I wear tandem x2. Had to go on steel cannula because the soft ones were bending. Now I am rejecting the steel as my insertions are lasting a few hours, then need removed. On removal I am getting a huge lump. ( no absorption of course) Going on MDI for now, but hate to do it. I am thin and almost at lose for sites after T1 50 years.
Any ideas please!!!
I use manually inserted VariSoft (Short Cannula) sets with my Tandem X2. They are the same as Silhouettes with Medtronic and Comforts with Animas. Despite trying all sorts of different sets through my 14 years of pumping, I always come back to this set. They are manually inserted at an angle and you can control the depth and angle of insertion. At most I get one kinked set a year and that might be an exaggeration. I am not as thin as I used to me, but this style of set has often been considered the best set for thin people. Although many people find the steel sets to be wonderful, I have always found them to be painful in many locations. The last one I used ended up with a painful hard bump within a day and a half. Hopefully your Tandem trainer can arrange for you to try out this set. I will warn you that the insertion needle is ugly but most of it is not inserted into your body. And for me a slightly painful insertion followed by a trouble-free set is a good trade-off.
What length where the soft ones, and where they the 30 degree ones?
The angled 30 degree ones would bend on me all the time.
On the 90 degree soft ones you can use a 6mm or 9mm cannula.
The angled sets that I am talking about are different than the 30 degree sets that come with the automatic inserter. VariSofts (Silhouettes) come in two lengths, 17mm and 13mm. Those lengths are much longer than the 90 degree sets but they do not necessarily go as deep as straight-in sets depending on the angle at which you insert them. Plus you don’t have to insert them all of the way in. The manual insertion makes them much less apt to kink than the 30 degree sets with the built-in inserter.
Of course we are all different and what doesn’t kink for me might kink for you.
Can you explain how to do this, or have pics? I used Silhouettes when first started pumping, and something I might try again.
Because I am inserting the set manually, I just push it part way in rather than all of the way.
So part of the cannula is above your skin. Assume it’s held down by the existing adhesion. I thought maybe withdrawing needle would somehow mess it up.
Thanks!
It is above your skin but it’s still under the adhesive and really quite small.
thanks for advice. I see CDE tomorrow and she is bringing this set you suggested. I have been on MDI for week now and actually not doing too bad. I am enjoying the freedom of not wearing the pump. Will see how tomorrow goes and may end up doing MDI every few weeks for a break?