Medtronic CGM rash and cuts

General
1

Hey!

I have been on the new Medtronic 670g and the CGM since May. I love it so much and am having such a good experience with it blood sugar wise but my skin gets extremely irritated, almost peels my skin off and last week the transmitter plastic dug into my skin so much that when I took it off, there was an outline of the transmitter cut into my stomach. I will probably have to stop wearing it on my stomach as I feel the pain right now… im dying to get home and take it off with the uni-solve.

Has anyone else experienced this?

2

Hi @kristingates
Welcome to our group.

One of the big hesitations I had about using Medtronic’s things are just that, rash and bad reactions from their tape. It is one of the biggest complain I hear (well, that and the auto-mode! LOL)

You can ask them to send you a tape sample kit, however it is in backorder.
The most often used tapes are
IV3000
Tegaderm HP
Hypafix
KT tape (or any other kinesiology tape)

then there are patches:
Simpatch
GrifGrips
expressionmed
and other

you can also use different skin prep solutions (like skin-tac or IV prep pad) to help you before putting the tape on. Also, some people use flonase, or liquid benadryl
they first clean the area with alcohol (let it dry
use an anti allergy spray on the area
then skin-tac and after that the sensor and tape

When I spoke with the medtronic rep in regards to the sample kit, she told me to cut small pieces of the different tapes and put them on your skin to see how you react (instead of putting it directly on top of the CGM or infusion and be stuck with it for a week.

There was a mention (I think on this forum) where some people put on the IV3000 on the skin and then the sensor on top (Although Medtronic doesnt recommend doing that)

So far I am personally reacting to IV3000 and tegaderm. I thought I ordered Hypafix, which apparently is very recommended (Medtronic recommends it even though they dont sell it) but I must have been asleep when I was did the ordering because I never got it, and dont see it in my orders either.

Nexcare also has some Medical tape for sensitive skin, some people just use that to tape their sensor with. They say its pretty good and easy to remove. they change it daily. there is a youtube video that shows how she does it. I cant give you the direct link, but her name is Sarah Smiles and the video’s title is Alternate taping method for Mini-med Enlite CGM - Sensitive skin.

here is a link to Medtronic PDF document called Tape tips and site management.
on page 8-9 are a few more options
Medtronic PDF document

Im about to try the simpatch, wish me luck.
I still have blisters, bumps and rash from when I removed my tape last week.
hope some of this helps

1 Like
3

Hi @kristingates. Like you I also struggled with the Medtronic tape. It will take some experimenting to find something that works for you. Other things to consider.

  • Try other sites. The Medtronic sensors are now FDA approved for the arm and while not approved a lot of people use their thighs. From what I have seen on 670g groups, basically anywhere you can inject insulin, you can use the sensor.
  • There are also some who can use the Medtronic tape on their arms and thighs but not their abs.
  • To add to Emet’s list, there are also sugarpatches (a little pricy but people really love them) and Fixic. Most of the tapes and patches are available on Amazon.
  • Also consider a multi product fix for the irritation. I use my arms and thighs (my abs are a disaster both for irritation, erratic SGs and sensor life) , use Flonase, and skintac and then use IV3000 for a waterproof seal over the transmitter/sensor connection (I am very cautious about water getting in the connection) and then put a grifgrip over the whole thing. I’ve got some sugarpatches on order to give them a try - they have patches that are really “fun”.

Good luck. Stay strong.

4

Hi Kristin,
Yes I had a similar issue with my CGM
After resorting to my upper thigh for placement due to scar tissue issues elsewhere I started having slight irritation from the adhesive but more importantly I was developing a black and blue mark around the perimeter of the transmitter. I am not on any blood thinners or aspirin medications , there is no reason for me to bruise like that. I don’t know why it was happening but I d/c’d the CGM indefinitely. Life is much less complicated now without having to deal with the alarms and the calibrations and the constant attention it required. That’s just my experience , my doctor even agreed that it’s not necessary for me to wear a CGM since I don’t have low BG issues. I gave it the old college try and it just didn’t work out for me although I understand some people have no problems whatsoever with it