I’ve been happily using skin-tac (bottom) + opsite or tegaderm (top) on my arms for my Dexcom since September. But now that I’m pumping, I’ve found that my belly gets horrific rashes(?) from the same tape. On one site, it’s been a week and I still have a rough red ring where it reacted. Other sites, same general area, didn’t react at all.
I would like to tape down my tube so that I don’t yank on it, seems to keep the insusion hole (sorry don’t know the right terms here) from getting as red, and it heals faster. Think Like a Pancreas (or was it Pumping Insulin) recommended taping the tube about 2" from the site. Whenever I try this with a thin strip of opsite or tegaderm, I have to remove the tape the same day due to irritation.
Not sure why my tummy is a special snowflake when my arms had no trouble. Any suggestions for alternate tape to try for the tubing? It doesn’t need to be big, just enough to prevent the tubing from being moved around near the site.
Or would skin-prep be a better base layer than skin-tac? I don’t really need extra adhesion for the site, I change every two days. I just need some protection for my skin.
I’ve had this problem for years now, I haven´t solved it perfectly but some tips have been useful. I somewhere read, and I promise I will quote the original source, some possible solutions for an allergy type of rash including trying other infusion sets for your pump. I guess you’ve already tried Skin Prep or IV3000 as a dressing. @Mila2 gave me some good advice for this.
There´s been lots of discussion about this, you might want to take a look here
Since posting my post in 2011, I’m fairly sure that my main problem was actually the plastic cannula on the sets, rather than the adhesive. Though I do also often get itchy from adhesives. I’ve found what works best for me is a combination of daily antihistamines (which I need anyway), steroid sprayed on the site, and changing the site often (at first sign of irritation or high BG, or otherwise every two days at most), and especially using metal sets. I have not found any of the tapes under the set (IV3000, Tegaderm, Skin Tac) to be of any use, which is why I believe my problem is more th cannula (as well as the fact that it’s the area directly around the cannula/sensor that gets the most itchy, including the path the cannula/sensor travels under the skin). I have found Skin Tac useful to keep a sensor adhered, but I can’t put it under the tape, I have to “paint” it on top of the tape (as suggested by @Terry4), which minimizes the reaction I get.
