I’m new to pumping as of March 2010 and use the Ping. I inserted a new site in my upper butt area – first time for this area – and since have been fighting with 200+ blood sugars from midnight to about noon. Then in the afternoon and evening, I’ve had lows. Has anyone else had this problem with any site or this area? Could this be an absorption problem with the site or just wacky bs? I haven’t had any absorption issues with the stomach or hip areas.
Sounds like you’ve got a bad site, which is creating the absorbtion problem. I have the same thing happen to me when a site goes bad (or is bad to begin with). The large amounts of insulin you give yourself to counteract the high BG readings stack up, and enter your system more slowly than normal… BUT the end result is that later in the day, you’re fighting lows.
I had a bent canula when I started a new site yesterday, and my BG ended up over 300 4 hours after eating 30g of carbs for breakfast. It took me 6 hours to get my BG down, and then, even with a reduced basal rate, I ended up with sugar levels in the 40’s later in the evening.
Isn’t this fun ??
…Joe
Thanks for your reply, Joe. It sounds like that’s my problem. OY! I guess I’ll change the site today. And I was just thinking, “Wow, I haven’t had a problem with a site, yet!” HA!
it does sound like an absorption problem. this was happening to me in certain spots in my thighs. i would eat and bolus as usual, but my blood sugars would rise and stay high (usually in the mid 200’s) no matter what i did. even a correction bolus wouldn’t be as effective as it normally is, but then i would increase the rate and do multiple corrections, and crash low.
if in doubt, you can try a new set that isn’t close to the site with the absorption problem, and see if the same thing happens again. you can also keep track of the spot you had problems with, and see if you have the same issues the next time you rotate around - it could be a bad set, or a bad spot for you.
anjali
Melissa
I wonder if you are sleeping on it, causing the absorption problem, then when you finally get the high baseline under control you are overcorrected and go low. I had a bent cannula once and spent two days trying to bolus myself down and finally realized that the inset tape was wet with insulin. Try a new site and let us know how it ended up. - Allen