I talked to Olivia again about going off the pump and she's adamant about wanting to do it. We were changing her site because, once again, the site she'd had in got infected. She only keeps a site in for 2 days, but they often seem to get red and irritated. We use antiseptic wipes before inserting them - I don't know if she's just sensitive or if we're doing something wrong or what, but she's sick of it. I don't blame her; after looking at her stomach and arms, she's got a lot of ugly, raised white bumps, especially on her belly. We rotate sites all the time and go pretty far out on to her sides, but the scars just don't seem to go away.
I don't know if there's anything that can be used to get rid of the scars or if she's stuck with them forever. I just know they really bother her.
So she's insistent on the pen, hoping that it won't scar her up the way the pump has done. We've never used a pen - do they leave scars the way pump infusion sites do?
My biggest worry about the pen is that she won't have quite the freedom that she does on the pump. We're going to use Lantus and Humalog, which shouldn't mean too much of a change, but still, I worry that she'll get too impatient to use the pen when she wants a snack. Of course, she does this on the pump with annoying regularity, too, so I suppose it won't make a huge difference. It's more the remembering to take all the stuff with her all the time that concerns me.
It's kind of a moot point anyway - we can't afford to replace her pump and it's out warranty at this point. Our insurance only covers $1500 in pump costs and we can't take on a payment plan right now. If she hates being on the pen, we'll have to figure it out, but she knows the deal at the moment and seems to be fine with it. She has another month to think about it and get used to the idea, though.
I just hope this works for her.
I had the same problems and it was the #1 reason I went off of the pump. The best way to work on the scars is with Vitamin E and massaging them daily. In the shower with soap works well.
Keep the surface scars covered with sunblock if she will be in the sun, until they have a chance to heal.
Do not use Aloe Vera. Although it heals, it can make the discoloration of scaring on the skin darker instead of making it go away.
Another thing that might help is to look into a cream like Mederma. It is used for scaring and stretch marks. But the trick here is to use it while the scars are new. If you let them sit for months, the cream does nothing.
No, the pen does not scar. It is a tiny need like the syringes.
It has take a couple of years to get the scar tissue in my abdomen to break up.
The pump is not for everyone, I was off and on again for 6 years. I am on Lantus and Novolog now and am doing well. I am also an adult with a pretty routine schedule.
she may need a break from the pump for awhile and then go back. Don't get rid of the pump you have, even if warranty is expired. She may determine that she never wants to go back.
I won't go back unless I get pregnant.
Good luck!
What infusion set is Olivia using/
Sometimes you have to go through quite a few to find one that does not cause scarring, discomfort, or malabsorption.. I am using up my Quick-sets and am moving to Sure-T's, not because of scarring, but due to too many NO delivery messages and unexplained malabsoption issues with the Quick sets.
Have you tried different types of Iv prep swabs? I use Smith- Nephew IV preps for better adhesion and preparing the site.
We have the same problem with our little guy - many of the pump companies (Animas for sure) has a program to help people whose insurance doesn't completely cover the pump - there are tons of programs out there to get a new pump if that is what yo need to do!