So this evening I was changing my pump because yet again the outer tube broke and only the inner tubing was intact at the insulin holder thingy. I noticed there was blood in the tube… it wasnt much but i could see it. I have been on the pump for almost 3 years and this has never happened to me before. Anyone else experience this?
I have had blood in the catheter of the infusion set, but never in the tubing. Where was the blood exactly? In the tube of the infusion set or closer to the pump ?
yeah that’s happened to me before too. I’m not really sure why it happens…but I’m still alive so obviously it can’t be too harmful!
Yes. I’ve only been on the pump for 6 weeks. . . and if I were playing the lotto I would have won twice! Apparently, according to my pump trainer, you have hit a vein. It is not very common. The first time, the blood was in my infusion set only; the second time it was about three inches up my tubing. By bolusing, the insulin pushes the blood back through the tubing. This has occurred when I’ve had IV’s put in place (hospitalizations, surgeries, etc.) as well. Not to worry. The only problem is that it is a bit painful AND the possibility exists of being IN a vein and not through the vein. Hence, your insulin will not be used as efficiently. Also, if you are IN a vein, the possibility exists that the cannula will be against the wall of the vein and cause blocking. Your pump should give you a warning if the insulin is not getting in. Mine kept blocking and needed to be changed the second time around.
I’m like Kristin, blood in my catheter, but never in the tubing, and I’ve been pumping for 12 years now. What pump do you use? Do you use the same companies infusion set? With some pumps you can try different brands of infusion sets, if that seems to be what the problem is.
So where are you wearing your pump? Lots of veins in the legs to hit, but tummy and hips work well for me. Perhaps this is the cause???
I’ve had both before though I rarely have blood in my tubing. The most important thing to notice is that it means you are having backflow into the tubing and you probably have less insulin than you should as a result. Blood in your set or tubing is definitely a sign that a site change is in order. I’ve been pumping for nearly two years now and I think I’ve had this happen two or three times - blood in the cannula happens much more often, about once per month or so.
Hi Sami,
In one year, it happened 4-5 times and one of those times was this weekend. This weekend, the cannula was not in deep enough… I asked a nurse at the hospital once (it happened quite early on) and she says that if we hit a vein the pressure is greater than the pump’s drip, so sometimes it goes up.