Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by kjrider on July 31, 2011 at 8:27am

Depending on where you wear it and if you are not shy you can get surgical or large bandaid type products and put that over it to keep it drier. (I buy at Walgreens or similar). That has worked well for me so far. When I get a massage I give them a heads up and use it as a teaching opportunity if they have never seen such a thing before or do not know much about Diabetes. They are usually very welcome to the information as it can apply to future clients and makes them look good if they already understand and know about Dexcom. Enjoy the spa!!

Permalink Reply by lisa c on July 31, 2011 at 9:58am

Dex told me its never been tested in sauna, but I wear in hot tub for a few minutes only. No problem. Maggages are the easy thing...just tell the therapist.

Curiuos if it will hold its juice in sauna or long hot tubs.

Permalink Reply by Lizzie on July 31, 2011 at 11:06am

I recently wore my Dexcom sensor during a visit to the Blue Lagoon spa in Iceland. I was in the water for pretty much two hours straight, and also did a few turns in the steam and sauna rooms. Though I left the sensor in the whole time, I fully expected the trip to ruin the session and result in "???" when as I got back in range. I was so surprised that as soon as I went back up to the locker room and grabbed my receiver, it started showing accurate readings! The high mineral content of the water didn't seem to damage the sensor at all, which I was really happy about, too.

To keep the sensor attached, I had already used some waterproof medical tape to square-off the adhesive around the sensor, and then I used two pieces of IV prep dressing over top that to seal out as much water as possible. I had done this four or five days before the spa trip, and it was still holding fine all through the day in the water. The key to the IV prep is using two pieces, one on the left and one on the right. First, cut a notch/hole out of one side of each of the pieces that is just a bit bigger than the size of the plastic sensor housing/cradle/base thing. Then, apply the right side and follow with the left side overlapping it the right one in the middle. Make sure that the white adhesive is completely covered by the IV Prep dressing and that the dressing is stuck to skin on all sides. This creates the watertight(ish) seal.

I chose to disconnect from my pump while I was in the water. I left it in my locker and went back in after the first hour to check my blood sugar. Being in water or pools usually makes my blood sugar drop, so I purposely ran a little high before I went to the spa. When I checked in the middle, I was hanging out in the low 200's, which was a safe number for me. I took a baby bolus to bring it down a little, factoring in the activity of being in the water for another hour. After a glass of champagne at the swim up bar and a massage, our time was up and we had to head out. My blood sugar was around 180, I think, and I was a happy girl.

Whenever I get a massage, I just point it out to the person. I've never had a negative response, and most people just avoid the area, which is fine with me. I can get some pokey sensors.