My pump sites have just not been cooperating lately. No matter where I put the canula - it ends up hurting. A lot. Enough so that I complain about it.
To give you an idea of what it takes for me to complain - I am a girl who has had external fixators drilled into a bone in my arm for eight weeks and who refused pain killers (other than Tylenol) after two days. I'm not a sissy. Not at all. So these sites are causing me more than a little bit of turmoil.
It started last week. I put in a new thigh site after a workout and a shower on Monday. Priming the canula stung. That almost never happens, but I didn't really think much of it. Then I woke up at 2 am - with the site stinging badly and my leg twitching. OK. I got up and tried to walk it off, thinking maybe it was some weird late night cramp. Nope. It kept on stinging. When I couldn't get back to sleep, I changed the site to the other thigh. Everything seemed fine.
Flash forward to 7 am. I could feel something wet on my left pajama leg. And I could smell that smell. You know the smell. That bandaid meets play doh insulin smell? Damn it. I had apparently dislodged the site sometime between the late night change and sun up. And it must've gushed, because there was blood and there was insulin. And when I looked at my leg, a big round blue bruise had started forming. On top of that, it felt as if someone had spent a lot of time pinching me right at the site of the canula as I slept.
Time for plan B. I moved completely off of the thighs and onto the back. My next site went in right at the place where my back meets my right hip. Again, the canula started burning as soon as I primed it. And each dose of insulin for the three days the site lasted was torture. Damned if I was going to waste another site, I suffered the bee sting burning every time I needed to bolus. And the constant dull throb which I assume was my basal insulin making its way in never subsided.
The next site, on the other side of my back wasn't a whole lot better. I checked the area around the sites, thinking that the insulin allergy that's plagued me in the past might be flaring up again - but the skin around wasn't anymore enflamed or red than is typical for the skin around a pump site.
I have to admit, there have been a couple of times over the past few days when I've actually teared up as a dose is going in. It has hurt that much.
When I put in my new site this morning, I moved back to my thigh. The sting of priming wasn't as awful as it had been with the last two, but man, my norm is not even realizing I've primed because I just don't feel anything at all.
So what's the deal? Anyone ever have this kind of trouble with one site after another? Do you think it's just me psyching myself out? Could it be the time of year?
Me - and my stinging thigh - would love any suggestions you might have.
Oh, and have I mentioned? Ouch?
Hey Nicole,
I had this trouble with my sites a while ago. Like you, I can take A LOT of pain. But I used to dread site changes because the burning and the stinging just got so bad I would cry every time I put a site in, and i'm 16 years old. But what worked for me was to change the length of the cannula. I was using 9mm, and switched back to 6mm, it still hurts a teeny bit but not as bad.
Also, if i'm really high of really upset over something and I do a site change, I find it hurts like hell.
Hope this helps.
-Kate
I have gone through the same thing. I who have had three children can tollerate a lot of pain. I switched to the 6mm size, I actually put my site in my butt now(it is the only place I seem to have enough fat). I also notice when I am very stressed it hurts a whole lot more. I have started putting an ice pack on my leg before insertion which decreases that pain and I have been using an IV prep before I insert. It helps to hold the canula in. Everyday is different...hang in there.
Nicole,
I am 31 (T1 19 years) and I also have site pain and have done a lot of work over the years to fix it. First off, I only use stomach sites because I have always had a worse reaction on my thighs and back. My problem is a reaction to the insulin so what has worked for me is taking two different antihistamines (Allegra and Singulair is my current cocktail). Also, I use the Silhouette sets and I don't use an inserter device, I just put it in old school, less trauma! Lastly, for a few years I had to change my sets every day. Minimed sells these combo packs with both full sets and just the silhouettes (no tubing). So you just change the site and not all the tubing. You save a lot of insulin that way without all that excess priming. Hope that helps!
Hi Nicole -
I have found that exhaling and relaxing just before inserting the canula helps relax the muscles so they aren't so tense. Also, I use the Quickset inserter and just barely touch it to my skin before releasing to avoid any possible crimping. These have helped me and hopefully may offer you some relief. Mine are virtually pain-free.
I have been using the Sure-T sets . . no canula and just a very short needle . . these sets have proven to be very comfortable to insert and to wear . . and they have been very reliable as well. I usually get 4 days from each set. And you do not need an inserter to place the set. . . also if you have to pay for them, they are the least expensive of Medtronic's infusion sets!
i have had a few issues like that, but i go for the "meatiest" part of my body to input. for me that is the waste. i go right side, right back, left side, left back. occasionally (never in summer when i'm in a pool a lot or sweating) i'll go for the butt. it hurts less and i get my insulin. now, granted, i'm a guy, but i could never go in my leg. that hurts just thinking about it. hang in there.
excuse me. i meant the meatiest part is my waist, not waste. big difference. :)
Thanks for all your comments and suggestions. I have tried the 6 mm canula, with no luck. I actually called my doc the other day - because I think it MUST be related to some kind of reaction to my insulin since it's not the actual insertion that hurts - it's the infusing of the insulin. I am going to ask about antihistamine - perhaps that will help.
Since writing this I've done one belly insert - which was a total failure and one arm insert - also a total failure. Both lasted less than a day. The belly because I just can't stand to have it there, I think and it didn't help with the burning. The arm, because the first time I tried to get dressed - I pulled it out. :( So, I'm back to my back. The burning is still there - in varying degrees. So weird.
Hi,
My diabetes educator got me used to using my stomache from the beginning. She said it caused less problems all the way around. (No pun intended.) I tried my legs but pulled the stupid thing out every time I pulled up my pants! I am also having issues with "no delivery" and wondering if it's worth it using the pump. I am supposed to try new sets to see...Anyway, it sounds like you need to get with your doctor and a diabetes educator. They really do know so much because that's what they do all of the time! Together, I'm sure they can come up with something to help you.
Keep your chin up!
I was having these problems a while back and so I ended up calling Minimed and they said that it was because my insulin was to cold and that I should leave my insulin out of the fridge when I'm using it. It has also helped with my blood sugars not bouncing around as much. I have had type1 for over 20 years and this has been one of the best things that has happened to help my blood sugars and help keep things from hurting as bad.
I agree with the idea your insulin may be too cold. Using insulin at room temperature also helps eliminate some of the air bubbles. It's worth a try.
I am very disappointed by this pump, the hose crimps up, I have inserted the sites in my leg and at times it gets to hurting so bad I have to remove and reinsert in another place. This can get expensive
Ouch/Ouch.
Oct 2008 is the 50th anniversary of my type I diabetis. Besides the glucose monitors and strips, the biggest help for me has been the paradigm pump, which I have had for 5 years.
We are all different, but what works for me ( 65 year old guy)is to alternate the set between my left and right thigh every three mornings. I wear a pocket tee shirt during bedtime,with the pump in the breast pocket. During the day, I keep the pump in my pocket and have the quick set come through a hole in my pants pocket and attached to the pump. 99 percent of the time this works well.
Keeping the insulin out of the refrigerator once the bottle is opened should also help.
As was stated before, you may be allergic to the type of insulin/preservative/ or even the adhesive on the set.
Hang in there.
Nicole, I used to have the same problem. I don't know what kind of infusion set you're using, but I had those problems constantly with the "90-degree" sets like the Minimed Quick-Set. I had better luck with the shorter 6mm cannula than the 9mm one, but still lots of problems. I switched to the "30-degree" sets (such as Minimed's Silhouette) that you insert at an angle, and have only had a couple of problems. I hate inserting them by hand so I use the inserter device and it works great. I just pinch up an inch or two of skin to make sure I'm hitting the fat layer rather than the muscle underneath. As long as the cannula is just under the skin you'll be OK. Hope that helps.
I too have had several times this has happened and one of them I found somthing not with with the vial of insuline. One I changed vials all the stinging went away and I called Lilly and they sent me a coupon for a new vial and I snt mine back for testing. The more recent issue has been I have always used the same four or five site areas and I have just started using my back, and I am trying several set types and canula lenghts.
Hi Nicole I just wanted to say that I have the same problem. My pump sites sting and hurt. I have been having trouble with my blood sugars also. They changed my infusion set to children's infusion sets that go in at an angle. That has worked for around 6 months but now they are starting to hurt again. I was at work they other night and my shirt started to feel wet, I didn't think anything about it at the time since I was giving an infant a bath. Then I noticed it was my bottom shirt not the top one and then I smelt insulin. I had a whole in the tubing and my blood sugar was somewhere over 600 don't know how high but I wasn't feeling to go. I'm on the verge of going back to injections, I never had this problem with injections. If you find something out let me know
Dorina
Have you trued using a different short-acting insulin? If you're using Novolog, try Humalog. If you're using Humalog try Novolog. Your endo has plenty of insulin on hand, he should be able to give you a vial to try. I wish you good luck. The various brands of insulin use different preservative, like a previous poster mentioned.
tioned.
Thank you all for your comments and suggestions. One of them REALLY struck a chord with me - to change bottles of insulin. I hadn't thought about that because it was a fairly new bottle - and the last one I had in the fridge. But I bit the bullet, called the insurance company and got them to cover an additional bottle for this month (I told a little white lie about breaking it...) And you know what? The new bottle did the trick - no more burning. I proceeded to call Novo and they are sending me a replacement for the bottle that I'm going to send back to them. A little scary because I wonder what the hell was in it that made it burn so badly - but also a great relief because I'm not in massive pain anymore.
My son has been on the pump for just 8 weeks now. He has become increasingly sensitive to the infusion set site. The insertion is not terribly unpleasant, but the insulin infusion at the site is stinging, burning, and radiating pain. He cries and begs to remove the set and go on shots. So, we are back on injections. We tried Emla cream...not helpful. We switched from an angled set to a straight 6 mm set. We tried changing from the buttocks, to the arm, to the belly...no luck. I think the stinging may be coming from a reaction to the insulin pooling at the end of the canula. I notice sometimes that he has a pink tint of blood in the canula when I remove it, and I question if perhaps the viscosity of the blood is keeping the insulin at the tip of the canula, causing an irritation. I have tried starting with insulin straight from the fridge vs. starting at room temperature. I will say that we starting out using Humalog in the pump and switched to Novolog. He was beginning to have some stinging complaint with the Humalog. We are on our second vial of Novolog, and this vial has definitely met with more complaint...maybe it is a reaction to the insulin preservative? I appreciate hawkina's post. She certainly has dealt with this problem. I can't imagine a daily inset change, though. I am interested in learning more about the Allegra/s cocktail, and how that came to be.