I’m trying to find new sites, as I’ve overused my stomach and upper buttocks/lower back area. Whenever I put my Dexcom on the front of my arms, a few inches up from elbows, the site is so itchy the entire 10 days. I always shower first, use alcohol swabs over the area, but this is the only area that consistently itches. It’s both arms too. Back of arms is fine. I don’t know why, and it is annoying, because the readings are so good here, and it doesn’t get knocked around like it does when on the backs or sides of my arms, or bother me when I side sleep.
Any remedies to stop the itch? It’s like it’s under the dexcom, but it’s likely the tape area.
Skip the alcohol, give Skin-Prep (brand name) a try. Cleaning with soap and clean rince with water should be enough. The skin in this area is often quite sensitive.
I spray it on and let it air dry for a few minutes so the pod will stick.
I tried all the things suggest in the many threads below. I tried Safe n’ Simple skin barrier wipes. I tried Medline SurePrep skin protective barrier wipes. I tried Flonase spray.
I have tried them all!
And so far, the Benadryl spray has worked the best for me.
But you probably need to go through and try different things and see what you think works the best.
My own experience is that itchiness directly correlates with the amount of skin-wrinkling under the adhesive. In some places, the skin remains mostly taut more than other places. Pods used to itch a lot on my chest but nowhere else. Sensors occasionally itch on my chest but nowhere else. I’m a side sleeper, so depending on my position, I realized the adhesive can get scrunched up, along with the skin under it, and hey presto, itching. The weight of the pod (compared with a sensor) probably contributed. No more pods on chest. If sensors bug me, rubbing Solarcaine/lidocaine gel over the adhesive fixes it.
It might be worth changing your overpatch if you are using the G7. There’s no way to change the adhesive on the G7 itself but that’s a small area. The overpatch is our choice and it’s likely to use a different adhesive.
I’m in the US and the G7 instructions say to use the back of the arm and nothing else! So I do that, even though that means I can’t use the Dexcom overpatch (I simply can’t do that amount of contortion). I haven’t had any problems so far (other than the obvious “doorframe” ones) and I just oscillate between the two back-of-arms.
I do attempt to rotate the inserter each time, sort-of. It’s the back of the arm so I’m doing this in a mirror and that makes everything very difficult. All the same I do G7 overlap and I’ve just noticed I’m still wearing the old, dead, one; no itch
I’ve tried all these tips. I am extremely allergic to Dexcom and their overpatch. Now I have found the solution. SugarPatch for under, Fixic for over patch. Voila! Perfecto!
Not fun, the itching can be horrible. My itching is mainly from an allergy to the adhesive. But I’ve noticed some spots, like my stomach, are just more sensitive to having something on them period.
My solution to the allergy has been a layer of Flonase, a layer of Cavilon, a hydrocolloid bandage (the BandAid “large” ones are just barely the right size to fit under the Dexcom G7), and the Dexcom on top.
I usually end up putting Tegaderm over the edges since the hydrocolloid starts peeling off after a couple days. The Tegaderm still sometimes gets itchy because of skin wrinkling as Beacher mentioned. I think next time I’m also going to try shaving a couple hours before placing the Dexcom, to keep any skin/hair pulling to a minimum!
I made it through the very long 10 days. I now have the Dexcom on the back of my other arm, and it’s totally fine. No itch at all. I’m just accepting the front of arms is a no-go for me.
From earlier threads on allergies to Dexcom sensors:
The 3M hydrocolloid bandage is still working for
me. I put it on a wood block and punch a 13/64
inch hole with a leather punch from Tandy Leather
(Crafttool #07 13/64), peel off the wrapper,
open the Dexcom G6 sensor and flip it upside
down, remove the paper including the one with the
code on it, put the yellow side of the bandage
down with the holes lined up, press the bandage
down with attention to the area around the hole,
then peel off the backing and put it firmly on my
arm. Press the bandage down all around many
times, then inject the sensor. Cover the whole
thing withn a 4x4 patch of Tegaderm cut from a 4"
roll. I am not having any reactions from the Dexcom adhesive.
Update on my experiment: Shaving made things worse. Still a bit itchy, but with much less staying power. I did some gardening the day after putting it on and the sweat made it almost fall off, which has never happened to me! Extra layers of Tegaderm on top of a Dexcom and older Tegaderm that was peeling up was way more uncomfortable haha.
I’ve been shaving the intended area for both pods and CGMs for a few months (hate pulling hairs and don’t use a remover fluid). I also use alcohol on a cotton ball prior to application. I’ve only experienced one with sensitivity (red and itchy with a pod). I’ve not experienced any coming off (one due to pool/seawater). I’m convinced it depends on skin oil and sweat varying with different people.
Still a bit itchy, but with much less staying power. I did some gardening the day after putting it on and the sweat made it almost fall off, which has never happened to me! Extra layers of Tegaderm on top of a Dexcom and older Tegaderm that was peeling up was way more uncomfortable haha.