Priming help

Ok so sometimes with my infusion sets when i prime them insulin wont come out and so i have to use a different one, do i have to primethis one as well?? I would hope not because that sure is wasting alot of insulin

Also after ive opened a bottle of apidra do i have to keep refrigerating it until i use it all up or the 30 days is up or is there no advantage to it… i currently keep it refrigerated when im not filling my pump

How long before it comes out, what does the unit say, is it actually saying that XX units are being primed?

uh no it just says priming said amount but nothing comes out so usually after 15-20 i stop most of the time

go grab a paper towel and lay the end on it and prime it, it is quite possible it is shooting out of the port and your not seeing it. Sometimes I see drips and other times it is streaming…

they tell me once you open a bottle, it is good to go for up to 30 days, however having dealt with insulin for years I throw it back into the fridge!

Yes, you need to prime when you change your infusion set, or else you will just be pumping air. Although not completely dangerous, the air, which isn’t insulin, will send your BG levels out of whack.

Anyways, what length infusion set are you using? I usually need 12 units to prime on my 23". Are you holding the infusion portion above the pump when priming? Do you see insulin running through the tube when you prime?

I usually keep my insulin in the fridge before and after the first use…

Andrew I just changed set myself, and I primed 12 units until I saw drops, hope you figure this out as if the unit is saying your sending through insulin but you don’t see any, I be concerned!

it does sometimes but not always it can be up to 9 units or sometimes 20 to see any

All insets are different, difference in tubing, length wise… ones I use are 23 in, 9mm, hope this helps, I never have gone more than 14 units to prime…

mine are 6mm and 23 inc most ive gone is 25

Weird. When I get done, and it goes really quick, it usually says about 17 primed.
I have never heard of it not priming?
And yes you do have to do every new set of tubing.
And you do not have to put open vials in the fridge as long as you use them in 30 days or so.
I never chill mine and they always work.
They are Novolog however.

if u think something is wrong with the pump and isnt priming then i would call customer service my thinking is if its not priming its not pumping insulin…i never had an issue with mine and yes prime with every new tubing and i usually keep my insulin in the fridge i dont think it makes a difference tho

ive also noticed that my sugar is good most of the day then when i get up in the morning its extremely high and when i was doing my bg management it wasnt like that much but now its like that nearly every morning im talking 200s-300s and i even bumped up my basals a bit and its still just as high do you think its not pumping sometimes??? i know at work it keeps it pretty normal, but its awful because once its high it takes quite a few hours to get it down with the pump thats why i take a direct shot

What’s your Occlusion Sensitivity set at?

When you think it’s not pumping, disconnect and do either a small bolus or “Fill Cannula” and make sure insulin is coming out. Actually, if you have a high BG, there’s a whole list of things you should do to trouble shoot. It’s in the manual and I believe on their website somewhere as well…

The other issue, if the pump is working fine, you will need to set up your basal programs for more insulin an hour or two before you wake up, assuming its DP that’s causing the highs…

yea it must be DP because ill eat and bolus and its usually fine but once i lay down and wake up the next morning its high regardless whether i eat or not, cant think of anything else it might be other then my pump isnt pumping much while im sleeping because it works throughout the day and my occlusion is L

The priming issue sounds weird if it happens again I’d call my amounts are pretty consistent depending on how quick I let go of the Act button. It might be worth double checking with Animas about next week irregardless since the prime amounts are all in the history so it should be easy to review whether or not there’s a problem. If there’s a problem with that sensor then you’ll want to get the pump replaced.

Good luck sorting out the overnight basal issue.

Hi Andrew -



As pointed out, all sets are different - I use Orbit Micros and don’t usually have a problem, but I make sure I point the tube and the end downward to help - it usually takes anywhere from 9 to 20 U to get a good prime. Really watch closely for the first sign of the prime and don’t stop it until you see it come out. In terms of the amount, I always have my doctor write the script for more per day than I actually need to ensure I never run out.



And YES, do keep your Apidra vial in the refrigerator after opening it. It will definitely hold it’s strength longer. Also, since I use 2 vials per month, I only pick up one at a time from the pharmacy because I want it to be fresh.

Oh, one last thing I thought of - the only time I had trouble with this, it was not the infusion set - it was the insulin! It had gone bad and had thickened up (that’s what Apidra does when it does bad, lots of teeny bubbles, then thickens) - and so it wouldn’t go through the tubing.

Definitely your basals, then. Have you read Pumping Insulin? It is explained how to test and set your basals.

My basals were set and were fine but have been acting up