=)
I was a “prober” and slow injector also. I think my hang-up with the Dex insertion is if I hit one of those tender spots I can’t pull it out or I will jerk and rip something. I have had my wife do a few insertions and I have done a few after a couple drinks and maybe one straight. The breathing increases and I sit there waiting with the Dex stuck to me, I hope one of these times I get over it.
Now the Pod and its auto insertion is way cool!
I think if the inserter tube was not clear plastic where you could not see the needle it might make it easier on some. Me, I just stick the pad down and whack the end with my palm. 1/10 of a second later I’m done. No pain, no time for anxiety.
Yeah, I agree Seth. I have practically no anxiety at all with the pod.
Interestingly though, I have hit a bad spot with the Omnipod. It wasn’t immediate pain, just an ache that started to increase in intensity. 10 seconds after inserting, the area was tender to the touch, then it became excruciating. I was doubled over in pain and every little movement hurt like h***. After about a minute of that, the pod was off. It took a minute becuase just touching the thing hurt like h***.
Awesome Amy! Let us know what you think… I have to wait until Jan, b/c of deductible logic… 
I’m approved and ready to go, just need insurance to roll over already!!! grrrr… LOL…
Courtney, I’m definitely getting the Ping now… I’ve been wearing the pod demo and it’s annoying… of course having something on you all the time will take some getting used to, but you can definitely see it lumped under clothing… I keep hearing about that integration too… Here’s hoping!
I hit a spot on my leg with the Pod that hurt like hell. I said to myself “ouch that’s not normal” and immediately got the screeching alarm of death! I pulled the Pod off and had a Gusher, it bubbled up like crude when Jed Clampett was shooting at food.
oooo gross;)
Not that our fears are always logical but I’m wondering how we all have problems with the dex insertion but the auto-insertions are no big deal? You can’t poke around with those either. After the first 3 or 4 insertions with those I had zero fear of them.
I honestly don’t know for sure. I guess it’s just the difference between pushing a button and pressing down on a plunger. The Dex looks like some torture device, or like something you just might see if you happen to be abducted by aliens. I think the length of the inserter on the Dex gives the impression that the needle is going in a lot deeper than it really is.
The Omnipod is just a button press and a snap. You don’t see anything happening, and I’m not even sure how the cannula ends up a couple of centimeters deep. It’s all nicely and neatly contained.
/shrug
Here’s a couple of reasons why it makes people nervous:
(#1) The inserter device is so incredibly HUGE in size. I know that it’s only shooting in a tiny wire, but the thing looks like a Howitzer… battlefield artillery, intended to destroy it’s target.
#2 is another inserter thing: There are “funny” Clunks which occur while you try switch from the shoot-in step to the needle-removal step, and get the durn thing off, AFTER it’s finished with it’s real job. (One big “clunk” in the motion of the pull-up ring occurs right at the bottom; another big “clunk” happens as you begin to pull up the white “inner sleeve”, about halfway along removal; and I think there’s even a 3rd… although I don’t remember exactly where, as I write this.) GRRR! But there’s some good news in this area: Dexcom HAS redesigned the inserter device, and FDA recently approved those changes. I expect the upgraded insertion device to be a lot smoother. (This was treated as a minor change, it’s not related to “major” changes such as GEN4 and GEN5.)
Feeling anxious when you’ve got this Howitzer stuck in your belly, and it wants to fight you about pulling it out… I don’t think you need to apologize.
Your anxiety will probably decline, A LOT, with practice. I found that the best way to overcome these “clunks” is to relax your grip a few times: If you try to make the removal occur as a single strong, smooth motion, then it WILL NOT go very well. Instead, relax your grip (completely) for a moment at each place where it want’s to create a “clunk”, and it will accomplish whatever “mode-switching” it needs to do- without fighting you. Do this “relax your grip, allow it to let go” trick again at the top, before you try to loosen the clips and take it out.
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Fighting the inserter device, and then fighting with both clips of the Transmitter; and then wondering about your bG during the warmup are all incredibly stressful. (“Am I crashing? Am I flying? Who knows, it’s been 20 minutes since I saw a bG! MUST POKE, MUST HAVE ANOTHER NUMBER…”) And then, if you haven’t done the “pre-insert the night before” trick, you get to wonder if the calibrations will hold, and whether the numbers you are looking at are actually RELIABLE…
Anxiety? Sounds like a perfectly normal response too me! However, “heart racing and hands shaking” is maybe (???) crossing the line from “perfectly normal response” into the zone of “treatable disorder”. (It’s not a clear “line”, of course; more of a gray zone between “yes” and “no”, depending on your feelings, circumstances, and other demands on your time.) BUT: If your response to inserting Sensors doesn’t begin to settle down, in the next 3-4 times (keeping my hints about “letting go of the handle” during removal in mind) then please make me a friend, I have some personal experience and knowledge of anxiety disorders and treatments. NOT as a qualified professional, just as a patient.
I personally have more pain with infusion sets. I use flexible nylon, rather than stainless. The infusers are wider than the Dexcom wires, and their inserter needles are also accordingly wider. But let me ask another question: What’s your favorite drink for this process?
NOTE: I take almost 10 minutes getting ready for an insertion, but nearly all of that time consists of cutting my flexifix “over-tape” patch to fit really well (including a "Window in the middle for the Sensor housing), and preparing the site (Wash, Rinse, Dry, PVI, Skin-Prep). I never feel a need to delay the insertion.
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I have been reading these comments, and I just had to go ahead and add mine.
Talking about needle sizes, Richard said earlier he has been injecting since '45. I’m not quite there yet, but been diabetic since '64. I learned how to use those huge glass syringes, and needles that must have been big enough to begin an IV on an elephant! Switching to disposable syringes with smaller needles was almost traumatic! I would sometimes wonder if I had actually injected the insulin. So inserting the Dex has been pretty much pain free.
I do agree with Rickst29 tho, you would think the size of the Dex inserter device would poke a hold through your entire body. (Howitzer, good name!)
In comparison to the Medtronic CGMS though, the Dex is again like a walk in the park with flowers blooming and birds singing. I would have to ice the area I was going to insert the Medtronic, then prep the site, and breath, and maybe ice again, and prep…I’ll take the Dex anyday, Howitzer sized inserter and all!
Alright I got the ??? that wouldn’t go away so I had a sensor change this morning. Only took me 20 - 25 deep breaths and a couple of pauses. Pow painless insertion into my leg, I really need to get over it.
In your leg!? That’s brave. I probably won’t attempt the leg for another year. I might have to drink half the bottle of vodka too!
I like the idea of vodka! but 7am is a couple hours too early. I love my legs and arms I get better accuracy and multiple restarts. Have you tried an “off site” yet? or done extended days with a sensor?
number one…the device looks much more intimidating than it actually is. Number two… I find that if you insert it in faster, the plunger…it is much less painful. Also, tell yourself not to think about putting it in, PRETEND that you do not have to change it and at the last minute tell yourself…I’m doing it now. Good Luck!
It’s pretty sad but I purposefully change the sensor in the evening, even if I have to go all day without Dex, just in case i want/need to drink!
I haven’t tried an off-site yet. One side of my stomach to the other- right at the bottom of the rib cage. My trainer showed me how I could do the arm by myself but I don’t feel comfortable with it yet (obviously). And I don’t know if I could let someone else do it now. I still laugh when you repsonded to my initial post awhile back and said it hurts when your wife inserts it really slow!!
Oh, and I have restarted the sensor but have only made it about 11 days. I don’t wait for it to sort itself out very long because I’m always ready to relieve that patch of skin. I’m wondering how better numbers might extend the life of the sensor for me.
I like your thinking about the evening changes. Of coarse I will have the drink whether or not I need to change a sensor.
I haven’t forgotten that one from my wife, I haven’t had her do another one yet. My last change I had a coworker do! It was back on my arm and I just couldn’t reach. She had taken care of her dyeing mother and was familiar with needles and shots. I explained everything to her and insertion was quick and painless. When she went to pull the collar back she thought she was supposed to remove the whole thing and really yanked, I caught the sensor and kept it down and stuck. Lasted two weeks.
I totally understand the anxiety, I’m so terrified of needles I had all 4 kids without any meds…When I was DX 8 years ago I got a tattoo just to face my fears…it has helped some, nothing since has been as bad as that 20 min. 
It still takes me 20/30 min. for my pump insertion and thats automatic… my dex, I haven’t even faced without numbing cream yet and I’ve had it now since Sept. Would love to do away with that step buuuttt. I do love it though, it has helped my #'s. I’m glad I went with the dex, I have a friend who has the MM one and her inserter and needle are HUGE.
I would also like to use some other site than my belly…I’m to scared other sites would be harder to insert and more painful.
Speaking of drinking…does anyone else need zero insulin when drinking wine? I cannot keep my BG up when I have a couple glasses. Now I start around 130-160, eat meal and take no insulin. Guess the liver shuts down??
Any one else?
i still have to bolus for all the food. interesting…and a little scary! better make sure you always eat some food with that magical wine;)
I start high and always eat. Good for others to be aware.