I started on the g6 a couple of months ago. First 3 insertions went fine, but I had a lot of bleeding with the last 2 and both sensors failed. Dexcom is replacing them and asked me to send the failed ones back to them. I know I’m probably the only person on the planet who prefers the old insertion system, but I used that for years and never bled! Is this just a fluke or are others experiencing the similar issues with bleeding from the new insertion system? I am an adult, slender build and they did asked my weight when I reported the problem. I wonder if they are seeing this with thinner people? I was very pleased with their response and expect they will make changes if this seems to be more then a one off.
Hi. My daughter is ten and she bled too the first time. Dexcom did send us a replacement. We change it in a few days and I’m hoping it doesn’t happen again! She did bleed a few times with the G5 too. We have a friend that has never bled. I don’t know why this has happened to us either. Curious what others say. My daughter is slim too.
ive bled thru three of my last four g6 sensors. Never happened on the G5. I asked if it had anything to do with my body type and Dexcom said no but I cant help but wonder if the sensors are longer or injected more forcefully than I used to do on the G5.
I’ve actually noticed the same thing–I never noticed bleeding with the g5, and lately it feels like I can’t insert a g6 without bleeding. I haven’t needed to replace any of mine though.
I’ve done 2 insertions with the G6 now and I haven’t had a single issue with bleeding. This is my first CGM even though I’ve been diabetic for 28 years. Actually I’ve been really happy with the G6 other than a few calibration issues where the G6 was reading 260 but my glucometer said 200.
For the first 3 months I used it, I had zero bleeding. I took a break from it for a couple months and every insertion now has bled. Out of curiosity, I left them in and the readings have been pretty accurate. Doing everything the same and I’m slim to average build. As long as they’re not off by too much, you’re probably ok to leave it in.
I was on the phone with Tech Support and the lady mentioned with the new G6 insertion device it is best to pinch the skin much like how you would for an insulin injection. She says the device fires the sensor deeper into the skin and often reaches the muscle underneath.
Ive been having nasty bleeding and bruising with my insertions the last 4 times and my first 3 were really good too but I don’t know if I can stick with it now. This last one hurts considerably. I’m going to talk to my endo in the morning to see what she has to say about it. I use an ice pack for 15-20 minutes before I do my insertion I also use Americane spray and I still feel it. I would also like to report that I am not skinny by any means so size has nothing to do with it. I do however think that stabbing oneself with a straw would lead to more bleeding than say a sharp needle. I say that because under my microscope it looks like a straw and not a needle. I’ve had my fair share of IVs in my time and those needles are for insertion of a catheter into a vein and they are sharp not dull. This is just what I’ve seen and thusly my opinion. I do have photos of the straw insertion device…
I just put a new sensor on for the first time (on myself) and it started bleeding quite a bit. I still put the transmitter on, but I don’t know if it will work properly or not. I can see the blood on the side of the sensor, and I don’t know if I should be concerned or not.
@diabeets Hi Colin, if the bleeding is serious you should seek professional medical advice - not post to a forum. And also call DexCom immediately. Other than that, Welcome to the JDRF TypeOneNation Forum! This is a site made up primarily of persons affected by T1D, very few of whom are licensed medical professionals.
As for the “bleeding”, is this a little blood, like you might occasionally see around a pump-infusion site? Is so, the sensor readings should not be affected; in my use of Dexcom sensors for a couple of years, I’ve had one that showed a bit of blood.
After you speak with a service representative / technician at Dexcom, let us know if you are still concerned.
Hi @diabeets. It’s been several hours since you first posted, and hopefully by now things are working as they should. I second Dennis’s recommendation about calling Dexcom and your doctor for urgent issues. I just wanted to share this: when I placed my second G6 sensor (this has also happened with the G5) I got the — symbol in lieu of readings, indicating a connection error. I usually use the lower part of my abdomen but decided to use the your this time. It felt fine going in, but because of the placement I couldn’t see that I had bled when doing the insertion. When I removed it, it was a bloody mess. That’s only happened a handful of times and I can only attribute it to bad luck/bad site selection. I’m trying to be more vigilant about looking for blood as I insert - perhaps a little won’t hurt readings but in excess it might cause a communication error. Dexcom replaced it for me.
It seems to be working fine, I probably just put it too far off to the side, hopefully I don’t goof it up next time
I’m glad to hear that Colin @diabeets. It sounds as if you and I have both “suffered” this the same way - really nothing bad happened.
Now, just for a smile, where would we be if we never had a “goof”. With diabetes, as well as with other conditions, at times we need, I NEED, a bit of relief from cares - for me, a chance to laugh at my own mistakes.
I had the same issue on my last change. I was sure that I was going to have to switch out. Bad readings (98 to 74 to 45} I didn’t want to deal with it (it was bedtime). so I turned off the monitor and used my basic meter. Turns out that by morning everything was ok. Yay! I was surprised, but I guess once the blood dried up, it normalized. It’s day 5, so we’ll see.
I need help I have had an issue with my sensor too! This is my first time using it and I have a lot of questions. I put my sensor in And it caused my stomach to bleed, I do not know if this is good or bad. I am only 13 years old and my mom got mad That it was bleeding, Which I understand because it could be dangerous. Please some reply to me and tell me if i did something wrong and what I’m supposed to do!!??
I’ve had some bleeding sometimes. It can be because of your insertion site. It did not mean you put it in the wrong place, but some spots may bleed more than others. Sometimes it works fine with a little bleeding, sometimes not. I suggest you and mom call your doctor, nurse educator or trainer for advice. If they tell you to start a new one have your mom call Dexcom - they replace them if there’s a problem.
2 Likes
@moderators , is this official? Thanks.
2 Likes
Yes Dorie @wadawabbit, discobot is real. Not a real person but a real bot. Shorthand for robot.
This bot is a Forum Moderator that will assist a member experiencing difficulty using the Forum site. It appeared that the person posting the question to which you just responded had some difficulty.
Since joining our team when we launched this improved Forum, this robot has intercepted and deleted many SPAM messages before the infected messages could reach our mailbox
All I can add to @Dennis reply is discobot is “discourse robot”. It popped up because the previous post included tagging the bot. Not a major player here in public but more so behind the scenes. No worries.