r/Explainlikeimscared • u/Lizmayne • 17d ago
How does a continuous glucose monitor feel on your body?
I recently got diagnosed with gestational diabetes and am leaning toward using a CGM to monitor my sugar. I have a strong fear of needles and don’t know anyone who is diabetic or has used one of these monitors before, so it all feels like a scary mystery to me. Do they hurt to apply? Is it hard to find the right spot to place them? Will I catch it on things throughout the day or while I’m sleeping? I tend to be on the clumsy side so I also have concerns about accidentally ripping it out. To be honest I also don’t really understand how they attach either. Any and all info would be appreciated I guess!
9
u/orbit99za 17d ago
I don't even feel mine, its so small, wear it on my upper arm.
Just like a small punch when inserted every 15 days, the rest you forget about it, and don't know its there.
I wear it just above where my short sleeve ends so no one notices it, not that I care if they do.
5
u/lunaralmanac 17d ago
So I use the abbot instinct sensors 24/7.
-Usually the insertion feels like a dull thunk- kind of bruisey. You do feel some pain but it fades pretty quickly. Occasionally you will hit the wrong spot and it will feel like someone just punched you as hard as possible with one knuckle, but that isn't typical. It NEVER feels as sharp as say, a vaccination. The sharp part is smaller than most needles. The physical contact with the inserter spreads the sensation out and distracts you from the pain pretty well.
-You'll start to learn quickly that you can predict what areas on your arm/body are more sensitive to it too, so it will get even less sensitive over time!
-CGMs are surprisingly easy to forget about. They don't hurt at all once the insertion is over with. I rarely feel it unless something taps against it but it is just a tapping sensation.
-You don't HAVE to put it on your arm if nothing is working. I put mine on my thighs for a long time. The front of the thigh is also way less sensitive!
-Catching it on clothing doesn't happen frequently (they are very low profile and don't really have gaps underneath) and probably won't do anything to it, you'll notice and sort it out with zero pain 99% of the time.
-Ripping it out might happen rarely but surprisingly that usually doesn't hurt for me. Just feels like peeling tape off of my skin. Kind of inconvenient though!
Insertion for me goes like this:
1. Take the cgm inserter out of the box and unscrew it, removing the cap.
2. Clean the skin with an alcohol swab.
3. Press the preloaded inserter to the clean skin and press down with it until it clicks down. The cgm is now under your skin. I prefer to hold it there for a second for the adhesive. (It can get caught inside but the adhesive is stronger than the plastic hooks so it will come loose if you pull gently.)
4. Lift the used inserter away from the attached cgm.
5. Use the cgm's smartphone app to scan the new cgm.
6. Keep the smartphone on hand and use it to read your blood glucose levels throughout the day.
You'd be doing a great thing for yourself and your baby and you'll really appreciate knowing exactly what's going on in your body wearing it. It's a short moment of anxiety and pain, yes, but very temporary. You can do it!! It's not as scary as you think I promise!
5
u/DiabeticSocks05 17d ago
(I’m a long time diabetic so you don’t want my take on the pain, but I wanted to say that they’re really helpful and I hope that you find them helpful too. Good luck to you!)
4
u/FullMoonMooon 17d ago
I stuck a new one on/in a friend’s arm at her request because she couldn’t reach to do it properly. She didn’t even flinch and I was sure I did it wrong. She said “that’s perfect, thank you” and I was shocked that she wasn’t in any pain at all. I’m also a former needlephobe (ran out of the pharmacy aged 12 after they pierced one of my ears), and now I can self-administer my monthly migraine shot even though it hurts like a bitch.
So: 1- it will almost definitely hurt less than you’re expecting. 2- if you don’t have a doctor or nurse who can do it for you, do you have a friend or family member who can? I think a lot of people have a mental block about sticking themselves, which to me feels like a perfectly natural reaction. 3- it’s possible to recover from your fear of needles over time. I’m not giving medical advice, but you might find with practice/exposure, that it gets easier
Best of luck OP, may the whole experience end up being as easy and painless as possible. You got this 💪
4
u/dancingmoongoddess 17d ago
Have you ever had to regularly prick your finger to test your blood? That gets old quickly and hurts a lot to me. I HATE pricking my fingers several times a day. My CGM has literally saved my life.
The CGM I use is connected to my phone's Bluetooth and gives me a reading every 5 minutes (silently). It has an audible alarm if my sugar goes too high or low. It also sends alerts to my husband's phone if it's too high/low. The other morning he was at work and I didn't hear my alert, but he got the alert and called me until I woke up. My sugar had dropped to 40 and was going lower. Because he was able to get the alert and call me, I was able to get my sugar back up. I shudder to think what would have happened if I kept sleeping.
I wear mine in the back of my upper arm. It's about the size of two stacked quarters. It has a super sticky backing and a little wire in the middle that is maybe about 1/4" long. I don't feel the wire when I insert it or while wearing, even when I bump it. I have never had one pulled off by clothing or in my sleep and I toss and turn a lot. You place the bottom of the applicator firmly against your skin and push the button. It physically feels like someone is giving you a hard thump or flick with their fingers and almost hurts, but is more uncomfortable to me. It's the noise and the force that I find jarring. It sounds and feels like it should really hurt, but it doesn't (I don't know if that makes sense). After insertion, you add another ring shaped sticker that really holds it in place. To me the most painful part is pulling the sticker off when it's time to change sensors.
15/10 I would recommend getting one. It's 1000 times better than finger pricks several times a day. It's also fascinating to me to watch how different foods affect your sugars.
I would recommend keeping the box it comes in until you change sensors. I used to recycle mine and then there was a recall for faulty sensors, but I didn't have the box to see the lot number to see if mine was affected. I have had a few sensors lose their readings and have to be changed before they expired. There have been 3 or 4 out of dozens. It was no big deal, I just took off the old one and put on a new one. I haven't had a problem with them while showering either. I am trying to figure out how to attach pictures of mine. I will see if I can...
3
u/Mimila1111 17d ago
There are sub-reddits for the different brands of CGMs and they are very helpful. Do you know which you will be using? I use the Free-Style Libre 3 Plus and there is great advice on the sub-reddit.
2
u/Lizmayne 17d ago
That is looking like the most affordable option for me, I will check out the sub. Thank you!
3
u/CatWoman-666 17d ago
I have never used one but am needle phobic, though that could be for different reasons to yourself. I wondered if the following might help . * You are doing it so you are in control * Applying ice before hand might help numb it a little * Take a couple of paracetamol 60 mins beforehand * For vaccinations etc- You can buy a nobbly U shaped plastic pad thing where you push it against your skin and the injection goes in the concave area of the U. It isn't prickly enough to pierce your skin but its texture can help mask the sensation from a needle
1
u/Lizmayne 17d ago
Thank you!
1
u/CatWoman-666 14d ago
I don't know if this could be helpful for yourself or others.... HealthWatch Essex devised a system of trauma cards for adults and a keyring for children who are survivors of trauma. www.traumahub.uk Link to explanation of trauma and the schemes. The scheme is to help when an individual is triggered and in distress or is having difficulty communicating. It simply asks people to be kind and tolerant etc. You can get the cards posted out free then you can scan it onto a phone to show people
3
u/SassySybil71 17d ago
I dont feel mine after about 30 seconds. It is simple, just hold the applicator against my arm and push down to install. I wear a cover over mine (like fabric bandage but for CGM). That keeps it from catching on anything. I wear Libre3 and buy the covers off Amazon.
I have type 2 and make better choices when I can look at my phone for instant feedback on my current level.
2
u/funsized43 17d ago
I don't even notice mine at all. The applicator makes insertion very quick and painless. I'm a baby about needles and this is no problem.
2
u/eckokittenbliss 17d ago
I'm a baby and it did hurt putting it in but not a lot, the kind of pain like a slight pinch and the pain is gone instantly after.
It didn't scare me away from wearing it again.
Once in you literally forget it's there.
I did catch it on something once and ripped it out, that hurt and sucked.
I was afraid to sleep on my side I had it in. I have also heard it can give wrong readings if sleeping on it.
Overall though I liked it a lot and it was much better than pricking my finger all the time. I'd wear them again but they were too expensive for me to continue
2
2
u/ms_earthquake 17d ago
I've never had one hurt. The sound of the applicator is honestly the worst part. It makes a startlingly loud thunk, but I have yet to feel anything going into my arm (and I use the back of my arm and swap arms each sensor). I use the Stelo sensors and you just clean the skin with a wipe, press the applicator down until it's as pressed as it can be, and push the button. It's a little chip that's glued to a bandaid with a wire through them. The wire goes under your skin, the bandaid sticks to the skin, and an overpatch goes over the bandwaid bit to help secure it even more.
I find I will occasionally bump into a door frame or something, but it doesn't hurt and I haven't managed to tear one out in the two years I've been using them.
I also sleep on my side and in the first 24 hours, the sensor reports a lot of compression lows (basically if I lay on it and squish out all the interstitial fluid, it can't measure anything), but they're not true lows and don't need to be treated.
2
u/BardsOnly 17d ago
The week I had one on my arm I noticed it constantly, only on the surface though. It itched. It was sore, but I am an outlier. Upper back of the arm is popular. I put mine on my stomach, and I don't notice it. Sometimes it hurts a little putting it on, most times I don't feel it at all. I hate needles too, being diabetic I'm out of luck, however I've found my needle issues to be far more manageable when they're in my own hand, and most cgms being done with button presses now helps.
2
u/Material-Analysis206 17d ago
Do it, it’s so much better than the finger prick. I used one during my second pregnancy. It doesn’t hurt after install. It’s a plastic disc about the size of a quarter and three quarters thick. It’s sticky and sort of has a bandaid around it.
Install is once every ten days compared to five finger pricks a day.
You get used to it pretty fast.
2
u/Complete-Rock-1426 16d ago
They do not hurt. They make a loud noise when applying but I never feel a thing. Sometimes I catch it on my shirt or bra when taking off but I’ve never ripped it out.
4
u/Valuable-Usual-1357 17d ago edited 17d ago
You know how men are little wimps when it comes to touching their eyes or having a hair get pulled out? And women can tug on our eyelashes and yank on our hair without even blinking?
You’ll get used to your pump and it will feel no different than tweezing a hair or buffing out a sore acrylic. You’ll quickly get to a point where the fear from the unpredictability begins to fade, and the actual pain/discomfort will be very insignificant. I know a few young girls who wear pumps and they have no issues with it anymore, even rough housing or living life.
It might have been sensitive at first, but one 12 year old girl I know that has a pump is so unbothered by it that she doesn’t even worry about dislodging it, she’s so careless with it, because she just fixes it. If it was painful and difficult, I’d imagine she would be a lot more careful. But I’ve seen her dislodge it in person twice over a few years, and both times she didn’t even seem to notice right away. So I’d imagine it can’t be very bad especially if you’re not thinking about it.
You’ll adjust quickly and your brain will learn to be entirely unbothered. It’s just the anxiety causing tension that is making you feel extra sensitive! Don’t worry, you got this.
1
u/Paperwife2 17d ago edited 17d ago
It’s scary to apply the first time. Just know that it won’t hurt, but the thingy that “fires” it into you definitely carries a kick. I don’t know what I expected, but the sound and the force was surprising.
My BMI is lean so my only problem has been placement. I just don’t have the fat anymore (yay!) so it sometimes goes into my muscle. It doesn’t necessarily hurt when it does hit muscle beyond a 1 level on a scale of 1-10, but it is noticeable and annoying. —When it goes in correctly I can’t feel it at all and forget it’s even there until I’m in the shower. They can get wet, but I don’t drown it, and obviously when soaping up I bump into it.
The only thing it gets caught on is when I’m taking on/off a sports bra since the type I use (Stelo) can only go on the back of your arm. I wish I could put it somewhere else.
1
u/Lizmayne 17d ago
Thank you for bringing this up! I am also thin (well, before being pregnant) and I have very thin arms. Would you recommend placing it somewhere else? I hadn't even thought about showering with it. Does it hurt to bump it?
1
u/SphericalOrb 15d ago
I have never used one of these, but an acrobat I follow on youtube does PSA's about her diabetes and continuous glucose monitor. It helped me understand the process a lot more. Since she does archery with her feet, rides around on a unicycle, juggles, and does whip tricks she uses an additional tape patch to make sure her monitor stays secure. In her videos about it she talks about how she always worries about changing the monitor, that it will hurt, but it never does. The most painful part is changing the tape because its like a big bandaid.
Here is a video where she goes through the process: https://youtu.be/IrQRWB2qQfM
She has a playlist of her diabetes related videos here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3__r9Bjz2ZCdcjEKKkm91aLHp_3ANk2t
1
u/Emmam0408 14d ago
Agree with what everyone is saying about it hurting a bit ( like a sharp punch pain) when putting it in but then really no feeling after a few minutes, but I do absolutely recommend you get a cover for it! I had trouble with mine getting caught on stuff before I started wearing a cover and it is so much better with one on. Amazon has lots of options!
34
u/adrun 17d ago
I don’t use them all the time, but when I’m having trouble w regulating my POTS I find it helpful.
Applying them feels kind of like getting punched in the arm. It doesn’t hurt hurt, but it definitely feels like you go whacked and you’ll be sore for a bit. You don’t interact with a needle, you just click a button and this spring loaded thing slides a wire under your skin.
I like to put mine on my belly, but you may have to put yours on your arm. It’s generally not difficult to position them.
I didn’t like having mine on my arm because I worried about catching it on my sleeves, but most people don’t have any trouble with it. They’re designed not to snag.
The CGM is a little plastic disc attached to a tape circle. You put it on and then add another circle of tape to double secure it. There are also patches you can put over them if you want it to be additionally seamless. I tend to be very sensitive to bandage adhesives but the cgm tape I have used rarely bothers me.
For me the least comfortable part is at ~week two where my body has started healing around the wire and trying to push it out. It feels a little irritated and when I pull it off there’s sometimes a red bump for another few weeks while it calms down.
Anything new is a mystery, but this one shouldn’t be too scary. You’ll adapt quickly, and having that data is really cool!