Twice lately I have had high blood sugars which did not come down with corrections. These happened on days 2 and 3 after my quickset insertion. When I took out the old quickset to replace it, the very tip of the catheter was bent between 45 and 90 degrees, and I think this was affecting my delivery. Thing is, the sets seemed to be working fine for the first day or two, so I assume that they were not kinked initially but became kinked. ANyone else have this happen? I am not sure if it has to do with insertion, activity, or something else.
Hi Hope. I have been suffering a similar problem which I put down to a problem I was having with the adhesive disk. The adhesive disk was catching in the serter mechanism which lead to the cannula going in at a funny angle. I then straightened it and remove the needle. I to got unexplained highs which only came down with supplementary shots and on removing the quickset from my skin found that the tube was severely bent and occluded.The other problem seemed to be that the pump doesn’t give a ‘non-delivery’ alarm when this happens. I had a long chat with Medtronic and they felt in my case it was a dud batch of quicksets in which the cannula wasn’t in the centre of the adhesive disk meaning that it caught in the serter. They changed my supply of sets and serter and so far (touch wood) I haven’t had further problems. My pump also passed the occlusion tests which we ran after (!!?). I think I would talk to medtronic. D
I too have had a similar problem, and mine too didn’t happen right away. My sets aren’t getting caught in my Serter device, so I’m not sure what the problem is. But I’m on to a new box of insertion sets, so hopefully the problem is over with!
yes, I have been there …have been using Sure-T’s ( Medtronic ) …a short needle ( 6 mm ) ( MMT-840 ) for several years …I most often have to prepare myself for another set change by 2 1/4 days . Maybe worth asking the company for a few samples of Sure-T’s ??
The problem went away when I switched from 9mm to 6mm Quicksets, but now I use Sure-Ts and there is no kinking there. I really like the Sure-T and I am seeing my pump sites heal much faster (i.e. I have less polka dots) and hopefully less scar tissue as well.
Yes, I really have to be sure to change my Sure T after 2 days. With other infusion sets, I didn’t notice absoprtion problems if I left it in too long, but I do with Sure T. Like you taught me Nel, I just move it – so I get 4 days out of each set. I’m loving it
I’ve had similar issues from time to time and it is frustrating. My blood sugar will skyrocket, so I know something is wrong. I’ll change my infusion set just to make sure. For some reason I didn’t get any kind of “no delivery” alarm, so apparently something was getting through, but not enough.
I wish I had something to tell you to help fix the issue, but unfortunately, I don’t. But I know what you’re going through!
I’ve had this happen to me and I ended up in DKA and in ICU. This was when I first got the pump. I followed the protocol in changing the sets but, both were kinked. (what are the chances of that happening?) My no delivery didn’t go off either. I read that it was because of a low basal rate. I’m not sure if I read that in John Walsh’s book or the booklets that I recieved with my pump.
The MiniMed 522 won’t alarm until it fails to deliver 3.0 units of insulin – so if you have a low basal rate it will take quite awhile. I ALWAYS change my set just before eating so I can follow the set change with a significant bolus (greater than 3 units!) to ensure the set is not occluded. This has worked well for me …
Oh, those Quicksets. They’re tricky little devils.
My theory is that this happens when inserting in a spot where the skin is very thin or where there’s a lot of scar tissue.
I can tell if it’s a thin skin issue by the pain and burning I feel on insertion. Yee-OUCH! It means the canulla is going into muscle. I generally let it go unless there is continued pain at the site or my BGs stay elevated.
Kinks caused by scar tissue problems (and scare tissue itself) can be resolved by frequent site rotation and/or using an insertion set like Sure-T’s or Sillhouettes, which insert at an angle. But even these can bend or kink if inserted into a heavily scarred area.
What I’ve done is changed my supply order to half Quicksets and half Sillhouettes. I rotate over four sites (left and right abdomen, left and right hip) and rotate in a star pattern within each of the four areas.
Today I ended up switching from 9mm to 6mm, so I will see how that goes. I am hesitant about Sure T’s because I think they go in at an angle, right? Reminds me of the way my CGM inserts, which I don’t love. Maybe I will call medtronic and ask for a sample though.
Hope, Sure-T’s go straight in( 90 degrees) without a serter …I forgot to mention : MM has a 8mm Sure-T on the market as well .And to top it off :doing a set change is sooo much quicker for me .And remember what Kristen suggested in her 2 responses …be well .
PS , How I miss Tu member Dave_ here from some time back , who kept on reminding us pumpers about the Sure-T’s !
I’ve been on a Minimed pump x10 years now and have gone through many site changes due to a kinked catheter. It is very frustrating and even on the Paradigm I do not always get a “no delivery” signal. I have not been able to pin point the exact reason- I do not get the quick set stuck in the inserter or anything like that. It’s frustrating, but I just make sure to carry at least one extra set with me, insulin, and needles.
I have only had this happen twice and both times it was bc my Quickset adhesive got stuck on the inserter.
I always use my stomach and stomach sides and I think that helps because there isn’t the movement like in a leg, and I happen to have a pretty good inch to pinch so I think that helps, too.
I use the pump also and sometimes I notice that my blood sugars are high after insertions so I have to change site sometime it is because I hit a small vein or scar tissue
