I wasn't actually instructed to tape my infusion tubing when I was trained by my rep, but read the suggestion in Pumping Insulin, and it's a no-brainer to make it less likely the site gets pulled out if you catch/yank on the tubing. I just came across this photo:
And what might be called "taping a bight of tubing," to borrow a term from sailors and climbers, seems like a great way to make it even less likely the infusion set gets ripped out accidentally. Do others do this?
And what tape do you guys like? Any comparative reviews of different tapes? I currently have Durapore, and while it holds well, it's a bit harsh when I have to remove it every time I disconnect to shower or otherwise.
I don't worry about taping most of the time as my sets stick fine. I use the Contact Detach so if it does come out or if I feel discomfort I just put it into a new area and then tape it down. I just use the rolls of adhesive tape you buy for what $2? That works as well as the fancy stuff for me.
I'm a big fan of uni-solve when it's time to remove infusion sets, you're right that would help, but since I'm removing tape much more often than infusion sets, I might try to find a tape that's a little less grippy/harsh than Durapore and that doesn't need the uni-solve.
At night, I've either been clipping it to the waistband of my underwear or just leaving it in the bed. The problem with the former is that I roll around, so eventually I tend to roll onto it and that's not comfortable, the problem with the latter is I roll around, so there's some potential for reaching the end of my leash, as it were.
I've been pumping for about 7 months and have only ripped out 3 sets. First one was a 'twofer' - I ripped out the infusion set and sensor in the shower a couple weeks after starting. I sort of forgot they were there and was scrubbing vigorously after spending a weekend in the woods prepping hunting camp. No tubing to blame that time.
Second time I was in a hurry to get changed to go out and grabbed the tubing while flinging off my t-shirt...OUCH!
Third time was getting the set caught on the lip of my grand daughters car seat. That was about a month ago and I still have a 6" purple & green bruise there. It actually got stuck and ripped my shirt trying to get it loose.
I use the Medtronic Quick-sets in an 'open face' setup with a piece of Tegaderm HP.
I sleep in a pocket t-shirt and just run the tubing up inside the shirt through the neck hole to the pump in the pocket.
Since the shower incident, I use Skin Tac w/ two pieces of overtape and then add micro pore medical tape over that with more Skin Tac when inserting an Enlite sensor.
I don't usually tape sets down but used this stuff called Opsite Flexifix to hold sensors on. For long runs, like > 12 miles, in the summertime, I will also tape the sets down, just in case. I've had a couple of times where I sweated the sites off, maybe they'd gotten out to 4 days or it was like 87 when we started at 6:30 and heated up over the course of a run or whatever. Opsite will hold sites down solidly. The patch over a sensor site will fill up with sweat, blood, interstitial fluid and whatever over the course of a run and I'll get home and lance it to drain it out but the tape will still hold the sensor down. It comes in 2" and 4" wide versions but you cut it off of a roll so you can custom cut little strips for whatever size you want to have to belay tubes, sets and sensors. I've found it pretty handy!
