So since switching to contact-detach sets in the summer my control has remained absolutely great! In three months my A1c dropped from 7.7 (with putting in 110% effort) to 7.2 (with putting in 80% effort because I've been so busy lately). I am so happy with that and I think my next one will be even lower, maybe even breaking into the 6s!! I have not felt this relaxed about my diabetes control in a long, LONG time! Also, the other day I was looking back at my D365 photos I did in 2008 and saw one of a huge rash where an infusion set had been, and another of a site where a Cleo set had been that didn't even mention irritation in the description but that looked red and irritated compared to sites I am seeing now with the metal sets. I think I was having the beginning of allergy problems with the cannula sets even back then ... I definitely think they have been full-fledged and affecting my control for at least the past 2-3 years.
Anyway, the one problem I have with the contact-detach sets it that they do not stick to my skin at ALL. Well, they do stick, but about as well as a Post-It note ... I can keep it in for two days only if I'm extraordinarily careful about not brushing or tugging on it in the wrong way. Often, a set will come out after being in for literally only a few hours.
So I tried some Skin Tac, and found that it worked great for sticking, but that it also seemed to make my sites very itchy and irritated again. Without the Skin Tac the sites get a bit itchy by the end of two days, but nothing unbearable and with no real noticeable irritation. For a while I thought maybe it was the steel needle I was reacting to. But I've begun to only use Skin Tac when I really have to, and the irritation is definitely much, much worse sometimes than others. I haven't tracked it in detail, but I'm 99% sure it's the Skin Tac.
The other day I put in a set only to have it fall out almost immediately. So I moved both patches and used Skin Tac to stick them down. By the end of two days both the adhesive patches was so itchy I changed it a few hours early. When I put in the new set it immediately hurt. I left it in for about 30 minutes and then pulled it (and got a nice gusher) and moved only the needle patch to a new spot, using Skin Tac to stick it down (the other patch I never moved). Within hours it started itching, and only lasted 1.5 days before I couldn't stand it any longer and pulled it. But the itching was only on the needle patch where I'd put the Skin Tac, the other one was completely fine.
So, I'm wondering if there are any alternatives to Skin Tac that don't have the same ingredients? Knowing my body and allergies, this will only get worse if I continue to use Skin Tac. But I really need something that I can use to hold the sets in for the full two days!
That's so great, Jen, that you are having such improved numbers! As for the Skin tac: I know absolutely nothing about any of the sticking products as I've never needed them. With the contact detach I do see them pull up or even out much more easily. Since you can put them back in (another advantage over the plastic sets!) I have a few times just used a couple bandaids and it worked just fine. Low tech solution!
I have tried holding it down with medical tape, but that makes my skin just as irritated as the Skin Tac. I also wear my site on my arm quite often and adding a bunch of tape to it makes it much less discreet, so I'd prefer some stickiness I could add underneath.
I do agree, I love that you can put them back in. Huge advantage!
Thanks! I can't wait to see what it's like when I'm able to put in 100% effort (right now I'm barely exercising and my diet isn't the greatest, due to an insane schedule).
An oldie but goodie we use in the hospital sometimes to keep steri strips stuck on lacerations is tincture of benzoin-I know you can get it on Amazon and most pharmacies should be able to order it if they don't carry it. It stinks-bad- but works and the smell calms down after a about an hour usually. It also is an orange color, so use an alcohol wipe to remove any excess form around the site-it might stain clothing, I'm not sure.
One thing I do find annoying - and I think you may have posted about this? - is that for some reason a lot of the sites bleed and/or are very painful. I just put in one tonight and - again - had to remove it after an hour because it was hurting every time I move. This rarely used to happen with cannula sets but seems to happen about 50% of the time or more with these metal ones. And it's not restricted to any one location; tonight was my hip, last set was my stomach, and I've had it happen on my arm and leg as well. I'm using the 6 mm sets (when I tried the 8 mm ones it bled pretty much every time), but I used to use 9 mm Cleos and 17 mm Comforts so I can't imagine it's the length.
I seemed to have that as well, Jen, when I had them in my arms. It seems they'd be fine and then they would shift and tear or pull something and start to hurt, though my blood sugars were fine. After a break, I've returned to my stomach and am not having those problems at all. Someone else mentioned that the metal ones do tend to tear easily; I'm not sure if "tear" is the right word.
Another option to try, Jen, is Tegaderm. Clear plastic, rubbery latex film with a hypoallergenic adhesive. Comes in a variety of sizes.
Two ways people use it: Either a large patch placed completely over the entire set/pump/sensor, with a sizable margin around the target adhering to the skin. Or, place the Tegaderm on the skin first to provide a "platform" area to apply the target device (infusion set, Omnipod, etc.), inserting right through the Tegaderm film.
The latter approach is often used by people with sensitive skin, as the Tegaderm adhesive is usually better tolerated, and the adhesive from the device tends to stick well to the film and stay put -- no perspiration, skin oils, etc.
Hi Jen. Bravo on your improving control! Contact-D sets have helped me too. When you say medical tape, do you mean athletic tape? That's what I use - the cloth kind coaches wrap players' ankles with, the inch and a half wide stuff... And I find that some brands are way stickier than others. I trim away the adhesive circle on the set, then tape it down with an oval-ish shaped piece of the sports tape (corners seem to catch and unstick for me) after cleaning the needle and new site area with an alcohol swab.
As for bleeders, I had them a lot too. Some one posted that nerves and vessels run together under the skin, and I think that's true. If I lightly touch the needle tip around in the new site area until I hit a spot with little or no feeling, sites rarely bleed. Also, if the spot is likely to get bumped (at waistline or counter top level) I stick a Dr. Scholls callous protector circle of moleskin over the site. There again, off brands don't stick as well as the Dr. Scholls in my experience. Looks goofy, but sure can help with the thumb-tack-in-your-stomach effect of metal sets. Good luck and I hope you find a system that works for you. I like the idea of bandaids from Zoe!
"Thumb-tack-in-your-stomach effect" Perfect description! But I still think I prefer metal sets because with plastic ones as soon as you feel any pain you can anticipate high numbers and having to change your set. With the metal ones it seems to just shift back, and the very worst that happens is it comes out and you just tape it right back on!
This is going to sound absurd, but when my sites sometimes begin to peel off, I use eyelash adhesive to glue them back down. It never seems to bug me the way anything else does. It's a good temporary solution to sites that fall off.
Also, I always spray Benadryl on my skin, followed by liquid bandage before putting in a new site. The Benadryl seems to stop any rash, soreness, etc., and the liquid bandage helps keep it in place.
And great job!! You must be so excited and happy!!
Hmm, I hadn't thought of Benadryl. I have Benadryl cream and have tried it on sites that are itching like crazy, but since the itching is underneath the adhesive, it never seems to help. I don't have Benadryl spray, but do have the cream, so I wonder if that would help. I am changing my site tonight so may try it. (This site I didn't use Skin Tac and it's been itchy since yesterday, but not so itchy that I've wanted to rip it out.)
Did you ever try Opsite Flexifix? It's great stuff and will hold through anything. It's about $20 USD/ roll but will last maybe 9ish months, maybe longer. If you want to try a piece to see if how you react to it, I'll mail you one.
