Hey all, I've been on my CGM for about a month or so and I use the Minimed Revel system. They gave me some of those IV adhesive things and some tegaderm ones to go over the sensor and transmitter to hold it in place. Anytime I shower though, the adhesive comes off, and therefore, so does the bandage, and this is with or without using a tac wipe or iv prep before hand so the thing sticks. Does anyone else have this problem, and if you do, how do you fix it?
i was on the cgm for about a month and it didnt do much for me... it was always off about my numbers and i know its not supposed to be spot on but it was very different then my actual number. when they gave me the adhesive things though i never had them coming off and i didnt use the iv prep either.. but that might also be because the site wouldnt stay in.. it was allways fallin out and thats another reason why it didnt work for me. sorry if this doesnt help.
Heather,
I have been on a CGM for about 5 years now, and I have been using a product called Mastisol. It is a wonderful adhesive that works when you shower, swim, sweat, and basically everything in between. It is SO strong that the company also created a product called Detatchol, so if you needed to remove it before the adhesive runs out, you can do so without hurting yourself.
I hope this helps!
Ken from New Jersey
Hey Ken,
Are you using just the actual liquid versions of this, or have you been able to find it in a wipe? I have tac wipes which are ok, but the adhesive wears off pretty quickly. I put my cgm on, showered shortly there after with using a tac wipe and the adhesive didn't last through it at all. I was also out in the heat today so I lost another tegaderm due to sweat. If you do use the liquid version of the mastisol and detatchol, how are you applying them?
Thanks for the suggestion!
I had tons of problems with my CGM. I finally switched to the Dexcom. Its readying are way more accurate, it doesn't hurt as much and you don't need to put any tape or adhesives or anything over and its water proof! You can even swim in it. When I did have the CGM I would just put about 4 bandages over it. That way when I shower the outer 2 would maybe get wet but the ones over the cgm would stay on. Then I'd take the wet ones off and put a few new ones over that. Hope it helps!
I've been with minimed for 9 years now, I love them though. And I can't switch, I just got this cgm this year and the pump last year, this is also waterproof. The tape and adhesive is to just hold it in place because the transmitter doesn't stick to your skin, but the sensor does. The transmitter isn't heavy enough to pull it out, but if you move the wrong way, you might. I've never tried it without the adhesives, but the guy told me I could.
How long does your Dexcom sensor stay on without help? I LOVE my daughter's Dexcom, but it's been a real challenge to keep it attached. I'm using a combination of skin tac and IV3000 right now. But she's been getting pretty ugly rashes. Ugh...
My tegaderm adhesive frequently peels back after showering..especially if I jump in the shower somewhat soon after I put the adhesive on. If I wait a few hours, it usually sticks better. I just try to dry it off the best I can with a little washcloth after I shower.
Hayley
My dexcom stays on for 5 - 7 days with nothing over it.
Sorry for the delay, Heather, I didn't get any notifications that there were more posts!
It comes in a spray, which sucks, but it also comes in a box with little glass vials. You crack the vials (much easier and safer than it sounds) and there's a little cottonball tip at the end. You apply that to the area where you are going to put your sensor, and it should stay put for a while. Just to be sure, I sometimes go over the edges after I apply it to make sure that it is not lifting anywhere.
Hopefully this helps!
Thanks, hopefully that'll work, I had issues with tac-wipes last night and trying to remove my sensor, I'd inserted it incorrectly and my pump couldn't find it if I was sitting down, so I had a fun time trying to remove it, even with the removal wipe!
For me it helps to wipe the site down well with alcohol wipes first. Sometimes I can't get the adhesive off now!!
Nikki
Hi Heather,
I have worn the Minimed Medtronic CGM for over two years and had similar problems with the tape loosing up. I live in Humid Houston, TX and have recently begun to use 1) Mastisol - a liquid adhesive to pretreat the skin and 2) a 2'x3" strip of HypaFix tape to completely cover the CGM. This combo has worked extremely well. Since the CGM stays in place significantly better than before, I now have less irritation at the insertion site. For me.the HypaFix removes easily (even though it remains effective) with no skin irritation.