Oof, that sounds really really unpleasant. My reaction got pretty bad too. I remember crying on day 2 when the burn would slowly start on a new site, because I was just so done with the discomfort and wanted anything to work and didn’t want one more spot in pain. The hydrocolloid was the only thing that finally stopped my own reaction. I had been using Tegaderm under it before, but would still get reactions, more slowly. My allergist thought it might have been because Tegaderm is gas-permeable?
You can cut a hole in any hydrocolloid bandage too for the probe! Hydrocolloids are thick, so I cut holes for months. I needed help inserting to get it centered though (the dovetail sounds helpful on what you’ve ordered). Once when I took my CGM off I saw my husband had actually missed the hole entirely… so ever since then I’ve just inserted it through the bandage, without issue.
Wishing you good luck with all the barriers you have coming. I hope one of them will be exactly what you’ve needed!
I have some underlayment patches from glucomart coming which are pre-trimmed for the G7, with a hole cut, and are relatively thin. The front of the patch is flat to match the applicator, so it can be lined up, so the hole is in the right place.
For now, I’m using a film-producing wipe, that I installed yesterday; it’s antiseptic and produces a film barrier. On the fingers, it feels slick once dry. It claims to promote adhesion. I wiped the area, let it. dry, applied the sensor, and let it sit for about twelve hours, before wiping the surrounding area and doing the overpatch. This will be an experiement to see how it affects the sensor, adhesion, and skin reaction. So far, the result is mostly positive. There’s some discomfort, but not as much as before. I’m interested in how it may react after getting wet, too. I think, based on the sensations, that it’s certainly causing some discomfort and there will be a surface reaction…but I won’t know the extent until the sensor and overpatch come off. The next one will probably use an underlayment. I’m running out of arm acerage to use, as it’s mostly all badly irritated, itching, burning, discolored, lumpy, leathery, or welted.
The film wipe didn’t work; I can’t put a sensor back on that arm presently, due to the welts, bumps, swelling, rash, burning, etc. The one on the other arm is failing…a datapoint every couple hours, maybe, says check back in three hours, most of the time. It’s lasted three days.
Increasing to fifteen day sensors is irrelevant, if they can’t last ten.
@Carbless I don’t recall seeing you comment on use of Tegaderm or similar patches. While I don’t use them to aid adhesion or protect from adhesive reaction for that reason, many use colloid patches/bandage materials. I use Opsite-Flexifix (off Amazon) to help stabilize cannula and prevent tunneling of insulin around the cannula. Many others use Tegaderm or similar. If you haven’t tried them, you may want to.
Ok .I’ll have to agree many of the issues between the G6 and G7 are similar. Sensor Errors, Signal loss, BUT the G6 does not have the history of falling off, skin rashes or the BIG ONE Sensor wire issues,
The G6 fell off me way more times than the G7 has. The G7 has fallen off once, the G6 a few times. IRC it’s getting to the point where I’ve used both for about the same length of time. I always skintac and I always use proprietary overpatches (the Dexcom ones are not cool.)
Signal loss, based on a rough complaint-based integration, is worse with the G7, particularly when used with the Omnipod 5.
Contrariwise signal loss for me I feel is slightly better with the G7. I suspect the algorithm to drop back to signaling every minute on a connection loss (rather than every 5 minutes) might help, when I roll over at night in response to 30 minutes of lost data the G7 is picked up pretty fast. That depends on the receiver as much as the transmitter so maybe the G6 would be better these days.
The G7 gooseneck problem is, for sure, a G7 issue; kind of difficult to do that with a G6! So that’s a downer, but they do replace them every time; it’s like Amazon deliveries, take a photo to be safe! I agree it’s a biggie, for those who don’t know it look to the right of the DEXCOM “D” and note the curious hoop - the gooseneck - that’s the sensor wire.
(That’s my cool overpatch; I didn’t check for the gooseneck before I applied it, my bad.)
Skin rashes; that’s personal. I’ve only responded adversely to poison oak in the last 40 years and I have to spray that onto my skin to get a reaction so, lacking personal experience, I believe it is very much a real concern and very much a matter of the core adhesive in the sensor, G6, G7, Abbott*. I’d factor out the overpatch first perhaps by applying a different overpatch (since they only supply one per sensor) somewhere else and if there is no problem using that (different) overpatch instead of the OEM.
Tegaderm I don’t have at the moment, but am using some underlayment patches from glucomart. Tegaderm may be next on the list, if I could find somewhere to put them. I’m running out of space that isn’t severely inflamed, weeping, burning, etc.
Not sur3 if everyone is aware that the only reason for moving the insertion location of a CGM is to give the skin surface a rest. The CGM is clinically having no impact on the tissue below the surface of the skin. There is no scar causing damage from the use of a CGM, unlike an infusion site. This clinical fact not a hack.
I have to keep moving the location of the sensor because for thirty days after, I can’t use that portion of my arm; for ten days or more after the sensor comes off, it’s swollen and inflamed, and after that, it eventually dries out, and feels like a thick silver-dollar size of cowhide leather on the surface, and beneath the skin, but itches, burns, and it entirely inappropriate for installing another sensor.
I wouldn’t use tegaderm without extensive engineering to the patch; the product does not have a hole and without that it will shift the sensor body with every movement possibly causing more issues.
This certainly isn’t advised by Dexcom but IRC someone recently stated a use of the G7 completely without an overpatch. That appeals to me because I don’t have any problem most of the time with the thing falling off however it is clearly disrecommended by Dexcom so it might be better to try a competing product.
I’d recommend visiting an allergist if you can. I felt like a big failed science experiment before I did, with welts, itchy on-fire sensations, and thick bumpy skin like you’re describing. I’d find things that kind of worked for a while, but after being told what the allergist suspected my allergy actually was, I finally was able to contact companies to ensure my underlayer/wipes/etc. didn’t contain the same allergen too.
Similar behavior using Apple Watch and G7. With watch on same arm as sensor, direct to watch works well. With watch on opposite arm bluetooth reception is spotty.
Another G7 failed today, bringing the failure rate closer to 97% now. This one was a replacement for a replacement for a replacement. This one lasted six days. It’s better than the last one, that failed after three days.
Those who market these products should see prison time. They never fail to replace the sensor; just had one delivered to the house a day ago, and now another will be fedexed…but they don’t even question it…it seems assumed that they’ll be sending an endless series of replacements, because they all fail. I cannot wrap my head around delivering a product to the market, especially one that impacts lives, that has such an incredibly high failure rate. It’s mind-boggling. Not quite as bad as the 100% failure rate for the Libre 3 and Libre 3 Plus…but very close, now. To say I’m disugsted would be far understating my view. This should be a criminal offense.
