Oh my, that looks like it would be a pain to route the tubing to the pump location that I like to wear it at, which is my waistband. I’m tall, with a long torso, so doubt I could get the tubing to fit, and if I could, I would think I wouldn’t be able to lift the pump off of my waistband and hold it up when operating it.
I have taken insulin for 57 years. I was told that 34 years ago by my endo and needed to go on pump. I was up to 4-6 injections daily. The pump, first Medtronic now Omnipod, is one stick every 3 days. I use good lotion with coconut oil for my skin to heal and soften, after bath.
I now most of time use rib area for pump and lower abd sides to hip bone for cgm. Your sites cannot be used up. As a RN working with kids with diabetes, a lot of them were afraid to move sites. It is the only way. We would teach the children to go around the world yin each site for pump.
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My using sites everywhere is why I complained so loudly when the 42 inch tubing was discontinued! It is a huge frustration for me. Everyone says rotate your sites, rotate your sites but now I don’t have the tools to make that happen.
So this month I went to a formal gathering and the problem is always what to do with the pump. Usually I put it in my bra but with a tighter fitting dress that is not an option. So I used my leg for the site and put the pump into my “body shaping undergarment”! (What us women go through sometimes!) The tube was long enough but not much more.
I do believe that I have had such good success with my long time pumping because I do use most every available site. I still haven’t worked up the nerve to try my breasts, but who knows maybe as they continue to sag, I might!
Have you tried your buttocks yet? If so, how well did it work?
One thing I noticed was you did not mentioned what type of infusion sets you were using.
If its angled ones have you tried switching to 90 degree ones?
With a lot of twisting I can reach and do use that area but so much unsure sites back there! I would imagine sitting on it might not be very pleasant.
But I have been thinking of having my husband help with that area but higher up so I’m not sitting on it. But I do use the lower and upper sides of hips and lower back, with a lot of twisting.
But my thinking here is, this is never going to go away and I hear of many people who overused a site and I don’t want to lose the ability to continue using my pump! So finding new sites is always a good thing. So I guess my husband might have to start helping. Won’t that be fun!
I have been a very hands off kinda person when dealing with my diabetes. But I guess as I age, I should probably get my family more involved with my day to day care?!
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Yes, I would want help if I had to put sets on my butt. For one thing, I like to put an IV3000 over the top of my Sure-T’s. Can’t imagine doing that myself. Or clipping/unclipping the connector.
Except sites don’t just get “used up”. Your body should be able to heal itself, especially since you’re giving them plenty of time to heal between rotations. There’s an underlying issue you’re not addressing.
Do you have any yet undiagnosed medical conditions that might be hogging all your healing energy? Blood circulation issues. Lymphatic drainage issues. Have you tried an allergy elimination diet looking for food allergens? Are you already on a restrictive diet that might leave you with a nutritional deficit, perhaps missing an essential amino acid? Have you had inflammation levels checked in your bloodwork (CRP)? Are they actually doing CBC, urinalysis, and complete metabolic panels on you, since some Physicians overlook these?
So sure, get your husband to help while you give your front side a rest, but those sites should be able to be revived. You’ve been given a few suggestions on this thread alreadyto heal scar tissue, if that’s the only problem. I wouldn’t just give up on “used up” sites yet. There are lots of other options. You could try hot baths to help detox and improve circulation. Deep massage, like penetrating vibration or to a lesser extent those nubbed massage tools, is also helpful for breaking down scar tissue. If you have gym access, they often have full body vibration machines. Terrible workout equipment, but they’re amazing for loosening up tissues and promoting lymphatic circulation. Red light has healing properties in the right wavelengths, and can be a very inexpensive option. (Yes, it’s true, even if it sounds outrageous. We have cytochromes that respond to specific types of light.)
You do have options
42 inch tubing discontinued? I’ve never used anything else, and still do. Tandem makes a 42 inch set. Animus used to make one before they closed shop.
Well…okay…not never. I did try a 24 inch set and, in the first week, found I could pull the cannula out just by extending my arm while holding my pump. I’ve been using 42’s ever since.
You can still get 43" tubing. You just can’t get it on Sure-T sets. I used to have my orders include some Silhouettes just so that I could get some long tubing. I’d throw away the sets and use the tubing with my Sure-T’s.
Yeah there are infusion sets using the longer tube but I like and need the metal infusion sets. Just one less thing I have to worry about. I never have a problem with them, except for shorter tube length🙁
I had no problem getting an Rx for the additional sets. I can’t stand Silhouettes–I just wanted the tubing which I would use for 2-3 set changes of Sure-T’s.
I also hate the shorter tubing length on the Tandem TruSteel sets (23”) having used 43” tubing the prior 25+ years. What are Sihouette infusion sets? The Tandem Autosoft sets use a different connector than TruSteel and aren’t interchangeable. I’d love to find something that works.
Tandem makes two different Autosoft sets. The Autosoft 90 inserts at a 90 degree angle while the Autosoft 30 inserts at 30 degrees and is basically the same as Medtronic’s Silhouette.
Tandem also has the Varisoft set which is the exact same as the Silhouette. The difference between the Autosoft 30 and Varisoft is that Autosoft has an integrated inserter, Varisoft is inserted manually. There is also a slight difference in the connector at the infusion site.
The connection on a TrueSteel looks the same as the Varisoft. While the connection on the Autosoft looks the same its very slight connector difference will not allow connection.
But they still do cause damage, so rotating is just as important. Unless you don’t really need accurate readings and full sensor wear time.
I guess it depends on the person. My sensors cause no noticeable damage whatsover in over 2 years and I wear them every day for 2.5 years. I wear one sensor in an area, and the next one gets installed about 4" away and the following gets installed roughly where the first one was located, but not exactly. Rinse and repeat.
The only thing that bothered me was the use of the old insulins via needles, and also the wearing of QuickSets and Sof Sets after I switched to a pump. It took quite a few years for the leathery skin to go away after I stopped using those products.
My n=1 experience is when you go to the G6, you may not have the same results.
I did a slightly similar site location with the G4, I would swap from my left to right side with each change, dedicating my lower abdomen area for sensors. I had pretty good success for over 4 years.
When I moved to the G6, I found I was losing a lot of sensors during the 2-hour warm-up. By giving that area a rest and rotating to other sites, I think I have minimized that issue.
Did you ever try soaking your G6 for some period of time, prior to Start Sensor?
Yes, I tried soaking with zero success. Also, my convo with a Dexcom CDE led me to believe that soaking shouldn’t be necessary and could even lead to sensor failure.
I wouldn’t be so sure it will lead to sensor failure. It may or it may not. Once I start on the G6 I’ll certainly give it a try after I’ve got enough of a stash. I won’t start the G6 the day I receive it; rather I’ll keep using the G5 so that I can get ahead on sensors. I understand about the algorithms that may thwart such an endeavor, but perhaps there is a sweet-spot of time for soaking; ie, maybe not a full day but rather some number of hours.