Well, for the first time in almost 13 years, I had an in-gusher -- not when I took the set OUT, but when I put it IN! Inserted the set, felt fine, pulled out the inserter needle (QuickSet), threw it away, and when I looked back, about 6 inches of tubing were filed with blood! Then thought, OMG, what do I do NOW???? After taking time for thoughtful reflection, I realized that the cannula must be sitting precisely inside of a significant blood vessel, and if I ran insulin into it, it would be like taking IV insulin, and that's not exactly what I intended, so I took it out and inserted a new one. And got quite a lot of blood on the tissue that I used to blot it.
But DARN!! Those sets are SO expensive! I wonder if MM would replace a set that was SO inconsiderate as to go into a blood vessel!
Now THAT would be good customer service, but I wouldn't count on it! At least our lives are never dull, Natalie! Like someone else said we are a continual science experiment. Speaking of which I was talking to my a tech at my vet's about compounding some meds for my cat myself and she said doubtfully, "It involves a lot of math". I just laughed and told her she had no idea how much math I used on a daily basis! I didn't explain but she might have overheard me talking with the receptionist about the paradox of the state of California wanting us to safely dispose of hazardous waste but giving us no easy method to do so!
Hope you follow the fashion rules and don't wear white after Labor Day! My first thought is always for my clothes/carpet when I have a gusher, though I've never had an "in-gusher". I guess that's one of my "yets" as they say in 12-step programs!
Yikes. I've had gushers before but none like that (though I've seen pictures of them!). At least you realized that it was in a blood vessel before doing a bolus and/or leaving it for hours and having your blood sugar go really high/low!
That has happened to me more than once.,the Quick-set "gushers".I changed the set. Called MM on the 1-800 line ;and they sent me a new set with a pre-paid can to mail the" damgaed " one back. Never had a problem getting a replacement set.. In fact they sent two.
I don't think it is a full moon, but the very same thing happened to me last night. I have hit vessels before while on MDI, but when I pulled out the needle and applied pressure the bleeding stopped, so I thought no big deal.
Last night, I changed infusion sites and hit a gusher. The pump tube was attached to the infusion site and almost immediately filled with blood. I called the Animas help line right away and they told me the same thing, Put in a new infusion set in a different place. The person on the help line told me that the tubing could easily clog with the blood in it. Animas didn't offer to replace my Inset. A new infusion set in a different place did the trick.
I had an oozer from the CGM today but it seemed to settle in and has been providing ok data so I'm gonna let 'er ride. I hope it doesn't "erupt" again later. I'd certainly have a go at calling MiniMed and suggesting "I don't know what's wrong with this infusion set, can you send me another one?" to see what you can shake them down for.
I'd definately call too. I've always been really pleased with customer service at MiniMed. When I initially had problems with my infusion sets, I didnt even think about saving them...I mean they were trash. So I ditched them and when I called the guy was like well if you can find them send them in. I was able to find ONE of them...I got 4 replacement infusion sets, plus a couple of samples of their other infusion sets too.
There must be a full moon. I had an out-semi-gusher yesterday, first one. The set hurt some from the start, but my numbers were ok so I just left it - didn't want to waste. Not enough for blood in the tubing, but enough to drip on the floor when I took it out.
whoa! thar she blows!. Moby Dick! hasn't happened to me yet, but I've had a few squirters taking it off. That's why I always change my inset in the kitchen. Blood is tough to get out of the carpet! Remember the infamous lot 8 two years ago? That blooper cost Medtronics millions, but what the heck they got the money........
I would say, thankfully, I have only had two gushers (out not in) in eleven years of pumping. I woud also say, if you have any clue this might be happening....get ready to blot. Dont stare at it, dont wait, just grab a huge wad of tissues, pull the site and blot. Fast. I'm so glad this is a rare event. blech.
Update on in-gusher: First, and obviously most important -- Brian, it WAS a full moon last night -- I have skylights and was able to see it quite clearly! :-)
Second, Medtronic is reading the mail, because a young man called me this morning about it, and after making sure that I had done the insertion properly (I SHOULD, after almost 13 years), offered to send me a replacement, and made sure that I knew I should phone if anything every goes wrong. He said the same thing as the Animas rep said to Brian -- if there is blood in the tubing, it can clot, and cause an occlusion. And to be sure there was at least one inch of fat on the site where you insert -- that must be hard for you skinny folk!! LOL!
So, there you have it. I have a rather large bruise where the gusher happened (which confirms my theory that it was more than just a little capillary), but the second set is working fine! :-)
I had one sensor that bled like a faucet, and although I was able to get the bleeding to stop after about 5 minutes, it never did settle in well enough to get decent readings, so I threw it away. Probably should have called MM on that one, too.
