My dd 10 wears a pod with no problem but this dexcom sensor just wont stick to her for more than 2 days. Peels right off. Anyone have any tricks to keep it on. Thanks
I use Skin Tac before applying every sensor. I usually get 12-14 days out of each sensor. Just be sure not to put any on the area where the sensor wire meets the skin!
Has your daughter changed the brand of body wash that she uses when taking a shower or bath? I’ve found that some body wash brands seem to have more moisturizers than another brand…makes the skin a little more ‘slippery’.
she still uses the same soap as ever. One question how do you avoid putting the skin tac on the spot the needle goes in?
Here’s how I do it:
- Rub Skin Tac on the skin in a large, hollow circle.
- Place the senor so that the wire portion is in the center of that circle
- Rub additional Skin Tac over the edges of the sensor adhesive and let try.
That seems to work fine for me.
I use skintac, too, but don’t apply it to the skin. I apply it to the adhesive fabric, careful not to get close to the area the sensor goes in, don’t use a hairdryer (I found this made the fabric so stiff, it caused problems), and put the sensor on. It works well for me - my last sensor lasted for 14 days!
Shannon, what happens if you put Skin Tac where the sensor wire meets the skin? I put on two light coats over the entire area and the sensors consistently last 2 weeks.
I read that it can interfere with the sensor, but I haven’t experienced it myself. It is pretty sticky, so it’s not hard to imagine it sticking to something it shouldn’t.
I use Mastisol and a q-tip. Put the mastisol on the fabric before putting the sensor on, let dry and then apply to skin and press. I’ve always gotten a full 14 days without so much as a loose edge.
I use skin prep wipes over the whole area, not avoiding the spot where the needle goes in. When the skin prep dries, it leaves a kind of film on the skin, not sticky, but it apparently helps the sensor adhesive to stay on. For good measure, after I apply the sensor, I put a piece of flexifix tape over the whole thing, with a hole cut out in the middle for the transmitter… It works perfectly.
I’m with Ann!
The “adhesive helper” layer, which Skin-Prep wipes leave behind after the liquid carrier fluid dries up, ALSO makes a great barrier against adhesive irritation. (Without 'em, I get nasty red bumps. But YMMV, of course.) Like others, I schedule my Sensor replacements at day 14.
Skin-Prep isn’t a strong adhesive. Sometimes, if I’ve been working hard (especially in summer), I need to “touch up” an edge. For that, I do as David does-- Mastisol onto a q-tip, then wipe the liquid into the loose edge of fabric. But as David says, you must let Mastisol dry, almost completely, before sticking the fabric back down on your skin – if you push it in while it’s wet, then it totally won’t work.
If you go to my profile page, http://www.tudiabetes.org/profile/Rickst29 and mouse downwards past my discussion posts, you’ll see a long discussion of how I prepare for a Sensor shoot-in. (Longer than you need, probably… 
). It doesn’t cover the “repair” steps, or even the actual shoot in. But that’s exactly what I do. You might some of the techniques to be useful, please take a look.
I use Skin-Prep for all of my Pod adhesions. But, with the Dexcom sensor, I need the extra stickiness that Skin Tac provides.
Thanks for all the tips. I used skin tac yesterday and it has not budged so great…
I totally missed that you were talking about “Tac” not “Prep”. I’ve never used Skin Tac, sounds like the big guns!
My sensors come loose after several days of showers. When the adhesive fabric starts getting loose around the edge (it’s always the top where the water beats down on it), I use IV3000 over it. I have tried may ways, but the latest way seems to work best.
I cut a section out of the IV3000 so it will surround the top and sides of the sensor. I then stick it over the adhesive fabric attached to the sensor. I don’t cover the bottom of the adhesive fabric; it seems to stick fine by itself,
I am uploading a diagram. The left side has the IV3000 and the sensor separate. The right side shows how it looks after I stick the IV3000 over the sensor adhesive fabric.
6633-SensorAdhesiveGraphic.jpg (36.2 KB)
just like the others i use skin tac. rub the spot with alcohol, let that dry. i apply the skin tac directly on the glue side of the sensor, let it sit for a minute or two. definitely good for a week or so.
good luck.