I have been a user of the I-Port Advance several months with great success, but for some reason now I am having insertion or bent cannula problems. I have had about six out of the last ten ports to fail. Everything appears to go ok on the insert, but when I attempt to inject the insulin with my pen I get resistance and I know the insulin is not getting in correctly and sure enough I end up with high glucose levels later. As anyone else had this problem or have any suggestions? I pay for these port out-of-pocket and they are not cheap.
I'm afraid I have no experience with the I-Port, but if you don't mind, I'm genuinely curious about what the appeal is. I get that some folks really don't like sticking needles into themselves, but isn't it worse to have a teflon needle sitting inside you 24 hours a day? And then you're forced to give all your insulin doses into a single, concentrated location, which, given a choice, is suboptimal (though a tradeoff with which pump users can live).
Actually, the I-Port appears to be a modified version of the Inset 90 infusion set I use. So one suggestion--if the cannula slides up the needle before insertion, it will kink, making a slit instead of a hole in the skin and staying kinked under the skin. So inspect it very carefully before insertion. Maybe this is happening to you? It's happened to quite a few Inset users.
The I-Port is a poor man's pump and it is just like an inset that are used with pumps, but it has a port for insulin injections. Like the inset I leave it in 72 hours. It would be no worse than an inset. I wanted the OmniPod, but my insurance refused to pay for it because it didn't have a tube attached, lol.
I believe kinking is my problem, but it just started on the I-ports that I am using now. Only had a few to this this before. I don't know what is causing it to kink. What you said about the cannula sliding makes sense, but I don't why it just started to happen now so much. I don't know how to stop it from sliding up the needle.
As too using the I-Port. It saves me a number of sticks each day and with it my Dexcom GMS my A1C's tests are average 1.2%. Of course I do take my daily basal (Lantus) shot, which is no big deal.
Look at the needle before you insert, and make sure you see bare needle above/below the cannula. That error has only happened to me once in two months of pumping so far.
Poor man's pump, but only in the sense of the cons (having something attached to you all the time), not the pros (granular control of your basal and bolus insulin). But obviously for you the permanent cannula stuck in you is better than occasional needle sticks, I just have a hard time getting my head around that.
I don't think your A1c is 1.2. At least I hope not!
Sorry about the typo. How about 5.2%. I take it from you comments that you pump through an inset connected to a tube, but yet to keep referring to my I-Port as a permanent cannula stuck in me all the time. In controlling my diabetes I stick myself more than a few times,trust me. Before I started using the I-port I could have as many as 6 or more sticks a day. My I-Port is no different than have an inset in for pump users. I have no problem with inserting insulin through it then someone pumping through there inset for 3 days. I am not sure where you are come from about having the cannula stuck on me??????
Thanks for your thoughts about the kinking problem that I am having for some reason. I usually always look at the needle. I may be applying to much pressure on the auto inserter. I had better luck today. Port is open and the juice of life is once again flowing. Personally I am looking forward to the insulin patch or the insulin inhaler.
The cannula is the little teflon "needle" under your I-Port, and it is, indeed, by definition, stuck in you at all times when you're wearing an I-Port. It sounds like you're confusing the cannula with tubing?
For me and some other pumpers, a (modest) downside of a pump is having a thing attached to us, and sticking into us, at all times. But that downside is more than compensated for by the upside, which is granular control of our basal and bolus insulin.
For *me*, the I-Port seems like the worst of all worlds. But clearly that doesn't hold for you, and I'm not trying to persuade you of my perspective, I was just genuinely curious to try to understand yours. I hope that makes more sense.
Inhalable insulin has, for now, extremely crude dosing, Afrezza is only available in 4 or 8 units, with 2 possible down the road. And there are some troubling lung side effects. I wouldn't hold my breath (pardon the pun) for that.
Insulin patches would be great for basal (background) insulin, but I don't see how they could logically work for bolus (mealtime) insulin, even if you had little dose-specific patches you could slap on before a meal, absorption would be way too slow. A patch-pump like the OmniPod is a whole different story, of course.
Bob - I know sometimes when I go to inject into the port - I really have to push in hard. What needle are you using? I know I've had some problems with using my pen needle (I take 1/2 units - and hard to find 1/2 unit syringes at times). Because the pen needles are so fine, they kind of bend.
To date - I've never had a port fail.
Not sure if this is the answer you were wanting ... hopefully you get more answers.
I personally go back forth between using the I-port / insulin pump / and just plain ol' dart practise with a needle. I have to admit, the I-Port for rapid insulin is great ... for me.
For anyone who has never tried them, they might be surprised at how they work so well .... usually. Again, I've never had any problems.
Yeah Bob - it could be a kink in the cannula (it's happened a few times with my insulin pump infusion sets that have the teflon cannula - that's inserted under the rubber port we use). If say when you injected the introducer needle into your body thru' the I-port - and it bounced off scar tissue (or in my case - hip bone) - the cannula could fold abit, and the kink would mean that insulin won't enter into your skin.
What length of cannula do you use with the I-Port . I use the 8 mm one - longest available. I know of kids who use the shorter one with no difficulty (well - there Mum's inject their rapid insulin into them).
I read the post and clicked through to the post that's actually focused on why the author loves the port. But I'm still baffled. She loves the port because she hates sticking needles into herself, but the port involves having a teflon "needle" (into which you stick a metal needle when you want insulin) stuck into you all the time. So I remain mystified. But clearly I'm a lot cause, so don't feel any need to try to educate me further, and to each his/her own.
Niccolo with an I-Port Advance device one doesn't stick the needle in their body, but into the port of the I-Port. How cool is that? That is the reason I called the poor man's pump.
You know Niccola at this point in my diabetic life I don't worry about the ups and downs, pros and cons I just do want is best for me. In other words, until I started having the kinking problem my I-port has done a great job for me, and as I said before with my Dexcom, Lantus, and I-Port I am doing great. I added the port to save thousands of sticks into my body and because Medicare will not let me have the pump I wanted, which is tubeless. I just ask a simple question and I don't know what caused all this non-sense. This is my final post to you on sticking, not sticking, or anything else. Enough
It's okay, don't let me get under your skin (one cannula is enough :). Deep breath, we all already have way too much consequential stuff in our lives to get in a huff about anonymous strangers on an internet forum.
I was just curious to understand, but obviously this is just one of those to-each-his-own things, and you're certainly not alone in liking this device, since it seems somewhat popular.
And Niccolo, which is a modest, but rather important, distinction. :)
