I am interested to hear how many of you have excessive bleeding at times when you remove your infusion cannula. I had the worst episode ever yesterday, but certainly not the first.
Thanks,
Jane
Happened to me once in over 15 years using pumps. I suppose that I am “better padded” than some.
You are lucky only once.
Besides the more common small beads of blood that can occur after I remove a pod, I have a bleeder happen about every 3 months. I have gotten some real gushers sometimes that take pressure for about 10 minutes to stop. I do have certain areas on my abdomen that are more prone to it. When I take off a pod I try to hold a cotton pad under where the cannula was to be able to immediately apply pressure if needed and to stop ruining anymore clothes/underwear lol.
I am not on any meds for anything other than insulin and I heal just fine from wounds and don’t seem to overly bleed from any other wound. I do have a problem with pod/site failures easily.
Rarely
Thanks for replying. I do the same with a cotton pad ready to go. Yesterday I had a stack of 5 little cotton pads and blood came through so fast that I had trouble getting 5 more in place. It took about 8 minutes to stop. I should have applied pressure longer I think. I have a huge hematoma. Oh well.
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I wonder if this might have something to do with putting the cannula too close to the umbilicus, where there are more blood vessels?
I have had it happen in many locations, but this last time could have been too close. Thanks.
@MBW It’s not near my navel where the most of my problem areas seem to be. My most likely areas seem to be about 3 inches above my pant line almost all the way to my sides. More on the left side than right side. That’s also the area I am most likely to feel pain when I activate the pods. But I don’t think I ever had an issue with the area above the belly button. I don’t get super close to my belly button.
@JVG Pressure really helps stall the bleeding. It’s just if you don’t press hard long enough, it will start right backup as soon as you lift the pad back up or within a few seconds. One pad usually works as long as you keep applying pressure. I remember grabbing a paper towel the first time in surprise and soaking it before I realized it wasn’t going to stop without hard pressure with my fingertip right on it.
You nicked a vein the infusion set blocks the blood and clots around it, the you pull it out and gush. This happened to me in a big way only once. If you insert your infusionsets manually without a spring loaded device, you can feel when you are over a vein, the skin over a vein has more nerve endings than places without and you can quickly learn my touching the needle to your skin, you van feel by the pain level if it’s a good spot or not. Of course this is no help with pods because it’s not possible to manually insert them.
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Thanks for the information.
Thanks
Maybe it’s because I put my insets in my back that I rarely get anything more than a spot of blood, usually nothing. Maybe there’s fewer veins back there? Little trickier connecting and disconnecting, but I don’t have the interference with clothing or anything else up front. I start about an inch from the spine, 3 inches above the belt line and alternate sides every insertion moving an inch or so toward the outside. Good luck if you try it. You may prefer it. (Look at it this way- you won’t have to look at all that blood if you do have a gusher🤪)
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I have thought about using my back. Are you able to insert it by yourself? What about during sleep, is it in the way if you sleep on your back?
My issue would be disconnecting and reconnecting to the set for showering.
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Totally agree.
Jane, it took a little bit to get the insertion part down, but I close my eyes and visualize (look, I’m a poet.) Started with Medtronic’s hockey pucks and have moved up to their newer style. That was another learning process. The biggest part (I think) is getting the cannula inserted correctly so the tubing is leading to the side the pump is on.
As far as being a problem at night, no, but that may be the fact that I wear a Velcro-fastening fabric belt with pouches that not only holds my pump, but it covers my inset. Also, I seldom sleep on my back.
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Interesting. Thank you so much.
Jane
Jane, one thing I forget to mention is that when changing to a new vial, rather than pulling everything out when reloading pump I simply take the vial out of the pump. I go ahead and put a new vial in after rewinding, tuck the used vial in my pocket for a few hours and then throw tubing and vial away. I don’t take the inset out for a few more hours.
Not sure if it is the process or just the fact that I usually heal pretty quickly. BTW, got my belt(s) from a website I don’t remember, unfortunately, but they have more than belts.
I don’t think we have the same type pump. I have a tandem t slim, autosoft XC infusion sets, and Dexcom G6 CGM.
Jane