7 Comments

  1. Whatever you decide to do, you can do it 🙂
    Re: troubleshooting site/infusion kinks, depending on your pump there’s often a few different types of sets available. Might be a matter of finding the right one for you. I know medtronic do a steel cannula one, cannulas of different lengths and so on.

  2. Ah, Frank! You know I have totally been there with this stuff. It is so exhausting. But, I will give you the advice that my Endo gave to me when I was experiencing the opposite of this (frustrations with the return to MDI after 10 years of pumping!): Stick to it for a little bit longer if you can. It may simply be that your body is adjusting to a different insulin delivery system.

    But with that said, there is freedom in being able to choose how you manage your own diabetes. It is your choice, and you can take a pump vacation whenever you want! It’s up to you whether it becomes an extended stay, or just a weekend getaway. I hope that whatever happens, it becomes less frustrating for you soon!

  3. Thats frustrating for you Frank.

    You’ve probably tried it all, but I found after a few trials and errors that the following works for me:
    – Run a higher temp basal for the first few hours of putting a new site in. A new site doesn’t have the pooled reservoir of insulin that a site collects over its days in your skin, so when you change sites you actually have less insulin than normal. I run 150% for the first 2 hours and then 120% for the next 4 hours after that. Obviously, your diabetes may vary.
    – Leave your old site in for 3 – 5 hours after you change your site, just in case of a site failure, you can swap back to the old site until you’re mentally ready to do a new site – for me sometimes if a new site fails and I swap back, I might not want to do a new site until the next day.
    – Try a different type of canula. In fact I use 3 different types of canulas, each works better in a different area of my body.
    – Try new real estate. I probably have a bit more fat stored around my body, but I alternate between thighs, stomach, hips, my back and my arms. It’s about 3 months between each area getting used again so there’s less scaring causing less site issues. (for places where you have less fat, you can use a shorter canula length).

    I know its hard, especially when you’re high after a new site change, but try to limit your testing when a new one has gone in. Most people I talk to and myself included run a little high for the first few hours and you just need to know that it can be normal and that as the insulin starts to pool your BGLs will come down.

    Hope you manage to find something that works for you.

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