I dedicate this infusion site to ...
Marie B and MelissaBL and Dave S. See discussion.
If you haven't changed or rotated your infusion set for awhile, perhaps it is time. Save yourself some scar tissue and enjoy better insulin absorption.
I know, not everyone has enough supplies to allow for frequent changes. But if you do, do.
If you haven't changed or rotated your infusion set for awhile, perhaps it is time. Save yourself some scar tissue and enjoy better insulin absorption.
I know, not everyone has enough supplies to allow for frequent changes. But if you do, do.
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Sarah on -
Ha.. and here I'm wishing I could get even 48 hours out of a set... I'm not sure what's up with that (allergies or what) but it's annoying! Insurance only pays for changing them every other day, and right now I'm averaging about 32 hours :(
-
Permalink Reply by FatCatAnna on -
Ouch - really Sarah? That sucks big time. I'm pretty lucky - before I knew about scarring with keeping infusion sets in for more then the average 3 days - I would wait until my cartidge of insulin ran dry (5-6 days). Then I a few folks who've been pumping for many moons - told me the bad news of not changing my infusion sets more frequently. Now with rotating, I can leave a site untouched for almost 5 months. I go inch by inch - all over my dart board body - with help from hubby for the upper/lower back.
Just wondering Sarah - what kind of infusion set do you use? I find I don't get irritation with my infusion sets if I use the 90 degree rather then the 30-45 degree one. With the angled ones - they start to bug me about 24-36 hours later - but I tough it out since I'm cheap (and no doubt someone will think "stupid girl" - but so far, touch wood, no ill effects from leaving it in the full 72 hours).
-
Permalink Reply by Sarah on
-
I always had trouble with 90 degree sets kinking... so I am using angled sets. I used to leave them in 5-6 days. Even when I was pregnant with my daughter and on astronomical amounts of insulin I didn't really have any problems.
I was taking Zantac regularly back then though (before I switched shampoos and soap and stopped suffering from all over itching), and that might have been the difference... I don't know.
-
Permalink Reply by MelissaBL on -
LOL. Kelly, you rock.
In honor of that discussion, I actually used my lower outer left thigh last night when I put a new pod on. Never tried that area before. I should have thought better about which side though because, since I'm pregnant, I'm "supposed" to be favoring my left side while sleeping and the pod was just NOT going to let that happen in that location. Ah well. Live and learn. I'm not sure how I feel about the absorption there so far, but I think it will be great to give my poor stretching butt and abdomen a rest for three days. HA.
You know, as much as I've complained about the fact that Omnipod allows little room for stretching the time (pods expire after 80 hours, but start beeping periodically at the 3-day/72-hour mark), I'm beginning to think that it was the best thing they could have done for their customers in the long run. I have heard so many unfortunate stories about people stretching infusion sets to last 5 days and suffering absorption/scarring/infection that I really think the pump companies are right on this one - it's not good for us in the long run. The skin is not meant to have intrusion AND infusion of a foreign substance for that many days. CGM sensors are intrusions into the skin, but we can wear them longer because we're not also asking our tender little epidermis to absorb a hormone there, too! My little five-day hole still hasn't recovered three years later from where it contracted staph. I still have an ugly brown spot with a lump underneath.
-
Permalink Reply by MelissaBL on
-
My apologies for the angle and for the show of skin of my pregnant belly, but here's what my staph site looks like today. Still has a little scar and lump there.
-
Permalink Reply by Kristin on -
I'm with you Melissa.
I was leaving my infusion set in for 4-6 days for about 4 years. I never had any infections and my absorption seemed fine. So I really thought that it was OK, but scar tissue-- yes I have that!!
-
Permalink Reply by Marie B on -
I'm getting ready to change mine. If it turns out to be a good one, I will dedicate it to you, Miss Kelly, if not, I'll dedicate it to Bernie Madoff....
-
Permalink Reply by Kelly Rawlings on -
Love it!
Advertisement
REsources
Groups
From the Diabetes Hands Foundation blog...
Congratulations Diabetes Advocates Scholarship Recipients!
The Diabetes Hands Foundation and Diabetes Advocates Program is proud to announce and congratulate the members of DA who were granted scholarships to attend diabetes conferences in 2013! Thanks to a generous grant from Novo Nordisk, in 2013 we were …Continue Reading
La Familia de EsTuDiabetes Sigue Creciendo
El Centro Nacional de Prevención de Enfermedades Crónicas y Promoción de la Salud en el Estados Unidos encontró que a partir de 2002-2009, el 11,8% de los hispanos mayores de 20 años, que viven en los EU, viven con diabetes …Continue Reading
TuDiabetes Team
DHF STAFF
 Manny Hernandez(Co-Founder, Editor, has LADA)
|
DHF VOLUNTEERS
Lead Administrator
 Bradford (has type 1) |
Administrators
 Lorraine (mother of type 1) |
 Marie B (has type 1) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
LIKE us on Facebook
Spread the word
This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here.
© 2013 A community of people touched by diabetes, run by the Diabetes Hands Foundation.
