my trainer mentioned something that i'm just now realizing i dont understand. he said you have to wait three site changes before using a site again..does that mean i can't switch back and forth between my left and right lovehandles each time, and that i have to move it to another two spots before i go back to the left side, or the right side?
(did that makes sense? i can't tell..i'm tired)
nevermind, greg came online on FB and i bombed him with questions haha.
okay i have another question and greg isn't online.
i've noticed that i'm usually higher the hours following taking my pump off to shower. is there something special you're suppose to do with the site when you shower? should i not be keeping the pump in the same room? that package of plastic plugs(that match the tubing needle end) you get in a box of infusion sets..should i be pluggin the site with one of those when i shower???
Are you bolusing the amount of insulin you've missed by having it off, after you put it back on after the shower?
Hi Batts,
In my opinion, the answer to your question depends on a few factors...
personally, when I shower, I remove my pump in my bedroom and leave it there instead of taking it into the bathroom with me. However, I don't think that makes a difference... My showers are generally quick (5 to 10 minutes) then I immediately reconnect as I'm dressing. I don't do any kind of correction bolus, nor do I experience the highs that you're referring to. I figure that if my basal rate is at, say, 0.9 u/hr and I am disconnected for 10 minutes (1/6th of an hour), I am only missing out on 0.15 units, not enough to make my BG go up drastically.
So now the determining factors for your case: How long are you disconnected/how long are your showers? What is the amount of insulin that you're not getting in that time period? Also, does your high BG last long? (read on about that one!)
The daughter of a friend of mine, a 12-year-old T1D, goes high too, just before a shower. But then her BG comes down on its own afterwards. Her mother thinks that it's just the stress of the whole experience that makes it go up. I HATE how stress affects my BGs!!! Anyway, could this be what's happening to you?
I do hope this all helps a little bit. If nothing else, it'll give you something to think about until Greg comes back online! LOL
[quote user="Kim"]
Are you bolusing the amount of insulin you've missed by having it off, after you put it back on after the shower?
[/quote]
No, cuz I only have it off for tops15mins.
[quote user="Nads"]
Hi Batts,
In my opinion, the answer to your question depends on a few factors...
personally, when I shower, I remove my pump in my bedroom and leave it there instead of taking it into the bathroom with me. However, I don't think that makes a difference... My showers are generally quick (5 to 10 minutes) then I immediately reconnect as I'm dressing. I don't do any kind of correction bolus, nor do I experience the highs that you're referring to. I figure that if my basal rate is at, say, 0.9 u/hr and I am disconnected for 10 minutes (1/6th of an hour), I am only missing out on 0.15 units, not enough to make my BG go up drastically.
So now the determining factors for your case: How long are you disconnected/how long are your showers? What is the amount of insulin that you're not getting in that time period? Also, does your high BG last long? (read on about that one!)
The daughter of a friend of mine, a 12-year-old T1D, goes high too, just before a shower. But then her BG comes down on its own afterwards. Her mother thinks that it's just the stress of the whole experience that makes it go up. I HATE how stress affects my BGs!!! Anyway, could this be what's happening to you?
I do hope this all helps a little bit. If nothing else, it'll give you something to think about until Greg comes back online! LOL
[/quote]
Well the last two times it happened(the time my site failed at 5am and yesterday) it was for an extended period of time. I was 21 for most of the day yesterday, despite corrections and didn't go back down until about 1am...
I usually don't have it off for longer than 15minutes..though more often 10minutes or less and I always reconnect after i get out of the shower. my basal rate right now for 4am-12am is 1.25u/hr so maybe i should be correcting? i had at least 2 IOB when i took it off for my shower the other night..
That is strange. Maybe you're reacting to the heat from the shower. I know showering usually lowers my blood sugar and I'm often low after showering, which I think is from the heat. But I've heard that heat can also raise your blood sugar as well, depending on the person. If you're consistently going high after showering, you could try bolusing a little extra insulin to counteract the high you'll experience after it. Good luck!
i have a pretty high body temp naturally, so heat really bugs me..its not uncommon for me to be epically high during our "heat wave" in the summer.
i plugged the site when i took a shower the other night and didn't notice a raise in my levels, so i guess that fixed it!!
i have another question though...is it okay/normal to sometimes have a hard bump where a previous site was, that's tender for a few days but then fine to touch?
here's what happened:
i was vaccuming one of the staircases at my rental on saturday, getting ready for the move out..when my tubing caught on one of the railings. i didn't notice and went up a step, i was fine. still didn't notice, went up a step and the site got tugged SO much i actually exclaimed in pain. now..i've tugged on my tubing plenty(it freaks a friend of mine out, who doesnt like needles haha) and been fine..but this HURT and STUNG for like 15minutes following.
I didn't change the site, cuz it was only the 2nd day and it was fine except that it had hurt for a bit. i changed it on sunday night and everything was fine....but i noticed a hard bump under my skin where the site used to be. today it doesn't hurt, but it was tender to touch sunday night and monday..and was quite red.
i'm wondering if it was caused by the tugging, or if i put the site too far on my lovehandles(it was closer to the center of my back than my side) and that's why? i did have some problems on friday and saturday where i could FEEL the insulin being delievered when i did a bolous and it stung..