’t have many places to put it. The only thing you need to be sure of is that is goes all the way in and stays there. I even have issues with places for the 5mm sure t so you can get an idea why I played with the sensor angle. Medtronic can not tell you to adjust the angle because the sensor is approved at the angel recommended but I know many people who adjust there own angel as needed.
I have two places on either side of my belly button I can use the sensor. I don’t really have an inch but I make due with what I have, I don’t get good readings in the love handle area cause I don’t have much fat. I also tend to lose my sensor in that area I move alot and tend to hit it. I tend to have to take sensor breaks because I need to let area’s heal.
Does that help you?
Be well and be loved
I have extra padding…my husand made me a traingle–has 60 degree andle on one side, 45 degree on one so that leaves a 75 for the side I never use…60 works best for me…but I have only tied in my upper abs–chicken to try my thighs and arm–that needle is friggin big!
Your so right Denise the needle is massive. I have put in a request at Medtronic to make a sensor like the Abbott. It is a 10 hour warm up but I would so wait that long for such a short sensor. We are trying to save money to buy one since they are not contracted with my insurance just so I can have more choices. Hopefully Medtronic will be able to come out with something like it and I won’t have to. Even if I could only use it once in a while it would be a help to be able to use more places.
Hi Jody,
I am thinner than a rail. I can only insert my sensor at an angle of 30 degrees from parallel to the skin. Otherwise I hit muscle, and by an unhappy accident I found that a sensor in my muscle leads to readings that are no where near my actual BS level, asides from being painful. Since I have next to no fat on my scrawny little bod, I attempted to try placing the sensor further around, closer to my lower back, but I ended up having a lot of “lost sensor” errors. Anyone else have that sort of problem?
but the readings were great. This one is on its 3rd day and still giving me great results. It saved me last yesterday from a very bad low. Woke me up this morning with a bad site. I know this angle is weird and not suppose to be good but it works at least for me. I might have to change it later though I am trying to gain weight so maybe 15 pounds later the angle will have to change but that would be a good thing.
see what happens, but even 6mm sure T give me bruises there. But hey I can have my daughter (the one who drew my pic) make a pretend tat out of it maybe.