If you are a regular reader of Diabetes Strong, you probably noticed that I often wear my Dexcom CGM on my upper arm. It’s one of my favorite places to wear the CGM but it can be a little tricky to insert it without help until you learn the technique.
Since a lot of you have been asking how I do it, let me show you in this short video:
As you can see, it really isn’t that difficult, but I still recommend havening someone around to help the first time you try it.
Why I wear my Dexcom CGM on the upper arm
My upper arm is one of my favorite CGM placements for several reasons.
- It’s a meatier part of my body, so there’s absolutely no pain when inserting the sensor
- I’ve found that this placement, for me, is where I have the least risk of ripping off the sensor by accident
- I get very accurate readings.
The only downside to wearing it on the arm is that wrestling off a sweaty sports bra without getting it snagged on the sensor can be a little tricky and getting the hang of inserting it by yourself might take a little practice.
I usually wear the CGM for 7-9 days. After that, it will start irritating my skin or give inaccurate readings.
Why doesn’t Dexcom recommend wearing it on your arm?
The Dexcom G5 sensor is only FDA and EMA (The European Medicines Agency) approved for 7-day wear (I know people who’ll make it last 30-days or more) and only for insertion on the abdomen. The placement approval is mainly due to Dexcom only submitting clinical data for abdomen wear to the FDA and EMA rather than them finding other placements to be worse. However, wearing it like I do is off-label usage and doing so is “at own risk”.
For more CGM tips and tricks, check out my post “5 CGM Tips for the Active Diabetic”
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As a user of both the Dexacom G4 and the Freestyle Libra 14 I lover the past 18 months I like Libra so much better. First off it is much smaller, more comfortable to wear and it goes on my upper arm with ease. I just need a meter to check my glucose constantly I don’t need all the extra bells and whistles the G4 provides unfortunately my insurance company will stop paying for the Libra in January and only pay for the Gx sensor so I have decided to back to finger sticks than put a sensor on my stomach which is very uncomfortable to wear.
My wife just recently switched from the Medtronic Gcm to the Dexcom G6 Gcm. We have several boxes boxes of 3m Tegaderm tape we used to cover the Medtronic sensor. The Dexcom guide says to not cover the transmitter for the G6. Are you aware of any issues using the 3m Teagarden tape which covers the g6 transmitter/sensor?
I’m not… But the Tegaderm is pretty easy to cut so you could always cut a hole for the transmitter. You can also get a “cutter”, see tip #4 in this article: https://diabetesstrong.com/5-cgm-tricks-for-the-active-diabetic/
I’m not finding a link to the arm insertion video. What amI missing?
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I am new to the Dexcom G5 system products and waiting to get mine in the mail. I’d like to know where the best place to put my Dexcom G5.
Congrats on your new Dexcom. It’s only FDA approved for wear on the abdomen, that means that they’ve only tested it for wear in that spot. That being said many wear it elsewhere with good results. As you can see on my photos (and video) I tend to favor my upper arm, but anywhere with a little meat should work
Having problems with the g6 sensors failing…two of the same sensors with the exact sensor code number of 9117 failed both times in a matter of half hour of each other…wear it on my stomach should I try on the arm or no I am very frustrated with the product…it was highly talked about this product and it would work especially when I get lows at night…which wakes me up and my husband is able to keep a close eye on me with my diabetes ..
Thanks
Jennifer
That sounds like you might have received a faulty batch. I suggest calling Dexcom, informing them of the issue and get the sensors replaced. Probably wouldn’t have worked on your arms either
Hi! I’ve had the G6 for some time now.. (4 transmitters worth I believe.)
I found that entering the same sensor code successively can be a problem. When I contacted Dexcom the first time, I found the trick is to wait about 15 minutes or more. As in your case, if you immediately put one in after the first didn’t work.Likewise if the first you tried had the same code as the one you removed. Note: this “quirk” is an attempt to negate restarting a sensor. Ha where there’s a will there’s a way and a restart is possible!!
I usually try to look through the box and grab one with a different code if possible.
Im a bigger guy who gives shots in my stomach for roughly 28 years the scar tissue in my abdomen gives me a lot of sensor issues if you get your doctors approval dexcom allows you to wear on arm and still have the warranties seemed to help sensor issues a lot
Call Dexcom. I have had this happen before when my transmitter failed. They not only replaced the transmitter, but also the sensor that was wasted because of transmitter failure. I’ve used the G4 and now the G5. Dexcom has the best customer service. The few issues I’ve had over the years have been promptly addressed & sent out right away.
I’m looking forward to the Dexcom G6, in Germany, the system is not so long, get my tomorrow. The only thing that bothers me a bit, that you should do it on the stomach, find the solution on the arm better, because of sports, sleep, etc. Not so much body fat through sports, had previously FreeStyle that was just optimal. Great videos / page.
Thank you. The Dexcom is only approved for the abdomen however, that just means that that was the only place they tested it. I’ve seen pleanty of peole (myself included) who has great success with wearing it in other places. Hope you love it
Yes, I watched her video, I think it will also test on the arm. What I also noticed is that the mobile app is only compatible with a few Android devices, was previously synonymous with FreeStyle Libre, but now the app from Abbott runs on almost all devices, hope that Dexcom also creates.
Does arm placement provide any issues for side sleepers?
Not in my experience. It’s not FDA approved for the arm (meaning they didn’t test it anywhere else than the abdomen) so if you have any issues they won’t replace the sensor
I loved the G4 receiver, the new receiver is big and bulky and the case doesn’t fit properly, you have to modify it with an exacto knife to be able to plug in the charger. The G6 sensors consistently lose signal even when the receiver is less than three feet away. I’m awake half of the night with signal loss alerts. You may not have to calibrate it, in fact they holler at you if you do, but at least you don’t have constant signal loss alerts.
That’s annoying! I don’t use the G6 receiver that often so it’s not a problem I’ve noticed. It might be worth reaching out to Dexcom to get a replacement reciever
I just started the dexcom g6 and I love it one have no negatives to say about this I can tell where my sugar is at n my husband can press the home button and see where I’m at which he loves, I also love the fact that it will wake me up in my sleep to tell me if I’m high or low. I don’t know what I’d do without my dexcom g6! It’s a huge life saver!!!
So glad you got a G6 and that it works for you! It can, as you say, be such a lifesaver
why is this necessary? Will it hurt? I was told it was only for 10 days. I am very scared to do this because I just got on medicare and I have aarp medicare complete ppo and I dont think my insurance will pay for it. What is the cost on this gadget? If I refuse to get it due to costs, what else could I do?
CGM is approved for some, you’d have to look into whether it is for you. The Dexcom CGM is 10 days, other systems have a longer lifetime.
It might not be the right choice for you and the alternative is doing finger sticks or other systems like the Abbott Libre, Medtronic Guardian Connect or the implantable Senseonics CGM.
What a CGM can do is give you real-time information on your blood sugar as well as alarms and alerts if they are about the get out of range. If you’re on insulin it can literally be a lifesaver.
Hi Christel, I’ve been a type 1 Diabetic for 38 yrs and i walk and jog every morning. I would like to find out what protein shake would I be able to drink before I go out to do my work out. Maybe you have a recipe that I can use.
Thank you very much.
Isabel
Hi Isabel,
If you’re just looking to get a little energy in before I run (<60 min), I'd keep it light and relatively low carb (so you don't have to dose right before a jog). You could try my Low-Carb Chocolate Coffee Protein Shake, the protein and coffee combo would be great pre-run. If you’re going for longer runs you probably need additional carbs to keep you fuelled through your workout