I don’t want to add confusion to the topic, but a note on swimming with Dexcom and my caution against even trying to do it. I have been cold plunging / swimming with it now for more than a few months and I don’t stay in the (very cold) water for that long, but long enough for my core body temperature to drop. My Dexcom errors and loses signal out every single time that I come out of the water and stays in error for at least 15 minutes before regaining connection. When it reconnects, it usually still gives me a false low (due to constricted blood vessels?). I would guess that with the amount of time that DM is in the (warmer, but still significantly cooler than body temperature) pool, her core temperature will drop. This could result in real-time Dexcom readings erroring out and it not being worth the hassle of trying to get Dexcom to work while in the water anyway. All theoretical, but food for thought! (All my way of saying: don’t bother trying to get the Dexcom to work while you’re in the pool … sometimes it’s nice to be untethered of these devices anyway – maybe the freedom from the monitoring is a good thing for that short period of time?)
Perhaps this is my body’s unconsious way of saying leave the dexcom reader in your locker and not think about it while in the pool. The less I associate myself with diabetes while I swim, the better. I am 100% free; I am not diabetic for at least that 1/2 hour. So, YES, it is nice to be untethered for a while. Its freeing. Thanks for that.
I SPENT MOST OF THE LAST DAY CRYING:
I know that this isn’t about swimming, but it really is, at least, tangentially. All of late yesterday afternoon, all evening, and overnight, and this morning, I spent crying. Although it may seem that I keep a really tight leash on my BGs and am a super hard worker on it, I still have to take steps back sometimes and remember that it is a disease and not a disgrace Its not my fault. I didnt do anything to deserve it.
However, there’s just so much you can control. Somedays my D goes crazy high no matter how many times I may change my pumps, look for air bubbles in the tubing, make certain its in a good location…Somedays I go low (and I mean REAL low) and I cant seem to dig myself out of the hole no matter how much juice I drink, no matter how much chocolate I eat…
well, as you must know by now, I recently started (just 4 days ago) on the DEXCOM G6. The first day was a nightmare. Completely inaccurate. I called their customer service and they are replacing it. The second one I put in worked perfectly. it was barely 5 points different than my finger stick throughout the day and the night. I thought, “this is magic; I LOVE this. I had hope that it will continue to work.”
Then, midday yesterday the Dexcom alarms started going off. Gosh are they loud and annoying. 
When I tested, sure enough, my BGs were dropping. I couldnt bring them up. I even turned off my pump for 20 minutes I was so frustrated (my sugars were in the low 40s). I thought that the Dexcom was working as it should, and since I had had that full day of success with it, and my finger sticks matched up, I just tried to hang in there and do the best that I could. Juice juice juice. And then around 4:30, I went from 63 to 164 within 10 minutes!!! WTF???
I was so utterly exhausted just trying to stay in TR all day. My entire life felt like it was devoted to trying to manage this disease. I felt like a disease
And that damned alarm was going wild. Finally, I ripped it off my tummy and figured out how to shut it down. I put myself back on a TB of 95%. I was nervous to have lunch bc I didnt want to add any more insulin into my system than what I already had swarming around in the basal. I ended up having 1 cup of cottage cheese (high protein low carbs). And then I wanted to try and put in a new sensor. But, I couldnt get the transmitter out. I called customer service and the rep got so frustrated with me he told me to go on UTube and watch the educational video.( Unfortunately, they only show you how to set it all up, not how to take it apart.) I called back and got a lovely young man who walked me through the entire situation. Phew.
I put the new sensor on my upper left arm. Fleshy there, despite my swimmers arms (giggle). went in comfortably, all seemed and felt alright. Its in the warm-up stage now, so ill see what happens once its ready to read the signal. I know the first 24 hours can b wonky, but Ill find out.
I know that I am hijacking my own thread with all of this yapping about my new Dexcom, but what I am really trying my best to express is the forlorn depression I am feeling. my husband is out working on a Netflix show (“Succession”) and has been out since 4am and all of yesterday. I am alone and except for now, have been lying on the sofa just crying. I am praying. I am trying to meditate. My parents dont understand me at all, so calling them would b of no use whatsoever. The one person I reached out to was my cousin who has Chrones Disease. He was sympathetic (phew 
)
Am I alone here? Do any of you experience this intense frustration? Feel like crying all day long? FUD makes my life so immeasurably better, but it doesnt eradicate the D.
This is where I’ll wrap it up and mention that this is one of the reasons I love to swim as much as I do. swimming is for athletes. I am an athlete. I like to define myself in that manner. Not “hello, my name is Daisy Mae and im a diabetic.” But, every now and then, I do cry my eyes out, and all I see in the mirror, and all I feel in my gut is depression and sorrow and frustration. Its been a rough bunch of hours.
Am I Alone here?
DM
Certainly not.
May find something helpful in this article, not sure of your age/situation.
Thank you so much for your caring offer of information. I found it a very educational and interesting read.
I think a lot of my feelings of depression lately have been more related to the physical pain I have had to live with and am still living with since my spinal surgery. It has really robbed me of so much and causes so much physical pain 24/7. The pain medication only helps so much and has such miserable side-effects. I think I have just been over-loaded and needed to let it all hang out.Yesterday was like the last straw. I just had a complete meltdown. But, as I have shared on FUD before, I do live with schizophrenia, and sometimes the symptoms from that can make living a regular lifestyle very challenging.
But again, thank you very very much. I also appreciate your compassion.
I love your posts, and I totally understand your position. You are indeed an athlete and perfectionist, as well as a strong and persistent person. You will resolve these issues!
Getting used to Dexcom is not easy. I’ve been using it since G4, and G6 was a totally different experience. The first few months were disastrous, sensors did not last more than a day. Moving from abs to upper (suggested by @JessicaD, I believe), back arm did the trick. I hope the same will do the trick for you!
Hi there. Thanks for sharing your experience. It helps to know that I am not alone. I put a new one on yesterday and I used the back of my upper arm. So far so good (with the exception of a wild morning inaccuracy (read 170, but finger stick showed 110). Callibrated and now im back on track.
I wasnt able, bc I didnt know how, to get the transmitter out so I called customer service and the man was Indian (from India ) I think.I couldnt understand a word he was saying, but he ended up telling me to go to UTube and watch the video. There was nothing on the video about how to remove it, so I called back and got a lovely rep who walked me through it. Next time that happens with a nasty rep, I will ask to speak to their supervisor. Thanks again.
@daisymae
You are not alone in any of this! Besides the D-exhaustion, your pain can completely wipe you out. Many times, I experience the complete overwhelming-ness of it all as well. Vent, cry, scream all you need to. Get it all out.
You are loved, and I hope you know that! 
I have had family experience with chronic pain (my father) and it was debilitating and depressing for him.
Regarding your Dexcom use, to quote @Eric earlier in the thread:
The system is not designed for the accuracy you maintain.
I have to confess that I can’t really visualize any other location for my G6 aside from my abdomen, and I do get some occasional issues there. When you say ‘upper left arm’ are you talking about the outside of your left arm or the inside? I guess the G6 insertion system allows you to put it anyplace you can reach…
I am putting it on the mid-way point between the outside and the inside of my upper left arm near my tricep. It seems to b working well there so far. Its been both accurate and the arrows have been helping me to see where my sugars are going and how fast. It makes it easier to make adjustments. So like I said earlier, I dont want to jinx myself, but last night and today have been just right with the exception of one morning callibration.
LIVE A LITTLE, LEARN A LITTLE, EXPERIEMENT #1:
I dont mean to gross you out, but all week I have had terrible diarrhea . I have actually had to turn my basal rate down to compensate bc my sugars keep going VERY low, despite juice and ice cream. Has this happened to anyone else with their blood sugars with intestinal problems? (it was almost like I was prepping for a colonoscope.)
So when I was getting ready to go to the pool, my sugars were in their 60s, and I turned off my basal for 20 minutes. Nothing. I took 1/2 a glucose tab, waited, nothing. I waited another 20 minutes and my sugars came up (finally) to 85. I left for the pool. I had a GREAT swim. I went in at 85 and finished at 75.
However, when I got out of the pool I just did my usual replacement insulin bolus. I didnt think clearly enough that I was on zero basal for and hour and a half. I didnt compensate and by the time I got home, my sugars had spiked to 175!!! Holy Cow! I pumped myself full of insulin and am still waiting for my BG to get into TR so I can drink my refuel shakes.
One moment later:
just did a finger stick and my BG was 97, so I am drinking my shakes. Only thing is my Dexcom is reading that I am still going lower. We’ll see what happens. I have a brand new Rum Raisin container of iced cream in the freezer and a fresh Black and White cookie on my counter with my name on it. (its the authentic jewish made one with thick layered icing on a medium/soft cookie underneath. You really cant find a better one in NYC!)
One moment later:
okay, so now I can eat some of that frisbee sized cookie. My sugars went down to 65.
After all of these years of swimming, the prep, the calculations, the effort, the mathematics (lol) of it all… You’d think I would b a pro at this. Well, as I have said more than once before, Its progress, not perfection. I am swimming again both Thursday and Friday, so i’l have my chance to do it all over again. Hopefully the Force will b with me! 
One moment later:
My sugars went down to 49. Boy that cookie was good. 
signing out,
DM
THE RAMIFICATIONS OF FEAR:
So my sugars ended up going down to 45. I was alone in the house and I felt frightened. I have everything a girl could have for low blood sugars, but some are more effective than others (as we all know) And its scary to b all alone with just a cat and the brain of mush that a very low BG leaves me with. Well, instead of going for the healthy stuff, I went for the cookie and picked some raisins out of the iced cream. Two hours later my sugars finally came back up, but they came up to 180! I bolused a correction, but an hour later they havent budged at all. Still 180. My Dexcom shows that they are coming down, so maybe there’s a Silver Lining in there somewhere. Fingers Crossed 
BTW: I think I may just be falling in love with the Dexcom. Not 100% quite yet, but it definately is helping me. And the alarms are very helpful during the night. I think I should give it a name. Anyone have any suggestions? I need a good hearty laugh right now, so PLEASE CHIIME IN! Male or Female…doesnt matter. Just something catchy with a nice ring to it to give me a chuckle.
@daisymae The Dexcom is a love/hate relationship. When it’s working, it’s better than sliced bread (besides, who doesn’t like to cut their own bread…preferably warm with a big hunk of melty butter…but I digress…). When the Dex doesn’t work, you hate the thing with a passion! Sometimes, you end up poking your fingers more in 10 days than you have in the last six months! A lot of us, as you’ve probably read, bemoan the first day which for many is wonky ride until it settles down; I usually start out high and watch it simmer down…but the one I’ve got on now has been terrible: high, low, low, high, then smack dab on it! Very frustrating. All of this said, I wouldn’t give up my Dex until something proven better comes along. I’ve taken the same approach as I have with my pods…if it isn’t working (at least after the first day), rip it out, use the website (for God’s sake don’t call, its a waste of time) to tell them it was bad and why, and get a new one shipped to you. Best of luck and may the Schwartz be with youououououououououuou!!
Tell me about it!!! Oh man, the first 2 days, mine was so wonky. Alarms going off in the middle of the night, waking up both me and my poor dear husband (I still cant believe we’ve been married over 2 decades…hes my miracle).
However, when it settled in, I fell in love. Its been right on the spot compared to my finger sticks. amazing. Yes, every now and then a crazy reading (which I know from how my body feels that the reading is completely off the beam drunk or something).
But, enough of that…Today I went swimming, and when I got out of the pool and was changing out of my suit to take a shower, I noticed that it was peeling off. there was absolutely no saving it and I didnt want to lose the transmitter either!!!. I took it off and put it in a safe place in my coat pocket till I got home. Then I called up Dexcom and they are replacing it. Nice of them, but Darn It All, it was working perfectly. I couldnt have asked any more from it. Now ive got to start all over again. I’m in the warm-up period now (which doesnt bother me as it does with some others who have posted how much they dread the 2 hour wait time.)
Thanks so much for your post. Its comforting to know that I am not alone.
DM, what day were you on AND have you tried the Dexcom “overpatches”? The overpatch is a sticker that you put over the entire Dexcom sensor (with a cutout for the transmitter) that extends the footprint of the sensor and gives you more skin “real estate” to grip onto. I typically try for 20 days (one re-start) of my sensors and I put an overpatch on when I do the restart. I could see how swimming could loosen the adhesive (I might need an earlier overpatch placement if I cold plunge in the lake more than usual). I totally agree that once I’ve got a good sensor running I reaaallly don’t want to take it off!
@daisymae the over patches from Dexcom are free for the asking.
FINDING A NEW BASAL PROFILE AND BEATING “DEPRESSION”, EXPERIMENT #1:
So this week was a week of hell with my Blood sugars. I kept dropping and dropping no matter how much OJ I was drinking. Copious amounts! Each day I lowered my TB rate, just hoping I would hit the nail on the head and find that sweet spot. This just took too long. And I am even a rather patient person. Finally, I settled in on an 85% TB and its been working fine for the past 16 hours or so. My evening went well, my overnight went well, my morning and afternoon went well. I dont know what this evening will bring bc I went swimming today, but I have a gut feeling that I will have a nice, uneventful evening.
The other day I posted about my depression. MM2 wrote a very caring and informative post about depression and included a very informative and interesting article about post-menopausable women and depression. Perhaps some of you have read it.
I, myself, am not the depressive sort. I am, though, post menopausal. I am a kind of happy-go-lucky kinda gal. Silly and playful determined and purseverent.
However, my depression finds me when my diabetes has made my life an awful messy hell that lingers and refuses to cooperate. And what I mean by that is that I have a zillion things I want to do with my day, but low BGs keep me a prisoner in my own home, endlessly, bc I cant get my darn sugars to come up to a safe enough range to be out doing whatever it is that I want to be doing. Obviously, I would never recommend leaving the house with a low sugar in the 40s. Just silly, IMHO, to me. Im certain that there are people who do this. But my personal opinion is that it is reckless and harmful. I prefer to nurture myself and make wise decisions based on what my body requires. ( OJ) And just as soon as I can keep my BGs up to 70+ I’m rare’n to go. Fly me to the moon.
These past 2 and a half years have been physical, emotional, and psychological hell for me. All of the surgeries, the restrictions, the paralysis, the rehab, the not being able to enjoy life the way I once had, and, of course, the physical excruciating pain. My life, as I knew it, had been taken away from me, and I was a miserable mess inside. But I pushed through it with prayer and gratitude and a wonderful support group (FUD, in case you hadn’t figured that one out ).
Who wouldn’t be depressed with all of that going on? And I dont take this lightly. Depression can kill people, quite literally. Seeking help is of the upmost importance. Thankfully, I have a team of medical professionals who were able to carry me through this with care and compassion.
What got to me last week, my meltdown, was the fact that I had been doing so well in my recovery and was back doing one of the things I love the most :swimming . Well, those nasty blood sugars really got to me. I felt like I had been robbed, assaulted, and , terribly inconvenienced. I was going backwards instead of forwards…or even just standing still. And, of all things, what came with that was depression. Now I am not medically diagnosed depressive. But I sure knew what it felt like to be one. My compassion is endless and enormous for those many people who suffer from it, with it.
What I also wanted to say was that I was able to get my BGs under control again (yay for that!) and I was able to get myself back in the pool for an amazing swim early this afternoon. Oh! How wonderful do I feel!!! I am myself again. And to top off the fact that I LOVE getting home and drinking my chocolate Boost refuel shakes, I took myself to the salon and got a deep tissue massage and a gel manicure. Talk about Self Care 
.
I just felt the need to clarify myself there in case I hadn’t been in my former post.
So not to belabor everything, I had a great swim today. I was in the pool just before 11:30am. My blood sugars were excellent both before and after. And I felt like a million bucks. swimming ROCKS! and I am changing my swim schedule to accommodate my preference toward an empty pool time. Now I will be going Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Very peaceful then, and thats one of the things I treasure so much.
signing out,
DM
I believe that I was on day 5. OMG. Perfection. To see that it was about to fall off after my swim was a horrifying event in my mind…“Oh NO, I have finally got this sucker going and perfectly calibrated (well, not perfectly ), and now the darn thing decides to slide off.” Well I was just grateful I didnt lose it (with the transmitter) in the pool. that would have been a PITA.
I called Dexcom and they are replacing the sensor and sending me a bunch of free over-patches. I will definately b putting them to good use. Thanks for the input! Appreciated.
On the Dexcom. I love it on my arms. I do like to put mine on the front of my arms. I just try not to put it directly over the largest muscle, otherwise it can ache especially when you swim. You can put it toward the sides of the back or front. But directly on the outside, it can get hit by door frames, directly on the inside if you sleep on your side it can get squished when you sleep and you will get a false low wake up. I calibrate mine as needed, quite a bit the first few days as I like mine to stay within 5 points of accuracy. That’s me though, it really seems to vary per person.
I find Skin Tac works really well to help keep the sensors on. I swim a lot, so Skin Tac goes on the Dexcom adhesive, and while I also do short swims, I do long swims too, I use the Dexcom overpatches and more Skin Tac on the adhesive too when I apply them. Since I restart my sensors they are on for an average of 25 days, so sometimes I have to use a Q tip with Skin Tac under the edges that might come up.
Pain adds on a whole other layer of energy and frustration.I have a really thrashed back. Most of the time I have learned what works and doesn’t for me. But it can flare up “just because” too. My recumbent bike and swimming are something luckily I can usually do. But when things don’t cooperate and you’ve done what you think you should, it can really get to you.
Many hugs your way.
I wear mine on the back of my upper arm. Its most comfortable there, and I dont worry about it getting hit and knocked off. I also sleep on my right side, so I wear it on the left side. Fortunately, last night (the first night) no alarms went off. I had a wonderfully deep deep sleep, which I havent had in a while, and woke up with a BG of 76. Nice hone that happens.
I prefer mine stays in the same range too. But like you, I am pretty compulsive and like everything to work right and give me the most accurate numbers I want. Its been very helpful since the 3rd day.