Hello ladies,
I am about to get my own CGM for the first time and wanted to hear from others how do they manage the CGM on various sites to do activities such as swim, exercise, intercourse, etc. I know when I wore a trail one for a week, it didn’t even last a week and came off.
Any pointers on best CGM sites and for allowing the CGM to stay on for the week duration during these type of activities?
I tend to keep my CGM on my thighs and upper arms. I leave my stomach, hips, and butt for pump sites. Since the CGM has to last a week, I feel that putting it on my stomach wears it out faster–more bending/twisting/movement in that area with activity, plus pulling pants up and down that it can get caught on, etc. I just feel like it’s more out of the way and more stable on my arms and legs.
I also feel like the CGM lasts best on my upper arm, though I do also do a stomach site from time to time. I have a routine I’ve gotten down to make the adhesive last, and it works well for me.
To start, I always use SkinTac (available from Amazon in either liquid or wipe form) under the sensor adhesive. Basically wipe it on in a circle (leaving a circle in the middle where you actually insert the sensor), let it dry, then apply the sensor over it. This has really helped me.
Then, as soon as the edges start peeling up, I put a GriffGrip on over the top of it all (once again with more SkinTac underneath). The oval GriffGrips are the best, as any of the “fun” shapes with points and stuff actually peel off a lot faster.
Though you are supposed to change the site every week, I will admit to frequently using mine for 3 weeks. This system (normal adhesive for about 1 week, added GriffGrip after that) helps it stay on nicely that whole time, including during swimming and exercise.
If you use SkinTac, make sure you also order adhesive remover wipes. It’s pretty strong stuff. Good luck!
Thanks, this helps especially the adhesive advice. I believe my husband is more concerned with site areas and how it may affect… Uh hmmm… passionate moments. Lol. Not sure what to tell him or ensure him that the CGM won’t get in the way or he has to be overly mindful I am wearing it. How do you ladies handle this in certain site areas and ensure it doesn’t come off the site area?
I get the concern :). Other people may have different experiences, but I’ve generally found that the CGM is pretty durable. I was worried at first, too. I usually wear the CGM toward the back of my upper arm, so it is very much out of the way. I’ve actually briefly forgotten what arm it was on and had to swivel around to look. As far as worry about ripping it out, I’ve really found that pretty hard to do. After the first few times that I hit it while walking through a door frame (pretty significant impact) and realized it was totally fine, I stopped worrying as much.
My biggest problem has honestly been convincing other people it is okay-that it doesn’t hurt me at all to touch it and that it really isn’t that fragile. I needed help swapping out a transmitter and had to get a fellow CGM user to help me because everyone else was so scared they were going to hurt me or the device. My friend with a CGM knew that it can actually stand up to quite a lot before it’s a problem, and I don’t feel a thing if it gets pushed on.
So as to whether ripping it out a problem…I’m sure it can happen. But I’d say it’s pretty unlikely. I’ve found pretty unobtrusive places to put it (back of the arm is a great site for me) and if you and your husband can get comfortable with how durable it is, I think everything will be OK. Like I said though, this is just my personal experience. But if it can survive being hit full force on a door frame… 
My CGM falls off more often when I swim, but just don’t be afraid to put extra things on your CGM to help it stick longer.