Just did a sensor change for Samson and there was so much blood, it was really oozing out.
I’m wondering if this will wind up working or not? Or should I just assume no and change out again.
He loathes and dreads sensor change and it just keeps getting worse and worse. I think part of the reason it may have not worked is he was hyperventilating and squirmed around a lot before we had a change to press the button.
We have had a few gushers in the past and we swapped them out immediately…the tape/underneath the sensor, everything was just soaked with blood and Liam just didn’t want to keep it on and I honestly couldn’t even stop the bleeding w/o taking it off.
So sorry Samson loathes these change-outs. And as you know, there isn’t any magic pill…Liam has grown out of it now but you know I went through the screaming bloody murder myself for a long time with Liam. It’s not a fun place to be and it’s heartbreaking for us parents everytime.
I’ve never left one on honestly so I’m not sure if the data would still be accurate or not.
it seems like it hurts a lot – it’s not just fear. And he says he doesn’t want to change it but I’m worried he’ll have two hours of no data and then have to repeat.
He didn’t mind the G5, the G6 is more painful for him
Wow, it’s amazing how different, different bodies are. Liam says the G6 is SO much better than the G5 and he says he can’t even feel the shot at all. I haven’t had any gusher with the G6 yet but it’s the same deal no matter what system…lots of drops of blood and they just keep on coming until you put enough pressure on it to stop it. So in the past I did apply the pressure on top of the sensor before the transmitter was applied to the sensor, but because of the big mess I was just afraid of the very issue you just mentioned…2 hour warmup, then repeated “signal loss” periods and I just didn’t want to deal with that.
So sorry Samson is having a rough time with these shots. My heart breaks for him in the same way it does for Liam. I hope you guys move past this stage soon. Have you tried distractions? Since the shot for the G6 is a known…you can choose to push the button whenever you want, maybe do a counting thing with him and push it NOT on the agreed upon number, or distract him somehow while the shot’s happening?
I know it would be a hassle, but have you thought of letting him go a short period of time without the sensor? My son got to a point where he just wanted to not have the tech on him all the time. After taking control and giving himself a couple of week long breaks and one month long break, he eventually puts the tech back on because it is just so convenient.
I’ve discussed with Liam doing MDI and he still remembers it and has expressed ZERO interest in MDI. At his age, he just wants the fewest shots possible. This is definitely something we will work with him as he gets older, though, because I think it’s critical to have the MDI skills.
Well, he also hates finger sticks and would refuse to do them sufficiently frequently to make him safe, I think.
WE are open to it but he is not able to do the finger sticks himself really – he can put the strip in the meter, but he never presses hard enough to draw blood.
The G6 is definitely more violent feeling to me than the G5–over much faster, which is why I think most folks say it’s less painful, but it has an intensity the G5 didn’t necessarily have. So I’d say the quality of discomfort is different, and it depends on what quality you find more objectionable.
Have you tried numbing creams 20-30 min before using it? Like emla. Don’t know if it would help since discomfort is also below the skin, but might be worth a try. Also could your endo refer to you to a pediatric behavioral medicine specialist to maybe work with you and Samson on strategies for making it all easier? I would think that type of psychologist would exist in a large city… I have a psychologist friend at Stanford who does BMed T1D research, and I can ask her if she has suggestions in SF if you’d like.
I would expect a sensor that bloody to be useless and would immediately replace myself if I had one, so I don’t know. The handful of times I’ve had off sensors from the get-go, there has always been blood.
I have a psychologist friend at Stanford who does BMed T1D research, and I can ask her if she has suggestions in SF if you’d like.
This might actually be helpful. It’s getting to the point where there’s a trauma every time it happens and in the future it’s going to interfere with his ability to take adequate care of his diabetes.
Sure! Remind me how old Samson is now?
He’s 7 in a few days.
Happy early birthday to him! I’ll ask her and let you know what she says.
He takes pump breaks too, but more often just Dexcom breaks, i.e. just uses his pump as a pump. But of course would need to do more finger sticks, so not a holy grail. Sorry you guys are going through this. Tough sledding all around.
We’re not planning on doing any Dexcom breaks because I enjoy my sleep too much. lol. With young ones, knowing they’re safe when they sleep is critical. Not sure if that changes as they age and become teenagers, but without that CGM data constantly visible I’m a wreck.
This is me beginning to track Liam’s BGs via CGM.
This is me after a few years of tracking religiously.
But I love having that constant feed!
Not to mention, Loop doesn’t work without either a constant CGM feed, or finger sticks every 20 minutes.
When your son gets older he will likely take control, it was actually really nice to see Cody live without the tech for a month and not have any serious lows, and not have his A1C skyrocket either. Makes me feel better about college. The lad can manage it when needed in any siutations
I had one that leaked quite a bit for about 5 minutes. I went through a few paper towels soaking up the leakage as it gradually slowed and eventually stopped, then I put on the transmitter and the sensor started and worked normally for 10 days.
@TiaG I have had a few gushers over the years. They hurt WAY more initially and take longer to settle down. Once they do settle down, they are usually spot on with my meter. Also, pre-G6, I could usually run them +25 days.
I usually change out the bleeders right away because I know they usually do not last anyway and I’ll end up with sensor error after sensor error. You can get a replacement from Dexcom when they happen so at least you won’t be short sensors. I know your main issue that Samson hates the insertion. It’s understandable I wonder if it is possible to find site where it wouldn’t bother him as much, maybe a place that he cannot see easily while you do the insertion?
Happy early birthday to Samson. He deserves a very happy, special day, and you, too!
I’ve had increasing numbers of cases where I got blood after insertion; not gushers but definitely oozers. So far as I can tell it doesn’t affect the long term (+24 hours to 9 days) behavior of the G6 sensor. It’s curious but I haven’t drawn any conclusions; I just wait to see what happens and then deal with it when it does. I’ve never yet had to abort a sensor in the 2-8 day period.
I’ve noticed if I change my sensor around a time when my sugars are running higher it doesn’t bleed as bad… But obviously don’t purposely make it high for that. Makes sense though , blood is thicker when there is more glucose in it. Also I pop my transmitter out and reuse the sensor, I use a test strip and slide it between the sensor and transmitter on both sides (a little above the middle mark) and wait a half hour then use a code from an old sensor and it works. Maybe some of this will help, also if it bleeds go run warm water through it immediately untill it rinses out, wait for it to dry, then put the transmitter in.