So this morning I changed my site...four times. I feel like I wasted a ton of supplies ugh
The first time I changed it (I use the metronic silhouette inserter btw) I unclamped the inserting device from the site and the site fell out. Second time I did this the adhesive didn't stick all the way so when I pulled the "pin" out of the site the site came with it. The third time I tried it hurt like hell and I must of hit a nerve cause there was no way I was gonna walk around with this pain (I use the areas on my upper butt as my sites) in my butt. So finally! I changed it and everything went smoothly. Thank god.
I'v never tried putting my site on my butt. Isn't it like hard to reach or something??? Like doesn't it hurt when you sit down? I always put mine on my stomache.
I don't normally have that bad of a time. I use the minimed quickset, so it's a lot easier to set up and get the inserter and needle off.
Although last week I had a problem where the first time I hit a blood vessel and it gushed for a minute. The second time the tape stuck to the inserter as it was pushing in to me, so it got kind of sideways and didn't really go in. That's only happened to me twice, but it's annoying. The third time I finally got an okay insertion.
About the sites, I normally use my tummy area, but my upper-butt works about as well, and I like to use thigh or side of my lower back as a change of pace sometimes.
i havent messed up infusion sets, but there was one that took almost half an hour i think. first, when i taking the needle guard off, i pulled the needle out, then the tubing wouldnt go on the reservoir, then something else happened...
also, when i went for the cgm training, the first sensor we put in had something that didnt work in it, not the way we put it in or anything so we had to put in a second one
I've had a few mistakes. Once the needle was down in the canula and it didn't work (that wasn't my fault). Next I forgot to pull the paper off the sticky part so I just ended up sticking myself with the needle. Then I pulled the tube too hard and the site came off of the needle. I've also had some pump problems too. My first pump I got something happened to one of the microchips and it kept showing a code so I got a different pump. That pump broke too. When you would go to load a cartrige it would like stop and say you had way more insulin then you really had. Now I have my new pump! Nothing has gone wrong with it (yet). Hopefully nothing will happen to it!!
I was playing hockey the other day and was aware that I was wearing the pump enough that when I tripped over the blue line (haha yeah) I fell to the opposite side of my pump and i totally skinned myself it was so much fun. I have a brush burn on the right side of my stomach from the pavement.
Fortunately, I haven't had this many problems. I use the Cleo infusion sets, so there's no setup- it's all pre-loaded. I have had a few that hurt like crap. I've also had quite a few that go in fine, but then once I deliver the first bolus with that new site, my pump says that there is a blockage, so I have to go change it again.
Oh, and I use my stomach and the sides of my butt for my sites. I tried the inner thigh once, but that didn't work out too well. I'm too nervous to try the outer thigh because of the muscle there.
When I was still uses soft-sets from Medtronic, I had way more problems with insertion. I had two bad soft-sets in row once, and on the third time everything went alright. With the quick-sets I haven't had more than one mess up at a time (knocks on wood).
4 times....holy cow. I can say it's never happened to me that I've had so many issues changing my site. But I did have problems that last time I had insterted my CGMS, I had instereted and was waiting the 5-15 mins to make sure things were good. But at the time I must have had a brain fart cause I didn't remove the needle after insterting so when I did remove the needle after about 15 mins it started bleeding and it was quite a bit of blood. So just to make sure things were working properly I had call the tech. help to see how much blood would make my sensor not work and the women on the phone laughed right in my ear when I told her what I had done. It had been a while since I'd worn a sensor so it was my fault and when I contacted my pump trainer she lauged a little bit and told me that everyone has one of those situations.
So at least now I can laugh about it but at the time I was worried about getting my sensor to work. And that is my lastest change blunder. LOL
Man... I had a 4 timer just last month! There was blood everywhere because the 3rd time I hit a vein. The other time I hit a muscle and bent the cenula. I don't even recall what happened the other times >< but it hurt.
I think I had a 3-timer once. Both times the adhesive on the set stuck to the insertion device (yay Quickset!). Also one time I remember that my set fell out right after I inserted it because I had put on lotion and it wouldn't stick. That may have happened twice in a row before I figured out why it wouldn't stay in. I love site changes :P
I've had some similar situations. My worst 2 or 3 times I change the site out, for whatever reason it didn't take, change it again with my backup that I carry with me, again it failed. I believe in all of those I switched over to manual injections for a couple of hours, and finally on the third change out did it finally take!
I used to use the quickset infusion sets with the inserter. I had a horrible time with them, it seemed like every time I went to put a new site in the cannula would bend and not get inserted under the skin, or the cannula would just be bent under the skin and hours later I would find out I received no insulin, or when I took it out it would gush blood gaahh! My solution was to stop using the darn inserting device which was extremely awkward to do with the quickset (you have to hold it perpendicular and aim and throw it in real fast lol), so I ended up switching over to the silhouettes since Medtronic said they were the most easily inserted manually. You should try not using the inserter, I haven't had a bad site since I've been doing manual insertions with the silhouette. It's a little scary at first, but you'll get over it and it's way less frustrating.
I just wanted to make a suggestion for you. Depending whether you are covered for your supplies by insurance or whether you pay out-of-pocket, this might be of interest. I use the Animas Comfort Short infusion sets. They appear to be exactly the same as the MM Silhouette, except that at the place I get mine from, they cost about $20 less per box! Something to consider, unless of course, you like throwing your money away! LOL