I have been trying different kinds of transparent film dressings to help extend the life of my CGM sensors. MelissaBL recommended Tegaderm (and actually gave me one Tegaderm back when we met at TCOYD in Santa Clara, which I have found to be quite good).
I am wondering how is the experience you guys have had with other dressings to help keep CGMs in place for longer than 7 days (I am on the Dexcom 7+).
I use the IV3000 over mine to hold it in place, but the MM sensors only last about 5 days for me
My supplier sends out some IV3000 dressings with the sensors. I’ve found these to be somewhat useful but am still struggling to figure out the best use for them since we can’t cover the transmitter. Right now I’m cutting it into strips but haven’t yet figured out how to cut it right to get enough strips out of one dressing to secure the whole sensor. Most of mine stay on for about 10 days anyway and my doctor has a heart attack when I tell her I’m keeping them in that long so I haven’t tried to extend it much further. If anyone else has suggestions though I’d love to hear them!
After 8-10 days I use Mastisol to ‘refurbish’ the goo. One application outlasts the sensor.
Suzanne recommended Opsite Flexfix. It works well for us.
I like that Mastisol does not change the appearance of the sensor/tape. When looking at the sensor/tape I cannot tell whether I am on the first or last day of usage. No bandages are involved. I am a fan of the ‘like-new’ look.
I use Tegaderm, which is the only adhesive I’ve found that doesn’t irritate my skin. My husband jokingly calls me a “delicate flower” because EVERYTHING gives me a rash. Tegaderm is the best one I’ve found. It’s pricey, but worth it (IMHO).
If you “paint” the edges of the sensor patch with Mastisol (I use a Q-tip) around the 7th day, it will last till the sensor dies. I’m still getting 14 days per sensor and yet to have one fall off.
Is anyone allergic to Tegaderm? I also find MM sensors are not accurate after six days and even then the rate of rise and fall in BG is sometimes hard for the CGM to keep up with.
I will have to try Mastisol.
Sheila
I use an old sensor base as a template to trace a hole for the transmitter in an IV3000. Then I cut out the hole. Works for me.
I’m with Helmut and Dave on using Mastisol, when the edges start to go. But for me, unlike Dave, that’s all the way up to about day 12. I’ll guess that it’s because I use Smith and Nephew “Skin-Prep” wipes first, and he doesn’t. Dave, am I right about that guess?
Anyway, these wipes are NOT! the same thing as the “I.V. Prep” wipes- they’re specifically intended for helping appliance adhesion, and “reducing the risk of tape stripping”. Coat once, wait to dry, then re-coat again with just one extra swipe, and wait to dry COMPLETELY before setting the Sensor pad on the area. (If you live in a place with humidity, a hair dryer on “low” can speed the waiting a lot.) You don’t have to leave a doughnut hole for the Sensor wire, just wipe the entire Sensor pad target area.
As with Mastisol, if you press the Dexcom tape on to your skin before the liquid has completely dried, it won’t work correctly. That’s the most common mistake people make with Mastisol. Here’s the right way:
First, you need to buy the non-spray bottle-- you need to drip Mastisol onto Q-tips for control, rather than spray it all over the place. When the tape has failed by about 1/8" inch, Grab 3 Q-tips. (Don’t wait any longer than 1/8" of peeling.) Dip one end of the first q-tip, and use it to roll the failing portion of the Sensor tape up and AWAY from your skin, towards the Sensor housing. This rolling-up action will pull away a bit more “nearly failed” tape at the edges of the total failure area, that’s good. (Stop pushing at it when you reach the still-attached portion.) Then, if the Q-tip is still pretty clean, use it to clean old adhesive gunk off your skin, coating your skin with Mastisol at the same time. If it’s already dirty, use a second Q-tip, freshly dripped. All of Dexcom’s “black goo” needs to be removed; extra time, rather than extra scrubbing, does the job best. (Note that using Q-Tips helps to keep the skin and adhesive pad apart while you’re working on either surface, that’s key.)
Now wait for at least 40 seconds. Just like “contact cement” wood glue, it MUST be dry before you stick the surfaces together! Using a dry Q-tip (probably the 3rd one use in the job), roll the edges of the pad back down onto your skin. Don’t press with your fingers-- the rolling action is better, because it spreads out semi-wet adhesive “lumps” without distorting the fabric. It also keeps Mastisol off your fingers, that’s nice too.
For me, that one fix-up lasts until the Sensor dies. And, back on the original STS, I usually got 17-19 days. I get a few days less with the 7+, but Mastisol seems to hold up for a lot of people-- if you do it right. YMMV, of course.
BTW, that “Skin-Prep” stuff creates much less redness on my skin than “I.V. Prep” did, and because it coats your skin, it’s also acting as a partial barrier against reactions to the Dexcom pad adhesive.
I love Skin-Prep! With that, and the IV-3000, the sensor takes a lickin’ and keeps on stickin’!
I started out using the SN Skin Prep then I had a sensor failure. When I called Dexcom I mentioned i had used a skin prep product. He suggested that the products were designed to be used for 7 days and a skin prep wasn’t necessary and suggested that it may have contributed to the failure (of course he’s trained to say that). I don’t think he said it outright, but that was my impression and take home message. At the moment it made sense. As i though about it, the inserter needle covers the sensor wire during insertion so the wire should never come in contact with the skin prep. So on the next sensor I used the SN Skin Prep and @ day 10 or 11 used the Mastisol trick. Works like a champ…