Why do you have to change it every other day? is the absorption that bad? I don’t REALLY take note of where i put my sites. i don’t have any scar tissue… I only did stomach injections for 4 months, and i’ve been on a pump for 2 months.
I did exactly like Dave for about 16 years. Then I noticed getting a lot of unexplained highs, “pump bumps”, and site soreness or itching after 1 day. The endo said I had to lay off the abdomen, and rotate to areas not previously used for pumping, and change every other day. I frequently notice blood or insulin coming out of a site I have just taken the set. We had a discussion about long time pumping and scar tissue last year - here - it is a subject of great interest to me since I cannot find any answers. I’d love to find someone who’s been pumping as long as I have.
I have no system, but now that you mention it, I should! Thanks for the tip Marie!
I do this as well. No scar tissue under the skin and I have been pumping for 11 years in the abdomen only.
Not to say it looks pretty- I have small bruises sometimes and some light scarring on the surface of the skin.
Oh well.
I cannot use my stomach right now. I used/abused it for 8 years. ( I hated changing my sites, so there were times that I didn’t change it until day 5 or so.) I use an OmniPod pump, and I use the back side of my arms for sites now. I just go from right arm to left arm and rotate the pod… like this right arm/cannula up; left arm/cannula up; right arm/cannula down; left arm/cannula down. Then start back over. This is working for me right now until I can start using other places. I tried my back, but it seemed to want to pull away after sleeping on it, and I haven’t tried my thigh because I never got good absorption with shots or standard pumps, so I just steer clear of it. (Not to mention I used to almost always rip out the site pulling my pants up when changing or using the restroom!)
I am not trying to be rude or graphic here, but when you list your rotation for your “butt”, where is it exactly? Like on the curvature, the side, or on top right below the belt line? I was “blessed” with one unfortunately, so I’m sure I could get SOME absorption there, just haven’t known where to put it!
Humalog. the endo didn’t think it would matter if I went to Apidra. I think it has to do with being an older woman…you know…
LillyBell, I’m in the same situation. I used to leave my sets in for 5-6 days to save money. I always preferred my sites on my butt and I exhausted it after 4 years. I’m on a very long break from from infusion sites on my butt.
To answer your question, butt for me means anywhere below where my belt line is and any spot that is vertical when I sit down. I used to sit down and put my infusion set in to make sure that I would not put it so low that I would sit on it. I loved it there because I would never notice it was there (for 6 days!). Some (like my doctor) say this is a bad site cause I move every time that I sit down and it could rub against my pants, but it always worked the best for me! I hope that the scar tissue some how “disappears” (didn’t think that was possible). I miss my butt infusion sites.
Now I’m using my “love handles” just above the waist line on my back.
OK Marie, now I’m curious: where is the low, front part of your butt? I can’t imagine 
if you put the heel of your hand on your hipbone, and spread your hand out, where the hand is spread out is where I call “butt” I count about 9 general areas to poke there, 3 vertically called low/med/high, and 3 horizontally, left/mid/right. gosh, I wish I had more skin. I remember Doris Ann and I used to talk about the torsos of the swimmers in the Olympics and how we envied their long abdomen areas!
Thanks for the tip, Kristin! I changed my pod this morning and put it right below the belt line. I just hope I don’t almost rip it off when going to the restroom! That will be the next test. Maybe I need to get some big tegaderm patches to put over it? We’ll see how it goes. I’m interested in seeing how the absorption is there too!
I’ve been pumping for two years and use areas all around my waist. Looking down from overhead and starting at my navel as 12 o’clock, I use from 8 o’clock to 4 o’clock, in this order: 8,4,9,3,10,2,11,1. Additionally at 8 and 4 (and occasionally other locations) I will do a low and high so I get two sites before moving on. Using this rotation, it is easy to keep track of where’s next.
Wow! What a system!
I have never kept track. I guess I should start. With reference to Humalog: I was informed by my diabetes educator and Endo that Humalog does cause scarred tissue. This is why they switched my to Novolog which causes less scarred tissue.
I don’t really have a system. But I have noticed that if I put the shower on really warm (almost intolerably warm) for a few minutes towards the end of my shower, that my most used sites will turn a darker pink than ‘fresh’ skin. If I’m in doubt of how much real estate I’m working with, then I’ll do it before a set change. That has helped, though I still have sites I need to change after two days.
I typically work in my thighs, and then give them a break and go to my stomach when it looks like connect the dots…
I do something similar with just a bit of a twist. I rotate my sites based on the age of my insulin. The first few pulls out of the bottle to fill the pump go into my slowest sites, my arms, then the next ones go into my butt or my thighs and the last few pulls out of the bottle go into my abdomen. The insulin is less potent at that point and so I put it in my fastest site area. I also always change out my sites at 2 days because they no longer work well after about 100 units have been absorbed. Once I change a site I leave the old site in (MM pump) the skin for an hour or so and once I remove it I massage the area to facilitate the movement of any bubbles of insulin. I know that works as I’ve had some nice drops after doing that. I don’t go hypo because it’s insulin that needed to be absorbed and used.
I’ve found these routines to be extremely helpful to me to keep the blood sugar on as even of a keel as I can. For me it’s another tool in the toolbox.
Ressy
I am also bit fanatical in recording where I put sites. I have twelve quarter sized spots to the left and another 12 to the right of the belly button. Three columns of 4 on each side. On my right love handle I have 4 spots. In my Android phone I record the date each spot is used so that I can rotate such that I do not re-use a site for about 80 days. I also try to rotate so that I do not use an adjacent site to a used site for at least 15 days., I do not use my right love handle as I almost exclusively sleep on my right side.
I am new to the site and I haven't been pumping very long but when I first got on the pump I received a card that showed a rotation schedule. I have somewhat adjusted it but here it goes. So I chose my spots and I rotate clockwise around my body, using each location in a triangle pattern that does not overlap. So right now I have 4 locations. My right flank, left flank, left ab and right ab. Using this rotation (changing every 3 days) I spend nine days in the area but do not come back to an area for almost a month. So if you were to increase your locations (add thighs or other spots) you can increase the time. I find that this gives each area a decent amount of time to heal. also with my finger testing I use one finger a day. I usually forget to rotate spots and end up using my fave fingers. So it is so much easier to remember which finger I use. I have been able to get up to 6 sticks in one finger. Starting at the lower side of the pad and making an arc around. Feel free to ask for clarification if any of this is confusing:)
I am new to the site and I have been pumping for 3 years, but I received a card with rotation instruction that I have adjusted a bit. SO here it goes. You select your areas and rotate clockwise around your body using each area in a triangle pattern that does not overlap. For example: I have four areas right now. My left ab, right ab, right flank, left flank. (in that order). Using this rotation schedule (changing every 3 days) I stay in a spot for 9 days but do not return for almost a month or more (imagine a triangle on your ab, where the tape does not overlap the insertion points...also when /i come back to the spot I can shift this triangle a bit to the right/left/up/down to avoid the insertion points I used the last time I was there). This gives each spot a decent amount of time to heal. If you increase your spots (thighs, hips...) you can increase the time between spots. Feel free to ask questions:)
Also for finger sticking. I use one finger a day. I found that I would always overuse my favorite fingers but it easy to remember the "finger of the day". I start on the lower side of the finger pad and continue in an arc pattern(up to 6). You dont return to a finger for a week (definitely enough time for healing).
Again. questions welcome!
I am new to the site and I have been pumping for 3 years, but I received a card with rotation instruction that I have adjusted a bit. SO here it goes. You select your areas and rotate clockwise around your body using each area in a triangle pattern that does not overlap. For example: I have four areas right now. My left ab, right ab, right flank, left flank. (in that order). Using this rotation schedule (changing every 3 days) I stay in a spot for 9 days but do not return for almost a month or more (imagine a triangle on your ab, where the tape does not overlap the insertion points...also when /i come back to the spot I can shift this triangle a bit to the right/left/up/down to avoid the insertion points I used the last time I was there). This gives each spot a decent amount of time to heal. If you increase your spots (thighs, hips...) you can increase the time between spots. Feel free to ask questions:)
Also for finger sticking. I use one finger a day. I found that I would always overuse my favorite fingers but it easy to remember the "finger of the day". I start on the lower side of the finger pad and continue in an arc pattern(up to 6). You dont return to a finger for a week (definitely enough time for healing).
Again. questions welcome!