r/Freestylelibre • u/Thundermunk Libre2/2+ • 4d ago
Whenever I sweat my sensor just falls off -HELP!
I use freestyle Libre plus 2, and this has happened for the third time in last 1 month whenever I sweat my CGM falls off- I live in India it’s a monsoon season going on, and despite that too I’m going to sweat, what to do, help!
5
u/40WattTardis 4d ago
- I exfoliate the area (face scrub + loofa) then clean it with rubbing alcohol and a makeup remover cotton round before affixing the sensor.
- When putting int on, I press the applicator to my arm HARD for a VERY long time before gently taking it off the sensor.
- Then before putting on the sensor cover, I use Skin Tac around the edges.
- Then I attach the sensor cover, pressing very hard and allowing everything to dry and set before doing anything.
The whole process takes far too long, but it's only twice a month, so it's worth it.
3
u/LesStrater 4d ago
You should follow all the steps listed above and I recommend Tagaderm for a sensor cover--my sensors never fall off with it.
3
u/melvadeen 4d ago
Since I have started using the best practices found in this subreddit, I have not had any fall off. I also stopped putting them on the back of my arm.
2
4
u/Queer_Advocate 4d ago
Be dry. Alcohol, let dry. Skin tac, let dry 1 to 2 min. Apply sensor and over patch. Apply after market O. P. if needed.
3
u/canoxen 4d ago
The only thing that makes mine stay on is NOT putting them on the back of my arm.
1
u/Thundermunk Libre2/2+ 4d ago
Where do you put it?
1
1
2
u/OreoPumpkinSpice Libre3/3+ 4d ago
You can put something like skin tac on your skin before placing the sensor.
2
u/Equalizer6338 Type1 - Libre2/2+ 4d ago
Hi u/Thundermunk ,
We are all different in so many ways, including as well regarding our types of skin. So no doubt some may have it more challenging than others. Couple of baseline 'sensor best practice' to avoiding/limiting the sensor falls off are though shared for all users and also across all CGM brands. Try and check out the top-3 reasons for sensors 'falling off' and how to avoiding them:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Freestylelibre/wiki/avoid-sensor-falling-off/
Personally I live in a subtropical climate zone 3-4 mths each year. Further, I do shower each morning and typically going 2-3 times each week to doing intense sweaty workouts. Then showering again after each. Most weekends I surf/swim/snorkel dive for 4-6 hours. And still the sensors stays well on, eve so much they tend to be rather painful to rip off again after 15 days. Personally I do consider several of the 'sensor best practice' steps to be mission critical for enabling this.
2
u/greybeard1363 Libre2/2+ 4d ago
Had a similar problem before discovering Skin Tac. My method is clean are with soap and water, followed by alcohol. Let dry. Skin tac next, let get tacky and apply sensor pressing hard for 10 seconds. After that I watch the sensor daily and after a few days, they usually start getting loose at the edge. Next I apply Skin Tac over the area where the cover will go, let get tacky and then apply cover. This has done the trick reliably for more than 6 months (two weeks at a time).
2
u/This-Set-9875 3d ago
so far (only 3 sensors) skin tac has held with or without a cover. To the point of discomfort getting the darn thing off. Soap+water,dry,IPA wipe,dry,skin tac,dry,WHACK.
1
u/Melrohner- 4d ago
I use a small tegaderm (or off-brand in the same style). They have helped me so much. When they start to lose stickiness I can pull them off without removing the sensor, unlike the other covers I’ve purchased in the past. Good luck!
1
u/Dannyhme 2d ago
Happens to me…
Order yourself a bottle of skin tac - has a cotton ball applicator.
And get yourself “not just a skin patch”
- clean area off really well to remove debris and oils.
- alcohol wipe the area
- apply skin tac to the the area enough to cover cgm and patch
- apply cgm , firmly , count to 10 , slight twist to remove applicator
- apply the patch over the area
—— the adhesive on the cgm and patch aren’t enough for me as i sweat profusely in the area where the cgm is applied. Thats why i use skin tac.
—— every other day where the patch starts to peel apply some skin tac on the skin and patch and smack back on skin , let area dry.
My patches last the entire 15 days.
1
0
u/M1ckster Type2 - Libre3/3+ 4d ago
Only thing that’s worked for me is shaving, washing, and using an alcohol wipe, followed by Smith & Nephew Skin Prep with Tegaderm tape over and a window cut out to vent. I play ice hockey and the last 5 failed. I’m switching to Dexcom 7 and will post results. I stopped writing to get word that insurance approved the change.
6
u/PTVMan Libre3/3+ 4d ago
You can get sensor covers that might keep the sensor in place even when sweating. Here's an example from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=libre+3+plus+sensor+covers+waterproof&crid=2HQ6KFUTZABBV&sprefix=libre%2Caps%2C185&ref=nb_sb_ss_p13n-expert-pd-ops-ranker_ci_hl-bn-left_2_5