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“
If I sleep by my side, it is not good idea putting it in my arm or as being at the back of the arm will be okay? I’m just a beginner on this kind of technology. So, sorry if it is a very asked question. Like the info and videos on YouTube you make. Apreciate very much your help, time and effort! Thanks a lot!!! 🙂
Technically it’s not approved for wear on the arm, but we’re a lot who prefer to wear it there. I would place it slightly towards the back of your arm to prevent sleeping directly on it.
And thank you for the kind feedback, I’m glad our information is helpful
this was so helpful! went from a libre in upper arm (no pain whatsoever) to a dexcom g6 and so much pain in the abdomen- and i am not overly lean- like 17-20% body fat., i cant imagine how yuck it feels for those athletes that use it! thanks for publishing as i was very curious if it could be inserted into the upper arm as well (hate to waste the sensors, they are spendy!). i had to rip mine out of the abdomen on day 2 of use because it was so uncomfortable!
Your video seems to be missing. I’ve only place the g6 on my abdomen, and am looking to do it on my arm next time around.
Thank you for letting us know. The video should be fixed now.
Still no video
That’s strange. I can see the video on all my devices. What device/browser are you using?
On a cgm, once you receive it, what ongoing cost are there and does Medicare pay for it? We, my husband, are having to do too many test, fingers are sore and it gets expensive. Maybe cgm would be a good alternative for this type 2 diabetic??
Included in the initial costs are the receiver (warranty for a year but most use it longer), 2 transmitters (lasts 6 months), and 1-3 months of sensors. You’ll need new transmitters every 6 months and new transmitters monthly (if you get a monthly supply).
This is according to the Dexcom website: Dexcom G6 Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) System is covered by Medicare for patients who meet the Medicare coverage criteria. Medicare coverage for therapeutic CGM includes certain beneficiaries who have either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes and intensively manage their insulin.
If he does not manage his diabetes with insulin you can look into the Libre Freestyle. It’s a finger stick replacement, not a CGM, but I believe the Medicare requirements for coverage are somewhat different. You’d have to look into that though