I will be a new pumper soon (Animas Ping) and I have to decide on my choice of inset for the 1st shipment. Any feedback would be appreciated, such as ...
Straight (90 deg) set or angled (30 deg?) The straights come in 6 and 9 mm flexible canula, and the angled come in 13 mm cannula. I currently am very trim and use a thin 6 mm pen-tip needle ... any comments on which style and length would suit me?
The straight set installatoin vs. the angled set: ease-of-use, convenience, any remarks? I like the idea of one-handed installation of the straight set ... is there any big difference about the way the adhesive tape on either set performs?
Their website describes
"a quick release, reversible connector and a quick disconnect at site" ... for the angle set and
"a reversible connector and a quick disconnect at site" for the staright set ...
I can see what the "quick release" is ... but I can't tell what the other two are (reversible connector and a quick disconnect at site.) Any feedback to give me a better idea?
Reversible connector means that the connector at the end of the tubing can be snapped into the infusion set either way up, not like the Comforts that only connect one way up.
If you are thin I would suggest the 6mm for the Inset(90)s, the angled sets are longer because they go in at an angle so end up at the same depth as the straight in sets. It really is trial & error deciding which sets you prefer. I use the angled sets in my stomach & the straights in my hips/buttocks (back a bit from hips as far as I can reach) that works best for me. I also don’t have a lot of real estate as the trainers put it. I have never had a problem with the adhesive tape on any sets, I do use IV Prep pads that add a bit of stickiness. Also I put a band aid over the tubing close to the set, but not over it, this holds the tubing down & if the pump drops out of your pocket or holder the tubing will pull on the band aid & not rip the set out. Which I have never had happen in 4 years of pumping.
I suggest you ask for a box of each, so you can experiment. What does your pump trainer recommend?
Thanks for the tip re: a box of each. Will do. I live and work in Japan, so I am actually flying home to the States on leave to get my pump, see the doc, and see the trainer all in a few consecutive days. The pump rep on phone so far is good; but didn’t say I could ask for a selection of different sets!
I plan to just pump saline until I get back home to Japan and recover from jet lag … any thoughts?
p.s. I do Lantus and Novolog now, but my local doc here gave me a pen of apidra to try. I’m lovingit and am considering getting that for the pump, too.
I use the Mios with the Minimed and love them. Animas makes something similar (I think they are called Insets or something like that), but they come in colors and are an all-in-one set (that is, the infusion set and inserter are all one device). Great for traveling and very easy to use. Would highly recommend those.
I use both 9mm and 6mm canulas; I reserve the 6mm ones for areas of my body where I have less fat. If you’re thin, I would stick with the 6mm ones, but your doc should be able to look at your site areas and give you some advice there.
As for apidra, I have never used it, but I have tried both Novolog and Humalog and not noticed any appreciable difference. I think Apidra is more expensive too.
Sometimes I think the pump world is divided into straight set and angled set users. Some people love one type and hate the other. Some people use different types of sets in different locations.
One think to consider is that you if you are getting a 90-day supply of infusion sets, they may not have to all be the same type. When I first started pumping (Minimed), my first order was 2 boxes of Silhouettes (Angled) and two boxes of Quick Sets (90 degree straight in). Very quickly I determined that angled sets worked better for me–less pain and fewer site problems. After years of using angled sets, I decided to try Mios this year. I was entranced by having pink infusion sets and the cute pink bubble packaging. Once again after a few weeks, I determined again that I hate straight in sets. Even using the 6mm ones, I get pain where they hit muscle or whatever. Also I get a lot more site failures with them. And because they are higher profile than Sils, I keep pulling them out accidentally when pulling my pants up or down.
I am thin, so for me angled sets are best. You can pick one type and just go with it. If it works, great. You’re a happy camper. If you don’t like it, try the other type. But I do think you’d be best off trying to get both types of sets in your first order so you can give both types a fair trial.
Thanks everyone for the input so far; I arranged with Animas to send me half of the straights and the other half of the angled. We’ll see how it goes from there.
My daughter is 10, so I do all the insertions. The inserter device has a pretty strong thump when inserting, so my daughter prefers manual insertion. The angled insertion created a bit of anxiety for me to get the right angle and made my daughter anxious as well. We started out with the Silhouette(sic). We decided to try some other infusion sets and Medtronic sent me 2 samples of each type of infusion set to figure out what one works best for us and we ended up using the Quickset 90 degree infusion set. It goes in well and has worked well for us. It has kinked a couple of times but overall we both like it. She uses the 6mm since she is pretty thin and she can use it on the thigh, abdomen, love handles and lower back. We haven’t used tricep area yet since she doesn’t have much fatty tissue there.
Good to try both. I’m the opposite of Lathump. I’ve tried the angled sets (with my Ping) and didn’t like them. I found them painful. I use the all-in-one 6mm insets with no problem. Once you’ve practiced a bit, the whole changing-the-set process takes under 5 minutes. I’ve never had one fall off or come out, even when I’ve dropped the pump and had it dangle (do not try this at home!)
The other thing to consider is tubing length. Ask them to send you a variety of them too. I prefer the shorter 23" tubing.
I used saline for 5 days. It was useful as I had no concerns about doing anything wrong, but frustrating because I wanted to start insulin! Congrats
OK thanks for the feedback. I put the question in to my pump trainer about saline, and jet-lag, but haven’t heard back from her yet. We’re doing the pre-pump training via e-mail!
