Hi. I wonder if anyone has found an alternative to the Simpatch for the G6–I’m looking for something like the “strap” that holds the sensor in place (I keep tearing them off on the fridge door, rounding corners, and otherwise just living normally), but isn’t so honking huge. The Simpatch would be perfect if it was smaller, but I don’t need or want to cover such a large area of skin. Has anyone even figured out a homemade hack that might achieve the same purpose? Thanks in advance for any ideas.
@revroth. Welcome to TypeOneNation.
I have two ideas.
- have you tried the Dexcom ‘overpatch’? They are free and can be ordered on the Dexcom website.
- have you tried large a fabric style adhesive bandage to smooth out the edges of the sensor bump? Something like a Band-Aid or CURAD brand bandage about 2x4 inches may work to ‘smooth the bump’.
Hope this helps. Please share what you find as your solution. Sharing will help us learn what works.
Hi @revroth. I’m notorious for walking too close to walls and doors so I try to place by sensor in line with the bend of my elbow rather than on the side of my arm. In either case, I use a shield and put a Simpatch over it. The shield takes the bumps and I find it does a good job of protecting my sensor when I put it on the side.
I hope you find a solution that works for you if you don’t care for this one.
Thanks for weighing in, Dorie. I saw this one, but assumed that the lack of a strap over the transmitter/sensor meant it wouldn’t address my concern. Does it actually do anything to keep them from being ripped off by accident?
Thanks for responding. The Dexcom overpatch does nothing to address the issue of the sensor itself getting ripped off of the patch–it only reinforces the adhesion of the patch.
I like the band aid idea. That might protect the sensor a little better and not cover half my tricep like the Simpatch. Thanks, gonna try that next!
Here’s a pic of the shield and patch when I removed them the other day - the sensor remained in my arm. Nice thing about using the shield/patch combo is it keeps the devices in place but they detach separately from the sensor/transmitter. Admittedly I don’t do contact sports of anything that might be powerful eggnog to dislodge it - and my wall bumps haven’t been very hard, but for my use it’s quite secure. If you PM me I’ll be happy to send you a patch with a strap but I’ve never used it without the shield. I promise to send the tan, not the purple one 
.
Thanks for the offer, Dorie, but that thing is just too huge for me. I can’t find any contact info online for the Simpatch brand, but I left a question on Amazon, hopefully they’ll see it and respond. I take it then, that the shield in itself doesn’t do anything to keep the sensor from being yanked off by impact/etc?
It serves as a shield or buffer. Given the size of the sensor and its own take I don’t know that you’ll find anything small to hold it in place, but I hope you do. If you finagle something yourself or find something, please let us know! Wishing you the best - stay well.
Dorie, I just had an idea–do you see any reason I couldn’t buy some Simpatches and just cut them down to a more desirable size? Do they seem scissorable or are they too tough? THANKS!
You should be able to cut them - sure you don’t want one to experiment on first?
You, my friend, have a deal! I’ll DM you my address.
If I may ask you one more question–how much additional protection does the plastic piece give, in your opinion? Do you think a Simpatch with a strap by itself is enough to keep the sensor from ripping off?
Like I said, I don’t do a lot of contact activities, and those with doors aren’t too hard. But I like having it in place - I feel like I have an extra bit of security.
OK–I’ll start without and see how I like it. Hey, I apologize, but I can’t figure out how to DM on here, can you enlighten me?
Click on my name and you should see a link to send a message.
Hi Jason,
I have used Sim Patch and I would cut them to a smaller size - @ 1/4 - 3/8 around the outside edge. This way, it was not so big but still worked. I have since started using Skin Tac barrier wipes under my devices. This is a stronger adhesive, but is hypoallergenic. It works great to keep everything attached to me, even when I bump them!
Hope this is some help,
Pam K.
T1D 56+ years and counting!