My daughter wants to try the pump instead of shots. My concern is her getting infections from the site where tube goes in. Has this been a problem for anyone?
I’ve been pumping over 20 years, and occasionally I’ve started to get an infection. It will start to be tender or itchy around the site, or a little red. Also, usually accompanied by higher than usual blood sugars. I now change sets every other day, and rarely have a problem. But if I’m at all suspicious, I just change out right away, and put some antibiotic cream on the old site. I am also very conscious of rotating, and keep a log of my sites, so I don’t go within a square inch of sites within a 30 period.
I haven’t had any trouble with infections. Granted, i haven’t been on the pump long, but as long as you make sure the site is clean, the needle is clean, and everything that’s involved is clean (top of the insulin bottle, etc) than you should be fine. Just wipe everything down with an alcohol swab before putting it on, and you should be good to go.
I have been pumping for 5 years and have never had a problem. I also use the CGM and sometimes that has caused some irritation, but I would not call it infection. I just prep the are with an alcohol wipe and wipe the top of the bottle. I have worn the same site for 5-6 days without problems, although I do try to change around 3-4. The advantages of the pump and CGM are so great that I don’t think you should let concerns about infection stop her from using one.
I agree with all the other comments. I’ve been on the pump for more than 8 years and haven’t had any issues with infections. Sometime the sites get red and sore, but that’s usually around the time I need to change them anyway. I put a little ointment and a bandaid on it and it’s fine. I also try and rotate my sites around. The pump has definitely made managing my blood sugars much easier and gives me more flexibility.
Well, i have one right now. My second in 12 years. Its not a big deal, really it will be fine.
rick phillips
Been pumping for 8yrs now & never had a problem. I try to be careful but do occasionally have to change sites without any alcohol around. I do have friends that have an issue occasionally even tho they are careful. Some ppl seem more prone to infection than others. May just need to try different preps to see which seems best at preventing for her.
I’ve been pumping over 10 years and rarely had infection in fact like someone mention when I feel itchy I change my site. Every other day changing site seems to alleviate that problem.
Eric has been on the pump nearly a year now and there’s only been one occasion where he’s gotten an infection, and that was when he had been messing with the pump site with his dirty hands. He’s only 3 and can’t really control those impulses well, but I assume your daughter is a little older, yes? So I don’t think it will be a problem for her. Just change it frequently (every 2-3 days) and there won’t be a problem.
Kelly - I’ve been pumping for 26 years and only experienced one serious infusion site infection. That infection occurred with an infusion set that I placed while traveling in Costa Rica. I had to have the infection lanced and drained to resolve it. My rough estimate is that I’ve placed over 3,000 infusion sites. One infection calculates to about a 0.03% infections per infusion site placement for me – a very acceptable risk! - Terry
I’ve been on the pump nearly 12 years and I only had an issue once. Why it happened I have no clue, and some cortisone cream and neosporin took care of the problem. Never had it pop up again (knock wood).
I’ve been pumping for six years now…no real infection issues except when I’ve tested the limits of the site. Change the site every two days, not three. Don’t try to stretch insulin or pump supplies. If you have redness around the site, remove the site as soon as you notice the problem, wash with soap and water, and draw a circle around the red area so you will know if it is spreading. This is a little over the top but I sense you are anxious about infections and this might make you feel a little more on top of the potential problem.
Kelly:
Very few problems for me. Just remember to keep site clean when inserting and never leave it in for more than 3 days. If you still have some insulin left just throw it out with the reservoir. If you consistently have an excess left, just load up less in your reservoir when you change the QuickSet.
Good Luck and don’t be afraid!
Lois
Kelly,
I seem to be the odd one here. I have been using a pump for 4 months and am just getting over my first site infection. From the other posters it seems rare to have one in such a short time period. I am prone to skin irritation and infections so I wasn’t shocked when it happened. Another poster commented about drawing a line around irritation to check size. A nurse did this for me. A great idea, it takes the worry out of the “is it getting bigger or smaller?” Its easy to tell. I just wanted to tell you that it may happen or may never happen but I would never let it stop you from looking into a pump. Going on a pump has changed my life so much for the better. There are so many good ideas listed in the post to help you avoid problems. I hope we can help ease your fears and good luck.
Thanks for all your advise. I appreciate it. Kelly