Are there any special creams or ointments that people would recommend to help skin recover from all these little holes? I regularly use cream with shea butter, and also like cocoa butter, but wasn’t sure if there was something out there good for healing as well.
Also, I’ve found that when I put a new insertion site in, it’s a bit sensitive (i.e. it kinda hurts) for a little while (maybe first few hours), but then it gets better. Is this just mental? Will this go away?
Hi Kathy,
I don’t use any special cream unless it looks really irritated. Some people put neosporin on every time.
When I put a new infusion set in, sometimes I also have this feeling that it “kinda hurts” for an hour or so. Just feels a bit uncomfortable. Other times, I feel no pain at all. I think it depends on whether I hit a nerve or something that is sensitive nearby. If the pain lasts more than a few hours, then I change the set.
Last time I put an infusion set in, I felt this pain and when I removed the set, I saw that I was bruised from that. So apparently I did hit something (blood vessel?). But that bruise has already healed three days later.
Also, I know that some people use numbing cream before inserting the infusion set.
EMLA cream you’ll need a prescription for it - this is for insertions.
as for sites, I use a circular bandaid, with a dot of neosporin on it and wear that bandaid for 3 days while I have the other site in.
I had been using neosporin sometimes on the old spots and I mentioned it to my endo and she recommended hydrocortisone 1%. She said that neosporin mostly just protects the spot while it heals, but the hydrocortisone actually helps healing.
I have more problems in the winter than now, so its hard for me to judge if there is much difference b/c my spots are mostly ok now.
There was one time when I inserted it felt like I hit a bone. I really don’t think that’s possible but it hurt so bad. I was standing when I put it in and I had to sit down. After I got done “crying” over it, I took it out and changed sites but that thing hurt for 1/2 a day. Other than that it just the little buring sensation that everyone else seems to have.
I always use Emla (generic). It numbs for 4 hours. I actually found it by accident when I was getting a suspicious mole removed about 15 years ago. I thought I was the first person on a pump to have the idea to use it for my sets.
I use Bag Balm after removal. It’s also a great product, and comes in a cute square green tin.