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I typically bleed easily. I’ve been that way for awhile. My body just doesn’t want to clot very quickly. Unfortunately, as a diabetic, I bleed more often than I don’t. Between finger pricks and infusion set changes, there’s always blood. Sometimes, there’s very little. My fingers will refuse to bleed no matter how much I try to get them to. The infusion set won’t bleed at all when I pull the old one off.

Other times, I’m Old Faithful gushing out the bright red mix. Sometimes the stories are funny. Sometimes they are annoying. Mostly, they are life.

Just tonight, I inserted a sensor for my continuous glucose monitor. I hadn’t used the spot in awhile, but even still, red began pouring out of the tiny pin prick hole. I put pressure on it, holding for about three minutes. When I lifted my hand, my palm was slowly becoming soaked. I pulled the sensor out and covered the hole with tissue. 

I waited a few minutes and inserted a new sensor into the area (not too close to the first hole, just in case). The same thing happened again. This time I decided I was not wasting another $35 sensor to avoid crusted blood on me for the six days (and the potential of blood getting inside the sensor). The things we do to save money as diabetics!

My favorite story is the funniest of all. Typically, when I begin bleeding like this it’s more like a quick leak on the top of my skin, rather than a shooting cannon. On some random and normal day, I changed my infusion set from one side of my body to the other in the middle of my living room. I didn’t have any bleeding problems when I inserted the new set. As I pulled the old one off slowly, the second the cannula exited my body, blood shot out.

Unprepared for a bleeding site, my only reaction was to stand completely still and put my hand on it. Before I could even do that, blood had dropped to the floor and a nearby table. There were blood drops everywhere. Again, who knew one tiny hole could produce such a volume of blood? After a few seconds, I grabbed paper towels and finally stopped bleeding. I just kept laughing the entire time. I’m sure it’s one of those stories that are much funnier when you’re there, but just imagine that in your head for a second.

I suppose some diabetics are squeamish, but overall I don’t see how we can be. We deal with bodily fluids every day. A large majority of us have to smell the disgusting scent of insulin. We certainly can’t be afraid of needles. Then again, maybe it’s just me.