Unbelievable fear. That is the best way I could describe my feelings on November 12th 2019. I sat in the diabetes education room, feeling shocked and completely numb. The only question that kept running through my head was, “What if my blood sugar goes so low I don't come out of it?" Going forward through the next couple months, these feelings about diabetes didn’t change. I refused to eat over 20 grams of carbs per meal to avoid a big blood sugar spike or a big IOB (insulin on board: insulin still actively working in your body after a bolus). If I was going to bed and my blood sugar was under 120, I would eat anything that would keep my blood sugar high throughout the night so I wouldn’t go low. Then one day, during my first big low, it hit me. My biggest fear about diabetes wasn’t having low blood sugar; it was dying from it.
Currently, it’s 2022. I still struggle with the fear of dying from low blood sugar. It just isn’t nearly as bad as it once was. Making progress with this fear wasn’t easy. My first route was going to talk therapy. While this helped me sort out my emotions, It didn’t help me get to the stem of my fear. My second route was to give less insulin and run on the higher side (which I can tell you is NOT smart). Overall, that just does more damage mentally and physically. My third route is what has worked the best so far. As crazy as it sounds, I started to find the positives in my diabetes.
So, whether you have a similar fear to me or you're going through a burnout period with your diabetes, I want you to ask yourself these 2 questions: What part of your diabetes makes you happy? How can you take your fears/difficult situations with diabetes and make a change? You may think I’m crazy, but I can confidently say that I can answer them, and I think you can too.
#3: You can make friends who also have diabetes. They’re the ones who will relate to you the most in this world and they’re the ones who will pull you out of dark times. All of my diabetic friends are from social media, and I credit them with changing my experience and outlook on the disease.
#4: Just a reminder - you can get into all state parks for free with a disability (doctor's note required), and you can get accommodations at amusement parks. Avoiding lines AND saving money? Sounds like a deal to me.
BAM! Four reasons diabetes makes me happy and could probably make you happy too.
Like I said earlier, when I was first diagnosed I was completely numb to the situation. I started following people who had diabetes on TikTok so I could find people to relate to. This turned into me starting a TikTok page so I could raise awareness of diabetes and start inspiring other diabetics. Eventually, I made videos on how to administer Glucagon, sensor changes, pump changes, talked about my own mental health and more. Not only has having TikTok helped me find a place where I feel I belong, but it’s connected me with great diabetes-related companies to work with as well.
Overall, it’s about finding what makes you feel good. There will always be times of struggle, but just remember tomorrow is a new day. Don’t let one bad day keep you down. Good luck! ❤️
Anna Cicale-Civitelli
Have you ever wanted to design a custom tape for your Dexcom? Or maybe your have a different CGM or pump that would look fabulous in the tuxedo you've dreamt up?
Well, look no farther! This is your exclusive opportunity to partner with ExpressionMed to create a designer tape for your CGM or Pump! Keep reading if you want a chance to bring your idea to life!
*Restrictions Apply
Don't miss out on this awesome opportunity! Purchase or sign up for our loyalty program in order to collect points you can put towards this experience.
If you've never had to deal with hot and humid weather, consider yourself lucky. Most people complain about their hair and clothes in the humidity, but what about the things those of us who wear CGMs and pumps have to deal with?
Struggling with diabetic devices and tapes peeling up is not only frustrating, it's also expensive to change out your Dexcom or pump site more often than needed. If you live in a hot and humid climate, and especially if you're active in that kind of climate, I have an answer for you that will solve your Dexcom (or other device) problems! A hair dryer!
As simple as it sounds, it has proven to be super useful in my life with a Dexcom G6 sensor. So next time you're having a difficult time keeping your devices on, grab a hair dryer and apply a little bit of heat to the area to get the adhesive to really STICK. You will be unstoppable!
Step 1: Apply your device on to your body (CGM and/or pump).
Step 2: Choose an EM tape to wear. (I know it's so hard to pick just one when they are all so cute!!)
Step 3: Apply the EM tape to your CGM or pump site.
Step 4: Grab your hair dryer, turn it on a medium setting, and carefully dry the area with the tape for about 10 seconds or so.
Step 5: Celebrate and know that your CGM/pump site will stay on secure for the full wear time!
Read more of our tricks to get the most out of your CGM Tapes in our Dexcom, Libre and general CGM Tape Blogs.
Fidelina Z. | Digital Marketing Manager | ExpressionMed
National Diabetes Awareness Month has begun and if you're curious how ExpressionMed is participating this year, keep reading!
We will be donating 10% of the proceeds from the sales of all diabetes themed tapes to the College Diabetes Network (CDN). The CDN is a 501c3 non-profit organization whose mission is singularly focused on providing young adults with T1D the peer connections they value, and expert resources they need to successfully manage the challenging transition to independence at college and beyond.
ExpressionMed has built their largest Diabetes Awareness Month initiative yet. An NFT project called Diadragons.
The art was built in collaboration with Emma from Type One Toucan and features many nods to the diabetic community. Pictured below: A zombie diadragon with a low reading, a unicorn, a cyborg holding a t-slim, and a representation of Frederick Banting holding the insulin patent for 1 dollar.
Check out our Instagram story on Mondays to participate in the interactive diabetes themed stories that will ask questions which you can respond to. Then keep a look out for the results posted on our story on Fridays!
We are excited to work with a few of our influencers this month as they takeover our Instagram account on Wednesdays and give us a peek into what a day in their life is like. They will post video, photo, and interactive content on our stories. Look out for Gretchen, Sierra, and more on our Instagram!
We have 4 TikTok challenges you can be a part of this November! At the end of October, we posted prep videos showing you how to partake in the challenges. Visit our TikTok to watch these videos and learn how to join in on the fun!
Every Sunday on Instagram, we will be sharing a diabetes diagnosis story. Visit our Instagram to learn about some diagnoses and engage with us in the comments!
Keep your eye out for Giveaways throughout November! We will be collaborating with Senita Athletics, @typeonetypehappy, @nickichicki, @thepetitenursenp, and more!
Social Media content and templates will be released throughout the month to share on your own platforms!
Hello fellow diabuddies!
We have some super exciting news to share with all of you! We have just released 10 new vinyl stickers for meters, pumps, and a bunch of other devices! So if you've ever wanted to have matching tapes on ALL your diabetes devices (like I have), now you can!
I was diagnosed with T1D when I was 9 years old and I always tried to find the fun in diabetes because having some of your childhood ripped from you by a horrible disease is anything but fun. Now being 22 and a wearer of ExpressionMed tapes for my CGM, I have finally been able to find the fun in diabetes. And now with these new tapes I can get a matching sticker for my Dexcom G6, T:Slim pump, meter and strips container, which is something that would have made 9 year old me super happy!
From your pump and CGM to your meter, strips, and lancet, join me in making all parts of diabetes fun!
Check out all the new stickers here: https://expressionmed.com/collections/all-devices
Fidelina Z. | Digital Marketing Manager | ExpressionMed
Glucose monitors are a wonderful invention. Less drawing blood in public, less test strips to find when you vacuum, and more access to cool technology like closed loop systems.
They would be perfect if say...your Dexcom could just stay on for the full 10 days!
After 5 years of running ExpressionMed, I’ve generated 4 critical pieces of advice to help you get the perfect Dexcom adhesive tape wear time, every time.
If you think you are experiencing an allergic reaction, read my blog Troubleshooting the Dexcom Rash. If not, read on.
There are 4 major things you need to remember when it comes to Dexcom G6 tape longevity.
Let’s break it down:
For this reason, I cannot stress enough that if your G6 tape starts to lift or wrinkle on the edges, whether it is on day 4 or day 14, you need to secure it back down with a skin safe adhesive like skin tac. Some people like to put on a ring of skin tac on in the beginning, but I think it causes more clothing lint to stick to the adhesive. Instead, I recommend gently rubbing the adhesive to add heat and pressure right after you apply.
To be technical most adhesives take 12-36 hours to fully cure but adding a little heat and pressure can help the material be extra secure and cure a little faster.
Speaking of adhesive, don’t leave your Dexcom tapes out in the open! I made this tape thin and breathable for your skin, but that means air can go right through the surface and dry out the adhesive (the sticky part). Our mailing packages are resealable, if you remember to close them back up in the plastic, they will last much much longer.
If you’ve ever gotten superglue on your skin, you know that you will eventually shed it off, the same is true with wearable devices.
Unlike snakes we don’t shed our entire layer of skin in one go and live the next day with a fresh new layer that is perfectly primed for tape. Instead humans typically take 28 days to shed their outer layer of skin and we do this constantly, shedding about .0003 ounces every hour. As you can imagine, shedding skin flakes affect the tape's ability to hold on to your skin and cause it to lift off.
The biggest secret I found with our users who reset their monitor and keep one G6 tape on for an entire month (which I don’t medically recommend but I respect individual choices), is that they exfoliate their skin regularly. If you exfoliate your skin before applying a tape, you are removing skin cells that are closer to being shed and leaving a newer layer of skin which won’t shed for 28 days! My theory is that the 14 day limit on monitors is because it is half a skin cycle. You probably put on a monitor when half of your skin is already dead and lifting and by day 14 it’s hard to guarantee accurate readings and security because of the tape lifting off. You can double this wear time just by exfoliating.
This one is the hardest since something may not be irritating when it touches your skin once but it can be super itchy and uncomfortable when it is trapped under your skin for several days. These irritants can include scented soaps and lotions, pollen and dander from pets and the outdoors, and perfumes.
The best way to avoid itchy skin under a tape is to wash your skin with a scent-free soap. We used to say prep with an alcohol wipe because it removes oils and is a good disinfectant but be careful with this one, because it also removes the skins protective barrier leaving it susceptible to irritation and free radical damage, causing it to lose its elasticity over time.This can lead to chronic dry skin and faster skin aging.
I personally only recommend rubbing alcohol to those with especially oily skin, otherwise stick to soap and water. And that of course isn’t medical advice but it is based on a 3M study and has helped customers of mine avoid chronic dry skin.
Not only does fraying cause the tape to lift up sooner, but the thick material will absorb water after a shower making it heavier and more likely to fall off.
Air needs to get to your skin and sweat needs to get away from your skin and a material that doesn’t breathe will cause sweat to build up and lift up the tape early.
One of our most frequently asked questions is if our Dexcom G6 tape is hypoallergenic. It is, but so are all medical tapes, even ones that cause skin reactions. The reality is that hypoallergenic is not a clinical term. It is a marketing term that doesn’t have to be supported by science. Our tape went through clinical trials and tested for cytotoxicity, skin irritation after 21 days, and more, and all results were negligible meaning that our product is extremely safe for skin and we can safely assume that we can fix any irritation problem through skin care and tape removal advice.
I hope all of this advice helps! If you are struggling with longevity remember to glue down any lifting edges, exfoliate to remove dead skin cells, clean your skin gently to avoid irritation, and lastly choose your materials wisely and know what different claims mean!
If you have any lingering questions, always feel free to reach out to us at hello@expressionmed.com! We're happy to troubleshoot individual situations.
Best,
Meghan Sharkus
Photo credit: @T1D.wifeylife, @SydneyT1D, @relatableT1D
Every tape company promises to keep your Freestyle Libe on perfectly for 14 days. But what do you do if your tape starts to lift on day 7? What do you do if even hypoallergenic material causes your skin to itch? Put the duct tape and gorilla glue away, and forget ripping off your sensor and returning to dreaded finger pricks. I have some advice that will save your skin and your fingertips.
After 5 years of running ExpressionMed, I’ve generated 4 critical pieces of advice to help you get the perfect Libre adhesive tape wear time, every time.
If you think you are experiencing an allergic reaction, read my blog about troubleshooting rashes. If not, read on.
4 of the top things to remember about Libre tape longevity
Let’s take a look:
How often does your skin shed? Well, If you’ve ever gotten superglue on your skin, you know that you will eventually shed it off. This is also true with wearable devices.
Since we're not like snakes, shedding our entire layer of skin in one go, we don't wake up the next day with a fresh layer that is perfectly primed for tape. Nope, we humans take about 28 days to shed our outer layer of skin. In fact, we do this constantly, shedding about .0003 ounces every hour. You can imagine how shedding skin flakes affect the tape's ability to hold on to your skin and cause it to lift off.
The top secret our users divulged about resetting their monitor and keeping one Freestyle Libre Tape on for an entire month (which I don’t medically recommend but respect individual choices), is that they regularly exfoliate their skin. By exfoliating your skin before applying a tape, you are getting rid skin cells that are closer to being shed and revealing a newer layer of skin which won’t shed for 28 days!
I have a theory that the 14 day limit on monitors is based on the skin cycle - half a skin cycle to be precise. Chances are, you are applying a monitor when half of your skin are already dead and lifting. This means by day 14 it would be hard to guarantee accurate readings and security because of the tape lifting off. Ultimately, you could double this wear time just by exfoliating.
I cannot stress enough that if your Libre tape starts to lift or wrinkle on the edges, whether it is on day 4 or day 14, it's important to secure it back down with a skin safe adhesive like skin tac. A few of our customers like to put on a ring of skin tac on in when they apply it, but I think it causes more clothing lint to stick to the adhesive. Instead, a tip I recommend is to gently rub the adhesive. This adds heat and pressure right after you apply helping to secure the tape.
On a technical note, it take most adhesives 12-36 hours to fully cure, but by adding a little heat and pressure, you can help the process along to secure the material and help cure it a little faster.
Speaking of adhesive tips, don’t leave your Libre tapes out in the open air! I made our tapes to be breathable and thin for your skin, but that means air can go right through the surface and dry out the adhesive (the sticky part). The packages that our tapes are delivered in are resealable. Remembering to close them back up in the plastic, will make them last much, much longer.
When you spent the time prepping your skin, you ruin all of your hard work when you put on the wrong material. With this I would say 3 things:
Fraying causes the tape to lift up sooner than it would and the thick material will absorb water after a shower making it heavier and more likely to fall off.
The goal is to allow air get to your skin and to keep sweat away from your skin. Materials that doesn’t breathe do just the opposite, they will cause sweat to build up and lift up the tape early.
One of the most frequently asked questions is if our Libre adhesive tapes are hypoallergenic. To be clear, yes, they are, but so are all medical tapes, even ones that cause skin reactions. The reality is that the word hypoallergenic is not a clinical term. In fact, it's a marketing term that isn't required to be supported by science.
We made the conscious decision to put our tapes through clinical trials and tested for cytotoxicity, skin irritation after 21 days, and more, and all results were negligible. This means that our product is extremely safe for skin and we can safely assume that we can fix any irritation problem through skin care and tape removal advice.
This one is the toughest to put into practice since something may not be irritating when it touches your skin once, but can become super itchy and uncomfortable when it is trapped under your skin for several days. These types of irritants can include things like scented soaps and lotions, pollen and dander from pets and the outdoors, and perfumes.
The best way avoid itchy skin under a tape is to wash your skin with a scent-free soap. Something to be careful with is prepping with an alcohol wipe. It's used by many people because it removes oils and is a good disinfectant but it also removes the skins protective barrier leaving it susceptible to irritation and free radical damage, causing it to lose its elasticity over time. This can lead to chronic dry skin and faster skin aging.
Personally, I only recommend using rubbing alcohol to those with extra oily skin, otherwise sticking to soap and water is your best bet. And that of course isn’t medical advice but it is based on a 3M study and has helped customers of mine avoid chronic dry skin.
I hope all of this advice helps! If you are struggling with longevity remember to glue down any lifting edges, exfoliate to remove dead skin cells, clean your skin gently to avoid irritation, and lastly choose your materials wisely and know what different claims mean!
If you have any lingering questions, always feel free to reach out to us at hello@expressionmed.com! We're happy to troubleshoot individual situations.
Best,
Meghan Sharkus
Photo credit: @NaturaBike, @SydneyT1D, @relatableT1D
A Note from the Founder:
Unlike many beloved storybook characters like fairies and superheroes, princesses are real, historical figures. Due to their wealth and status, they represent ideals of beauty and culture from their country and time period.
After receiving dozens of requests for a princess design over the past few years, we knew we couldn’t launch this design until we did it right.
We hope you appreciate the culture and history represented by this tape as much as we do.
Enjoy the stories below and the beautiful tape our team has created for you.
Best,
Meghan Sharkus
Founder and CEO
ExpressionMed
Now to pass it off to our Project Manager and author of this blog, Jenna ♡
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The research for this tape design took many days and included the collaboration of myself and Julia, the designer of this tape. Together, we collaborated in research about cultural princesses around the world. Children's designs for Dexcom and other diabetic devices are a great way to help kids express their interests and loves. We, at ExpressionMed, value this very much.
Our first princess (rightmost princess) is a portrayal of an Indian princess. The attire of the princess is called a Lehenga Choli, which consists of a lehenga– a long Indian skirt, a choli – a fitted blouse with embroidery or embellishments.
In many cases, a Lehenga Choli is worn with a dupatta - a long piece of cloth worn along with Lehenga and choli that adds extra grace and elegance to this outfit.
The main colors of this design, red (representing purity, fertility and prosperity) and golden saffron (a sacred color for Hindus), were inspired by the photo above. According to our research, wealthier Indian women around the 600BC would seek artisans to decorate their saris with expensive stones and use gold threads to enhance the appearance of the garment. This is why we made sure to add gold accents in this design
The headpiece that you see on our cartoon princess is called a maangtika. A maangtika is a traditional head pece worn most often at weddings, traditionally by the Hindu bride. It consists of a metallic string
and adorned with precious or semi-precious stones. The maangtika is worn at the middle parting of the hair.
Our second princess is a Native American princess - loosely inspired by Pocahontas. Originating from the Powhatan tribe, Pocahontas and other Powhatan men and women did not often wear much clothing. When they did, they would often wear deer skin around their waist.
Like other Native American tribes, common materials used in Powhatan jewelry include shell beads, freshwater pearls, copper and animal parts, such as teeth or bones.
It was common for Native Americans to not wear shoes, but when shoes were worn, they would often wear moccasins - a shoe commonly made out of animal hide.
Our third princess is our interpretation of a Chinese princess. During our research process, we chose to draw our ideas from many different dynasties of China.
For attire, the Hanfu, originating from the Han dynasty (206BC-220BC) authentically consists of a crossed collar, a right lapel, a sash instead of buttons, and colorful embroidery.
Traditionally, embroidery patterns usually reflect the social standing of the person who wears the clothing.
Our fourth princess is a Mexican princess. We derived the dress from Campeche, a city in Mexico. The traditional dress design was formed under the Spanish influence.
It consists of a long, wide skirt made of Spanish print fabric, often decorated with lace; a white blouse with a square collar and black embroidery; and rebozo.
Mexican women tended to wear Campeche Typical Clothing four times a year at the carnival and the festival of San Juan, San Román and La Purísima Concepción. Mexican skirts can be ankle-length or knee-length. They are made from cotton, wool, silk and lace. Very often they are wide, bright and embroidered.
Our fifth princess is a West-African princess. From our research, we found out how bright colors are used frequently in West-African traditional attire.
In Nigeria, a head tie, like the one in the cartoon, is called a gele. A beautiful and symbolic expression of identity and style, the traditional African headwrap is so much more than a fabric to cover the head. The gloriously woven head wraps are an undeniable statement of African culture and celebration, but that has not always been the case; before becoming an iconic fashion statement, they were associated with slavery and colonialism.
Many queens from various areas adorned the traditional headwear, including Nubian queens who chose elaborate and rich fabrics woven with exotic and beautiful flowers.Traditionally, African ladies would wear headwraps to protect their hair and heads from the strong sun and keep cool in the hot weather. The cartoon designer said “The skirt was inspired by African wax print fabric. It's a common material for clothing in Africa, especially in West Africa. Usually, it has very colorful and symbolic patterns.”
Our sixth princess is a Hawaiian princess. One of the traditional outfits of the Hawaiian people was the Hula attire. The hula dance (the traditional Hawaiian dance) was a way of worshipping the gods and telling stories - crucial in an oral tradition.
The basic attire was a lei, a pa'u skirt or grass skirt, and ankle bracelets made of whalebone or dog's teeth. Leis were constructed of flowers, leaves, shells, seeds, nuts, feathers, and even bone and teeth of various animals.
The head lei in the cartoon is called a Lei Po’o - usually reserved for special occasions such as luaus (parties), graduations, weddings, and ceremonies.
Why Historical Accuracy is Important to Us
In our diverse everyday society, we believe that it is important to acknowledge the history of every person. This is because your ancestry is what made you who you are, and that’s important to everyone. No matter your ethnicity, your background, your race - everyone can be a princess.
The things EVERYONE needs to know, especially if you don’t have diabetes.
Note: I am not a medical doctor. These are simplified versions of complex subjects to make them as easy to digest as possible. More thorough articles are linked in each section.
Why is this information important? Over 1-in-10 Americans has diabetes. You likely interact with someone everyday who is living with diabetes. Knowing these facts will stop negative judgement, increase positive conversation, and potentially save a life.
Here are the facts:
There are too many examples of people with dangerously low blood sugars being incarcerated due to their symptoms or denied entry into concerts for carrying their necessary insulin and food. This is largely due to the lack of knowledge surrounding diabetes. Low symptoms are similar to alcohol impairment and insulin is a liquid that must be brought into events. If people knew this and asked the right questions, they could avoid causing potentially lethal situations.
That’s all for Level 0!
If you’ve made it this far we’d like to thank you for being a great person and contributing to the creation of a more educated, supportive society!
If we’re missing something or you have important facts to add to our Level 1 blog (coming soon) DM us on Instagram!
For more information go to Beyond Type 1, JDRF, or T1D international.
Hey Hey Hey!
ExpressionMed’s 5th Birthday is coming up this June! As a Founder and CEO, 5 years is a big accomplishment, and to celebrate the anniversary of our Kindergartener, I want to share my top 5 favorite memories of our customers and team from over the years.
- CEO & Founder, Meghan Sharkus
My all time favorite #ExpressionMem was when @avybabe DMed us on Instagram and requested that we make a TikTok Task force to create diabetes challenges for the Tok.
This resulted in some fun weekly calls, an awesome #passthetape video, and a diabetic parody of the song Savage that will go down in history as the best thing I wrote on a brainstorming call. (To clear up the uncertainty I did personally write the rap and Sophia Krueger performed it 😅)
If you haven’t seen the video check it out here! I like the lyrics because they are educational and go so well with the original song. I’m sorry for scaring you with the Dexcom alarm but it fit in too well to pass up!
In June of 2018, I was looking to get some pictures for the ExpressionMed website showcasing our new prints. This was the first time I realized how many lives I had touched through the business.
I ended up messaging all of our Minnesota customers and meeting 3 of them that weekend!
Here are some of my favorite pool shots with Emily Schueler.
I am obsessed with this story because the situation kept getting cooler and cooler. Back in the fall of 2017, we were working on perfecting our print offerings. To do so, I temporarily offered custom tapes for anyone who wanted to design their own tape. It challenged us to see if we could print photos, complex designs and thick colors on our tape material. And, this customer-submitted Paw Print design was the ultimate test.
The submitted design featured a closeup of a vivid tattoo. Not only did I want to match the skin tone perfectly, but also to ensure the colors were both vibrant and smoothly blended. It was a fun challenge for all members of our production line.
Once the tape was completed, I was thrilled to see the results in action. The before and after of our customer laying the tape over their own tattoo. It looked like the CGM tape wasn’t even there -- the ultimate camouflage.
What we ended up receiving was an amazing photo of @hailey.allton showing off how her Dexcom patch matched her mom’s paw print tattoo!
The heartfelt photo by @musizandmemories stole our hearts and the tattoo by @jj_heltontattoos74 went on to be a best seller!
This was an amazing alignment of beautiful art, a heartfelt story, and my team stepping up to a crazy logistical challenge.
You may not know, but in 2016 and 2017 I hand wrote every customer address and in 2018, I was a helping fulfill every single order.
So, meeting people like Lizzie Poe and Tracy Watts in 2019 felt like meeting celebrities.
I had seen their names dozens of times, and messaged them back and forth about adhesive research and new devices. They supported me like a friend and not a CEO, making my job a lot easier and more fun.
When crowds started to gather and we made new friends, I was reminded that I built something important. Even 3 years into the business there were still people we needed to meet and build products for.
It was my first ever business conference and it was exhausting, but I’m so glad we fit it in before the world changing pandemic in 2020. I can’t wait to meet more of you in the future!
Kendall Simmons has got to be one of the coolest people I’ve met during my time building ExpressionMed. He not only was a tremendously successful T1D athlete, but is also a talented artist and a great public speaker. Talk about a triple threat.
He met me at a time in my life where I was overworked and underslept. I was a stress ball trying to grow a business on my own and maintain good grades in school.
He reminded me of how important my mission was. As an athlete, he knew that diabetic devices needed to stay on securely and as an advocate for young athletes he understood the importance of design through the eyes of kids who need chronic care devices.
He’s supported ExpressionMed every day since showing off his amazing hand drawings on his instagram and participating in a really cool video interview!
If you are the type to read the small print, you may have noticed the sentence in the bottom right corner of the FreeStyle Libre Adhesion Guide that says to “Make sure the opening / hole in the centre of the sensor is not covered”.
This makes ExpressionMed’s new Libre OverPatch seem extremely illogical since it clearly covers the hole in the center of the device.
Photo credit: @AustinJamesMusic
We cleared the situation up by contacting a local Freestyle Libre Representative who expressed that the device simply “needs to breathe” meaning the hole can be covered by a breathable material like a tight shirt, winter coat, or even medical adhesive (like our OverPatch) so long as air can get in and out.
For this reason, ExpressionMed cuts small holes in all of its non-breathable plastic tapes like the center sticker for Freestyle Libre pictured below.
Photo credit: @Shreya.T1D
So whether you like the two-piece libre/center-sticker combination or the one-piece OverPatch, you can make use of ExpressionMed tape without worrying about your sensor readings.
Speaking of the two-piece libre center-sticker combo, did you know that we recommend this the most for longevity but most people apply it incorrectly? Check out our Libre Application video for the optimal application technique!
Main image photo credit: @Rachelenelpaes
ExpressionMed is not affiliated with the manufacturing of the Freestyle Libre devices and makes no representations, expressed or implied, regarding third-party products or their manufacturers, quality or suitability for you.
We can't wait for you to try our 2-piece patch designed specifically for your Medtronic device!
Whether you have a Medtronic Enlite, Guardian, 660g, or 770g, your CGM most likely looks like this one.
We'll use this as a guide for your instructions below. Let's get started on the best way to apply your tape with the most ease and maximum hold.
If you learn best with videos, check out this one we took when a friend visited ExpressionMed HQ! Otherwise, check out our step-by-step guide below.
Photo cred: @diabetsyle
For additional questions about your 2-piece Medtronic tapes, please don't hesitate to reach out to us!
