Title says it all... Should I read anything in to the fact that I've been using pretty much the same general area on the backs of my arms for Omnipod placement, and while every once in awhile I'll have a cannula insertion that smarts, there doesn't seem to be any signs of hyperlipotrophy, scar tissue, or other problems.
Should I take any comfort in this, or is 1 year just way too soon to draw any conclusions about my susceptibility to these problems?
Note that with insulin resistance, I take a lot. TDD runs about 60-70U/day. Each site ends up getting 200U over 2-3 days, before changeout to a new site.
I find my cannula punctures are "settled down" after 24 hours, healed completely in about 3-4 days.
I have been pumping for 8 years mainly on my tummy, and so far i cannot detect any scar tissue… Guess I'm just lucky, or the devil will strike later, but harder… Hope your skin will stay that clear of scar tissue for as long as possible!!
Insulin induced lipohypertrophy, it's caused by the insulin alone, not the pump or needle. I had it really bad when I was using lantus.
It's all gone since I started pumping the newer insulin's like Novolog and Humalog.....I do have some absorption issues in some locations after many years but I can't feel or see any bumps like (lipohypertrophy Fat). Absorption issues will start slowly, you will suspect it's something else causing it...Just when you think you have it all figured out, the Bete's will stick it's ugly tongue back out at you and laugh.
I've read 5 years is how long it takes for the scarring to become a problem. I started pumping in 2008 with no breaks, not much interest in stopping pumping. I used my abdomen for the first 4 years but, before the 2011 Chicago Marathon, started using different sites, mostly around back on top of my hips, to give my favorite spots a break before race time. This seemed to work so I could go back to my favorite spot on my abdomen for showtime. I've kind of tried to mix it up since then. I'd always used 23" tubes but have gotten some 32" too, to mix it up. I've also used my legs and chest with good results but still drift back to my abdomen a lot of the time. These days, I've been doing yoga a couple of times/ week so I'm sort of always aiming for spots that won't interfere with that too much.
