My infusion set sites are becoming more and more difficult for me to keep fresh. I can’t wear an infusion site on my stomach. I’ve explained this in the past, but basically, I’m too fat. I have too many “rolls” in my stomach that when I bend or stretch or exercise, the rolls do what they do and roll up. When this happens, no matter what kind of adhesive is being used, the site falls off.
I’ve tried different infusion sets over the years with the trials of all the pumps that I’ve used and they are all the same. So, I just don’t think there’s much that can be done about it.
So, I’m stuck with the upper portion of my buttocks and the mid to top area of my quads. There are only so many spots in these areas that I can inject an infusion set. This is why I take so many insulin pump breaks because I just need to allow these areas some time to “heal”
The other issue is that I use too much insulin. I’ve decreased my usage compared to the last several years, but it’s still not where I want it to be. This leads to the area under the site filling up with insulin too quickly and then pushing up on the cannula which then leads to the infusion site leaking.
This then leads to frustration, which leads to pump breaks, which leads me to not want to be surrounded by all this diabetes technology and just taking it old school to no pump or CGM. That can sometimes lead to bad news, however, I’ve had some success in the past with using Tresiba and Novolog, but that’s a different story for a different time.
All that being said, I am still excited for the MiniMed 670G and can’t wait to get started on it (don’t know when I will yet).
Any recommendations from y’all on some more interesting places to try the infusion site?
Any and all help is totally welcome.
Hi. I’m about four months in with the t:slim x2 pump & mostly use my stomach, which has a LOT of real estate but i have also used a thigh & back of my arm. As a guy, you probably keep your pump in your pocket so the thigh might be good for you. For me, the thigh might require a little longer tubing, which I just received (i think 43″ because i keep pump clipped to my bra), but the arm worked well.
Just found your blogs & signed up as a new fan 😊
Alexandra – first, thanks for the comment. I have not been brave enough to try the back of the arm yet. I’m not sure if I could do that. I use the smaller tubing and keep in my pocket. Sometimes, it can be tough but it usually works out just fine.