So I just had my first insulin pump after waiting for two yrs to be approved ( ) ,I was dicharged today
-they let me stay for about three days to tune out basals and morning education-
my questions are:
1-after exactly how much time do you change your infusion set?,they keep saying three days,but how to count,as in: if I started on a new set on monday morning,when to change it?
2-the tubing,Iām 169,5 cm tall,they were out of 32āā tubing so I had to have a 23 ,which one do you think is better?
Hi Asma - It might help if you say which pump you are using, as they are all a little different. I use the Ping. I am finding that āthree daysā doesnāt have to be exact. I wasted a lot of insulin in my first month or two and now assuming the set is fine I just use it until the insulin in the cartridge is used up, sometimes thatās 3 days (like Sunday to Wednesday) and sometimes four. I donāt have any problems using it the extra day though I know some people do. I donāt know how tall 169.5cm is in feet and inches. Iām 5ā6". My Animas rep said only very tall men needed the 43 (animas sets come in 23 and 43). I started with the 23 and hated it. I always feel tethered when I try and get dressed, etc. I much prefer the 43 and just tuck in the extra looping. I think, like most things, itās individual preference. Finally, with the ping (I donāt know how other pumps work). I just uplug at the set, put in a little plastic thingie and take a bath. Iāve read some children having the tape unstick during bath, but I have no problem at all.
I totally forgot to mention,itās a Medtronic 722 ,Iām 5.57 in feet and inches,as you said ,the thing that bothers me is when I change my clothes and so,and want to put my pump over the counter,it keeps pulling.
as for showering,Iām not talking about a quick shower,what I have in mind if filling the tub and emerging in it,can I do that?
Exactly, thatās why I prefer the 43 inches despite the fact that Animas said I didnāt need it for my height. I lay the pump down on the bed and then I can stand up, sit down, get dressed, whatever. I find with the 23 inch it was always pulling on me.
Yes, Iām definitely a read in the bath stay there till I run out of hot water person. But just to make sure weāre talking about the same thing since I know different pumps are set up differently. All I have left after I unplug at the site is just the little plastic thing of the infusion set, no pump tubing, that is all disconnected. The Ping is actually waterproof so in theory I could take the whole thing in the bath with me, but itās not advised to subject insulin to high temps (like hottubs) and I make my bath that hot. So with all the tubing disconnected Iām not exposing any insulin to hot water. The only risk is of the tape loosening and for me that doesnāt happen.
thatās one Iāve never experiencedā¦at least not yet, Iāve only been pumping 3 months. I know itās fairly common. Hopefully someone else will come on and answer. You might also try joining the group for your pump and posting there. I do that for my animas questions. Also, do you have a Medtronic number you can contact for tech support? I have one here in the U.S. for Animas, but I mostly ask my questions on here.
If the bubbles are small, itās not a big deal. If they are big bubbles, it might affect the amount of insulin you get. If the bubbles are really big, you might want to think about switching out your tubing/reservoir/infusion set.
Disconnect the tubing from your body and prime the bubbles out.
Congratulations on starting the pump.
Different people like different lengths of tubing. I liked the short ones but a friend of mine gets the long ones so she can put her pump on the pillow at night.
I tried to have a little schedule to do site changes just so I did not have to think about how long it was in. I found if I did not change them on time, my BS shot up. Plus, they say you are apt to more scar tissue if you leave them in too long.
The only problem with using a bolus instead of a prime,. if you download your pump for someone to help get your settings straight, they will think you used an actual bolus as opposed to just priming it.
yeah,thatās what I thought too,but when I went to the prime menu,the only choices that were available were:
>>fixed prime(what does that mean?)
>>rewind
>>prime history
I donāt have a MM pump so I am not sure what fixed prime means - I am guessing that you would say prime 10 units or however many. On the Ping, we just hold the prime button down until we have it primed.
Have you joined the MM group here? They could answer some of the specific pump questions for you.
Fixed prime
A fixed prime fills the soft cannula with insulin and is required after the infusion set is inserted into your body and the introducer needle is pulled out. Additionally, a fixed prime is required prior to reconnecting the tubing to the infusion set to ensure that all air is removed from the tubing.
-I found that in the userās manual- ,I am gonna post the question now
When they say 3 days it means 72 hours. Use it as a gauge for the maximum before change the set. In other words, if you havenāt changed it in 72 hours ā you should. But if you delay a bit beyond that ā no worries.
i disconnect from my body and go to āfill cannulaā options. i put in 3-4 units depending on where the bubble is and let it run the bubble out. just make sure you are disconnected!! also make sure you set your fill cannula amount back so the next time you put in a new set you arenāt giving yourself 3-4 units of insulin!! i use the quickset sets and it takes .3 units to fill the cannula, i make sure i set it back to that immediately so i donāt forget. the other day i had an air bubble that was about 4 inches long in my tubing and i thank God i saw it!! i always try to get all the air bubbles out when i fill the reservoir but things happen i guess.
You should change your set approximately every 72 hours. Some folks have gone 4 or more days depending on how long their insulin reservor lasts. You are not required to change your site and reservor at the same time. My reservors last about 2.25 days and the sets I usually change in the early evening every 72 hours. I change the set in less than 72 hours very rarely (blood in the canula or pain at the site).
Medical studies have shown (I do not have the actuall references) that site use beyond the 72 hours increases the risk for scaring as others have said, increased risk for infection at the site, and increased risk for deminished absorption at the site.
I know that if I go close to four days, absorption drops and blood glucose goes up. I have never had an infection at the site, thank goodnes, but do not want to risk it.
There was a study which concluded that insulin loses potency after 48 hours. I used to go 4 days or more not noticing the rise, just taking correction boluses. When I got my animus I could only go 2 1/2to 3 days with a full infusion set. I was upset that i was losing money on infusion sets and complained to Animus about the small cartridge. Anyhow i started noticing increased glucose levels towards the end of my insulin in the infusion set at day 2 1/2 to 3. Googled and found a study which says onclusion Using the catheters for 2 days resulted in a safe and well-tolerated therapy. Clinically relevant adverse events started to occur during the 3rd day and their incidence increased constantly with longer use. This was associated with undesired changes in mean glycemic control. Data support the recommendation by the drug and device manufacturers that insulin pump catheters should only be used for 48-72 hours to avoid adverse events and potential metabolic deterioration.The study can be found at Pilot study for assessment of optimal frequency for changing cathetā¦ My CGM readings confirm this data and I have since changedmy insulin every 2 days. andhavemuch better numbers
I usually aim for 3 days but often will run over and get the AM or AM until I get home for work on day 4. It seems to work ok although I agree w/ DickEngelās study that āfreshā insulin works better?
I donāt worry about bubbles ever, although I might be alarmed at 1 cm long ones? I havenāt seen any that big. When I prime it, I usually hold it up, so the bubbles will theoretically rise to the top of the thing and get pushed out the tube? I am not sure if it works but I donāt look at it.
I use 23" tubing and am about 180 cm tall. I clip it to my belt and situate the pump pretty much in the same spot. The CGM range is not all that good or it doesnāt have enough mojo to blast through bones/ organs so if I put the pump/ CGM unit on the other side of my body, I get ālost sensorā error messages so I donāt do that.
Iāve clipped mine to my medic-alert necklace a few times for showers and got drenched in the rain once when I went running with it on and itās survived that. Usually I just give myself .3U to ācoverā the unplugged time. I think this helps in the morning annyway?
) ,I was dicharged today