I am on the Animas Ping pump. I have been using the Inset II infusion set and would like to try the Contact Detatch and the Comfort. Anyone using those? How do they compare to the Inset II, or even Inset 30.
Not that I don't like the Inset II, but I find the cannula is often sort of bent at the base. I also find the inserter to be so much waste. The comfort is less expensive, so would allow me to change more often, as I find I need to change every 2 days. The contact detach would not bend as it is a needle.
I would love to hear about people's experiences and opinions with these. Animas said they don't provide testers for these so I would have to buy 10.
Hey, fellow Torontonian and Animas pumper! I have been experimenting with infusion sets in the past few months because I wanted to see what else was out there and I was getting a bit tired of worrying about bent cannulas with the Inset IIs. Plus, those pods--so much waste, like you said!
I tried a couple of other sets and so far my experience with Contact Detach has been mostly positive (I tried the Orbit Micros and hated them, but I won't get into that here). The main pros of the Contact Detach are the simple insertion and the low profile. Insertion is sooo much less dramatic than with the Insets. I feel much more confident having a steel set in--I always worry about bent cannulas with the Insets. Though the needle gauge could be thinner in terms of comfort of insertion, I never actually feel the steel needle once it is in. Also, I am a fan of the adhesive tape--it is very soft and pliable.
In terms of cons, I am not a huge fan of having a disconnect separate from the actual site of infusion, mainly because I have sensitive skin so it kind of sucks having two sites that'll potentially itch and get all red, rather than just one. I do find though that when my tubing gets caught the second site totally does prevent it from getting ripped right out, which has happened to me with the Inset IIs a few times. The main thing to remember with the separate disconnect is that you absolutely must prime the tubing before you insert, otherwise you cannot prime since the second part of the tubing will already be attached to your body.
Apparently the steel sets are only supposed to be worn for two days because they are more of a foreign body, though I have not seen much of a difference the times I have worn them for three days. The price is certainly attractive (they are cheaper on Diabetes Depot than on Diabetes Express) so changing every two days isn't too bad.
I haven't entirely given up on the Inset IIs because I find them incredibly comfortable to wear, but when it comes to actual insertion steel sets are the most attractive, I think.
ps. If you get in touch with Melany from insulinpumps.ca she can arrange to get you some samples of infusion sets to try. Her address is melany@insulinpumps.ca.
I can't comment on the the Inset II or Comfort infusion sets, but I am familiar with the Contact Detatch (Steel needle). I'm in the process of switching over to a Ping from my current CozMore pump. I used the Cleo90 infusion sets with it forever; it's their plastic catheter version. Most of the time, I had no problems with it. But I just recently switched to the Contact Detatch to give the steel needle a try. SO far I am liking it. No real cons thus far. I do find that the infusion site starts to get sore after 2 days, or so, and that my BG numbers concurrently rise as the pain level increases. All I do is remove the needle, and restick it in a new location. Depending on the condition of the adhesive pad, I might reinforce it with some IV3000 pads.
It works great. BG numbers come back down, and I can continue using the infusion set. Absolutely can not do this with the plastic catheters!
Cheers and good luck with your experiments and decision. Mike
