My 9yr daughter switched to Omnipod about a month ago after about 6 months of MDI. She wears the pod on her belly only. We change the site every 3 days but the canula insertion marks have not completely disappeared even from a month ago. I apply Neosporin once a day on all marks. She never got any marks during 6 months of MDI in the same area.
We are concerened about all these marks on her belly which are very visible when she dances, swims etc. Curious about how long it takes for the marks to completely go away for other users of the pod.
I use an Animas Ping with regular infusion sets and I’d say it takes about a week for the marks to go away. I’m visually impaired and can’t see the marks unless they are bright red, but I can feel them. It might take longer for them to go away visually, but it’s about a week later that I can no longer feel for sure where old sites have been.
I don’t use the Omnipod (I’m a Medtronic guy), but sometimes my marks do take some time (week or two) to go away. Several months does seem to be quite a long time, though - and unfortunately there are not, to my knowledge, different infusion sets to choose from with the Pod (though it certainly has other advantages!).
I would suggest rotating sites as much as possible, so that not only you don’t re-poke the old site, but so the new pod (or supplemental tape, if your daughter uses it) doesn’t cover up an old site. I’ve heard that a good pattern is to go across the abdomen in a “W” pattern (where the middle point is the belly-button - skip that one) and then in an “M” pattern. That gives four locations on each side, with a pretty good time-spacing between each. If your daughter uses other sites, as is common with the Pod (but I seem to be unable to do with mine) then I guess this doesn’t apply.
Also, if it starts to get irritating, remove the site immediately and start on a new one. I’ve tried to stretch out old infusion sets for as long as I can - until the insulin is used up - and that often leads to the largest, most irritating, infected marks.
Finally, Neosporin might not be the best solution. That tends to moisturize, and in my particular case, we want the spots to dry up, not stay moist. If there is no opening in the sore, you might want to try baby powder - that might help to dry it up. (Don’t use baby powder on a “fresh” site removal though, or it could get inside the sore and make it worse). Give it a try and let us know how it works. If there are lots of marks, you could experiment and try it on a few marks to see how it works versus the others.
I use regular infusion sets but also get red marks on my stomach, which last a week or two, I have found that Arnica ointment or cream helps them disappear faster. It is normally used on bruises, but also helps redness.
I use the Minimed Revel, but find that it takes anywhere from 1-2 weeks for the red marks to go away. Sometimes there is lingering redness from the tape too. If it is really warm out, I’ve noticed that the red marks seem to linger for a bit. Like your daughter, I stick to my mid-section for my sites.
Frequent use of Neosporin or Triple antibiotic is not good. You can become tolerant of it and then it won’t work when you really need it. Wash the skin with a tiny bit of soap and water. And, as someone else said, let it dry. Neosporin contains Bacitracin Zinc, Neomycin Sulfate, and Polymyxin B Sulfate. My internist told me to use plain Bacitracin if I need something on a scratch or cut. You don’t need all three of these drugs. He also said that soap and water is best.
I would suggest that you make sure the Omnipod insertion is smooth and correct. Your daughter may also be a little slow to heal. Is that the case for the usual scrapes and scratches?
I wear my omnipod mostly on my belly and my infusion marks take about two weeks to disappear, sometimes less. It seems to me that the infusion set leaves a more prominent mark when I use the pod low on my belly and my pants rub against it. I also get a rash where I wear the pod, which take much longer to dissapear.
Are you talking about the red marks or the scars? I have fairly tanned skin and I still have these white freckle scars from all of my infusion sites (Minimed) after nearly 10 years. Although, I hear that scar reduction agents like Mederma and other skin agents work pretty well. They just take some patience and persistence.
I talked with our omnipod representative (who is a CDE) and she also said that the red marks at the infusion point should normally disappear in about two weeks. She thought that either
the canula is moving after insertion (which is possible during wear or when removing the pod)
the child is senstitive to continuous insulin (compared with MDI). Will need to check with our Endo.
the child bruises easily and heals slower
We change the pod tonight and I will use Medi-sol spray around the pod edges to loosen it. My daughter usually removes her pod herself while showering as it makes it easier to peel off, but the water may be aggravating the wound. I will do it tonight and we will skip shower. I agree that we should not use Neosporin habitually, and I will use some wound dressing like betadine instead. Finally, I will apply double sided tape around the edges of the new pod to securly attach the plastic pod to its cloth adhesive .
I appreciate you all sharing your experiences. Please let me know if you have a really good way remove the old pod to minimize wounding and skin irritation.
