Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by DBolding on May 8, 2011 at 3:06pm

has he used a insulin pump before? could he be allergic to the actual cannula?

I personally am allergic to Apidra and had red inflamed itchy skin from that, and moved to Humalog and since then everything was ok, have you tried injecting the humalog into him rather than through the omnipod to see if it is the insulin or the cannula itself? if it is the cannula then there is nothing that can be done? but there are other pumps which allow the use of a steel cannula I believe its the minimed pumps which can use those ones?

Permalink Reply by Steve D on May 8, 2011 at 3:09pm

Lisa-
Congrats on being such a great parent for your son, I greatly admire folks like you, who have helped a son/daughter to hndle this isidious condition. I have had at least 100 pods that I would have to remove because the itching go so bad! (Thats with however many pods I hav gone through in a total of 5 years, I was one of the pilot testers). I would recommend that you just stick with it....trash any pods that just get intolerable for your son, put a new one on, (different site, of course) Try rotating more often and new locations, ie, thigh, calf, lower back, etc. The sights that seem to get the most itcy for me are both sides of my abdomen, hips. Good LUck, and PEACE!

Permalink Reply by barbraann on May 8, 2011 at 3:45pm

Could he be reacting to the adhesive? I know this is quite common. Was he OK before you switched insulin's and was he on the pod before switching? Maybe you can treat his skin with something to act as a barrier. If it's the insulin you might be able to send a letter from your Doc saying he's allergic to this particular insulin and have to change back to Humalog and hopefully they'll cover it. It's a hassle but if he's allergic they should cover an alternative.

Permalink Reply by MidwestMommy on May 8, 2011 at 7:58pm

Have you tried hydrocortisone spray? Spray some on skin and let it dry completely before adhering the pod. Has to be the spray, the lotion or cream will affect pod adherence. Walgreens has it.

Also, some people find alcohol wipes irritating. Clean skin with soap and water if that's the case.

Permalink Reply by Hockey Mom on May 11, 2011 at 3:11pm

Our CDE gave us a sample pen of Apidra that we used the two weeks before our pump training. She wanted to make sure that my son was not allergic to Apidra before she started pumping it through his system. So, apparently some people have been allergic or they would not be adding this extra step to their pump initiation ?

Is he injecting Humalog ? Is he using Humalog in the pump also ? If he is allergic, I would think he would have irritation at the injection sites also.