Basic CGMS questions

bflohockeymom · #1 10-26-2009, 08:22 PM

Hi everyone,

Haven't been on this board for awhile but I do know where to go for all the best advice and real-life info! My daughter started on the MM CGMS Friday. WOW - what a life changing event for me! I'm so excited to see the trends of her BGs and I know she loves waking up and seeing a straight line from the previous night. She has always been scared of going low at night (even though I always check her). I'm glad she now has a sense of security. Anyway, I've got a few questions based on things I've read here and just want to clarify.

1. Changing pump/sensor sites is really traumatic for her so I'd love to go longer than 3 days with the sensor. I see many/most of you do this with great success. However, when we pulled the first one off it seemed to leave such a large area of "mess" - large red spot, circular area, tape marks... I just wonder how much worse it will be if we leave it on for twice+ what's recommended. Which leads me to ? #2...

2. My daughter is so thin and it makes finding pump sites difficult. She prefers stomach but now we're finding we have to use the stomach for the sensor. We've used the thigh area a couple times but the sites don't last as long (bad BGs and they rip off easily). We occasionally use butt (too skinny there too!) and arms. Our MM trainer said we can't use the arms for sensor sites but I know I've seen kids with them in their arms and I've read on here that some of you use the arms for sensor sites. What gives?

Thank you so much!!!!

Dori

hawkeyegirl · #2 10-26-2009, 08:54 PM

Hi Dori! So glad you're liking the CGM! On to your questions:

1. We had to experiment a bit, because Jack was having some skin irritation at first too. It turned out that the actual transmitter was doing most of the irritation. Weird, because it's just a piece of plastic, but he almost got a burn-like mark around the outside of it. To combat that, we put a piece of Opsite tape down after we put the sensor in, but before we snap the transmitter on. That way, the transmitter doesn't touch his skin at all, and it looks so much better. We order our Opsite online from Edgepark pharmacy. A roll lasts us about 8 months, and costs $25.00 out of pocket.

Where the sensor comes out, we do get a little raised red hole. I put a little dab of Neosporin on it and a little circular band-aid, and they heal up nicely. We typically wear our sensors 7 days.

2. Jack is 5, and not skinny, skinny, but not a lot of chub, either. We put pump sites on his tummy, and CGM exclusively on his upper bottom. We have very good luck with it there, and it is protected by his underwear. We've never used arms, but I know that a lot of people do with good success. We may get to the point where we need a new site, and that would be my next stop.

Good luck!

dqmomof3 · #3 10-26-2009, 09:08 PM

It is wonderful that you are CGMSing now!

Jayden is not super skinny but she is super low in body fat. We exclusively use her arms for the sensor sites, and rotate belly and butt for the pump sites. You can definitely put sensors in the arms. We use a deeper angle in the arm than they recommend, probably around 60 degrees, and we have many more successes than failures with sensors. The only issues we have are when she has it pulled out during cheerleading or something of the sort.

For Jayden, the skin irritation isn't any worse at 6 days than it is at 3 days. We put in the sensor, cut a Tegaderm in half, and put half over the top part and half over the bottom, leaving only the transmitter hookup part exposed (the gold part with the black rings.) Then we attach the transmitter, so it doesn't actually touch her skin, and put a whole Tegaderm over the top. She still has some skin irritation, but not as bad as it was before we put Tegaderm underneath the transmitter.

Short answer - YES, you can use arms - they are all we use!

Snowbound · #4 10-26-2009, 09:11 PM

We do the same thing, although we use tegaderm. After inserting the sensor I cut a half piece of tegaderm and put on the skin under where the transmitter will go, being careful not to get it on the prongs. That cured our skin rash problems.

We use the upper arm, alternating left and right every 7 days.

hawkeyegirl · #5 10-26-2009, 09:15 PM

Those of you who use arms, is it on the side of the arm, or more toward the back? I want to try an arm site, but I'm skeeered.

Oh, and to the original poster - if sensor insertion is traumatic, have you considered numbing creme? We use it for sites and sensors, and my little needle-phobe doesn't feel a thing! It is AWESOME stuff for kids who don't like needles.

Snowbound · #6 10-26-2009, 09:18 PM

I move it around to different spots but generally more toward the back, up fairly high so that it's just covered by a tshirt. I put it with the sensor pointing down, but with the tape I don't know that it makes any diff.

bflohockeymom · #7 10-27-2009, 08:52 AM

WOW, thanks everyone for the advice! The tape is a great idea and she'll be so happy when I don't make her take the sensor out after 3 days this time.

THANK YOU!!!

dqmomof3 · #8 10-27-2009, 09:19 AM

We use the back of her arm - just have to be careful that I don't put it too far up or the transmitter ends up in her armpit which causes her no end of aggravation!! :-)

simom · #9 10-27-2009, 12:33 PM

We too had irritation with the transmitter. Our MM trainer suggested putting cloth tape on the back of the transmitter. We have done that with great success - before we made that change, I was afraid we'd have to quit CGMS due to the irritation - but it made all the difference! We too see a little redness around the sensor wire itself. We put a bit of neosporin on, and at last endo visit, she was quite pleased with how his tush was looking.

EmmasMom · #10 10-27-2009, 04:34 PM

We've been using arms for sensor sites for a long time. One of the big perks of arm sites, at least for us, is significantly less skin irritation. Because arms sweat less and are less likely to be submerged in a bath there is less moisture under the tape and much happier skin.

We tape under the transmitter for bottom sites too, but we don't have to do it on arm sites.