Trust.
When I first started on an insulin pump two years ago, my diabetes educator prescribed me with insets. During those initial weeks, site changes were an awfully overwhelming experience, causing several hours of anxiety following each change.
The pressure from the ‘inset’ insertion device would often trigger bruising and bleeding on my very lean body. I would spend hours watching my site and my blood sugars like a hawk, just waiting for signs of failure. I could really feel the sites ‘digging’ in as I crashed on the couch watching a movie or laid in bed at night. It wasn’t uncommon to feel stinging when I administered mealtime insulin boluses, either.
Then there was one tumultuous night where I discovered a kinked cannula hours after a site change, as I was on the verge of DKA (when all I really wanted to do was kick back and watch Serena Williams play in Wimbledon).
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t question whether insulin pumping was the best option for me.
Thanks to the help of the diabetes online community, I eventually found an infusion set that went in on an angle, and was inserted manually with my own two hands and a needle. And it’s quite honestly the very reason that I am still able to use an insulin pump with confidence today.
Although I never believed it would be possible at the time, I now realise that I very rarely have infusion sets fail on me. I can place an infusion set with ease, alternating around the left and right sides of my stomach, and go about my day without giving it a second thought.
I guess I’ve been reminded of this in recent weeks as I’ve tried to reconnect to my YpsoPump, which does not have angled sets, on several occasions (more about the YpsoPump here and here).
The 90 degree sets simply don’t agree with me.
When I spend relentless hours of my life managing diabetes, the very last thing I have time for is tending to tethering issues with the devices that I use.
My Animas Vibe gives me the option that I trust the most to infuse insulin into my body 24 hours a day, and that’s why I’m happily sticking with it for the time being (although I wouldn’t say no to a #TslimForFrank, either…)
