I had a sensor failure last week and when I finally got around to pulling the sucker off, behold, a hematoma the circumference of a softball! Not much blood on the sensor itself but, man was my tummy looking all kinds of black and blue. Threw me in a panic, surfed the net until I was sure I was gonna die. Mind you it's a three day weekend, who ya gonna call? Didn't think it was an ER situation but did want some assurances.
Three days later it's still looking yukko, though not that screaming black and blue. Has this happened to anyone? Should I go to the doctor tomorrow? Does it have to be drained?
And just what the heck did I do? This was an insertion area I have used before.
Made me so scared that when I inserted the next sensor I forgot to pull up on the collar and just pulled the needle out with force. Two hours later, sensor failure. Why? The filament was still in the needle! BAD DAY at Bedrock!
Sounds like a basic infection, though may be a bit more than "basic." Urgent care clinics are available and you might consider that if you feel you need help sooner than you Doc can provide. Other than that, just bad luck it seems.
My motto is always if you are concerned and feel to get it checked then you should.
my spidy sense always seems to know better than I do and has always been right.
so if your spidy sense is kicking overtime at least if you know you can relax and take care of it.
if your just a bit concerned then you could wait till the doc.
Linny, it sounds to me as though you sure have used this insertion area before - and like it could use a break. Steer clear of recent sites and rotate, rotate your sites.
Have you tried the backs of your arms? I know it's not "officially supported," but it does work, very well, and it gives you four general insertion areas to rotate between instead of just the two sides of your tummy. Take a look at this very helpful video for tips on doing back-of-arm insertion yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaN_iPP-wq8
Every twice in a while someone gets just a little too close to a blood vessel and nicks the vessel when placing an infusion set or sensor. If you're on blood thinners it is even more likely to happen! Fortunately our bodies have a built in mechanism to reabsorb that misplaced blood, although in your case it will take a great deal of time! Signs of infection could include feeling warm to the touch, drainage, sensitive to touch beyond that of a bruise, redness and festering. Either way it is best to report to your Endo or MD who prescribed the sensor... to consider best options for placement. The vertical area of your midline, 1 to 2 inches on either side of your umbilical line have more blood vessels than the rest of your abdomen and should be avoided.
