So I’m finally moving my infusion sites off of my middle area as there is no more room and I am starting to look like some sort of abuse victim around my middle… I’ve never used anywhere else though so its all new to me!
I just put an infusion site in this morning on my outer thigh area and have been having highs all day. So far in my pregnancy the changes in insulin resistance have been pretty sudden (e.g. one day I’m one ratio, the next day that ratio is not nearly enough), so it seems possible that its just coincidence, but I wanted to ask those with more experience.
Do you find you need a lot more insulin in some infusion sites (e.g. thigh) than others? If so, what do you do about it? I can’t keep using my abdomen, I’ve had some really negative experiences infusing into my hip/upper butt region, so not sure where to go next?
BTW I’m doing manual insertion with silhouettes, so a kink seems unlikely, although always possible…
I tried my thigh once and immediately my bg shot up into the high 200s. Never again! I alternate between my abdomen, my “love handle” area, and my upper butt/hip, and I haven’t noticed any marked differences in my bg from one site to the next. I just started using a CGM again, so my real estate will now be more limited. Have you tried your love handles/lower back (if you have enough fat there)?
I haven’t used my tummy in about a year because I’ve overused that area in the past years. My favorite site right now is my lower back just above the belt line. Great absorption. I also use my arms. I get crappy results on my thighs.
I use my upper butt/hip area - and I try to go higher, more towards the lower back, but it seems like my pants tend to rub on it and then it doesn’t stay in place as well. I’ve actually had it come completely out before - not good! I feel like if I went much higher, there wouldn’t be enough tissue to put it in. Does anyone else have this problem? How do I get it to stay put?
When I have my infusion site or sensor on my lower back/upper hip, I tend to snag it with my thumb when I go to pull down my pants, so I try to just tape it really securely–you could try that. I would like to use my lower back more (especially now that I’ve gained some weight with pregnancy and have more fat there), but I can’t see back there! Anyone have a way around that? Does anyone use a mirror?
Thanks for the advice everyone! As an added bonus, after I posted this message about having unexplained highs, I had a night of ridiculous unexplained lows. Almost like my thigh site was holding all the insulin until it was time for bed and then letting it all into my system. Thank god for juice boxes, as 30 is not a fun number at 2am!
Yeah, I was thinking I could tape down the tubing with medical tape or something to make it more secure. As far as seeing back there, I use the Animas all-in-one Insets, so I don’t really need to see it, as long as I can reach back there. Sometimes I have my husband check it for me if I think it might be getting red…and at the end I might not be able to reach back there either, but then he can just insert it for me since all he has to do is push the triggers!!
i’ve always had absorption problems in my thighs, but was told when I was pregnant that all the T1 women are told to stay away from the thighs due to more site problems during pregnancy. i used my hips and stomach all the way through the end of the pregnancy.
Interesting to read the replies – the thigh has been my preferred site throughout pregnancy! Given that I overused it, I have been using lower back and butt for the past few weeks (with the aim to switch back to my thigh for labor). I haven’t noticed any difference in absorption between the sites. I rarely used my abdomen (even pre-pregnancy).
I could not insert the Silhouette in my arm, but I am able to insert the Sure-T there (or rather I need to get my husband to insert it). I do not like arm sites and find they don’t last as long, but it may be something to experiment with.
Another thing that I like about the Sure-T is that if I am unsure if it is a bad site, insulin resistance, or something else, I just pull the site out and re-insert it. During my big increases in insulin resistance, I was moving my site every day.
