Well, for the first time in 12 1/2 years, I have a pump site infection. It started to hurt a little today during the afternoon, but I couldn't take it out until evening. It's swollen to about the size of a 50c piece (for those of you old enough to remember what those were!), but only slightly red, and only somewhat sore -- not acutely painful and not oozing pus or anything.
So I'm wondering whether I should just watch it for a while to see if it goes away or call the doc tomorrow morning. BG is hovering around 200 -- again, nothing dangerous, and no nausea or indication of ketones.
I also don't know whether I should put in another site far away from it, and a sensor, because I'm kind of uncomfortable sleeping the night without knowing where my BGs are. I did take a shot by syringe when I took the site out, and 2 hours later, my BG has gone down only slightly, but that could just be because my dinner isn't entirely digested. So I'm just going to think about it for the moment, but would really like your input for my edification! :-)
I would go with a new site, far away from the injured area. I don't leave them in if there's something like what you are describing. Or maybe I should say I wouldn't leave an infusion set in. I just stuck in a CGM needle and got a bleeder but don't have "spares" as BCBS is determined to make it challenging to get ahold of those so I cleaned it up and it seems ok. I'd better wear the maroon sweater today though?
I don't have any major words of advice, Natalie as I haven't had that experience (yet). But I agree to put your new site in far away from there, but definitely put one in, as your blood sugars may start to arise with infection. It couldn't hurt to put some antibiotic ointment on the site, but if it doesn't get better in a day I would suggest the doctor as since it's an "open wound" you don't want an infection going from local to systemic (and would need oral antibiotics if it did). Hope it gets better soon!
Natalie - Sorry to hear about your pump site infection. I've only had one site infection in 24 years of pumping. My infection started with a set that I installed while traveling to Costa Rica. The site started to hurt as I was flying back home.
My blood sugar numbers were elevated and did not respond well to corrective insulin. I waited a day or two before I sought a doctor's help. I removed that site and installed a new one far away from the problem area. I was hoping the swollen redness would diminish as time went by but it didn't. It grew larger and the thickness of the swollen area increased. It was shaped like a small egg. It was not oozing any pus.
I went to a doctor and he lanced it. He said a good deal of pus came out. It healed well and by blood sugar control returned. I concluded that I must have contaminated the site with some bacteria when I installed that infusion site. Washing hands and the site are good preventative measures but I don't always comply and this is the only infection I've had with about 3,000 sites in my lifetime.
Update: This morning, the hard lump was the size of a quarter, and now, by evening, it's the size of a dime, so it's going in the right direction. There is still a large area of redness, but it isn't as sore as it was yesterday, so I figure the redness is just those blood cells and chemicals fighting the infection.
And to make things even MORE fun, I developed a urinary infection today, but was able to get in at an urgent care center and got an antibiotic, and that won't hurt the infection (or maybe it WILL, LOL!). They said I was spilling a little bit of ketones and a little glucose in the urine, but I'm not going to worry about that, because my BGs haven't been all that high, and I don't feel ill.
So, between this stuff, and the impending loss of my cat (he has bowel and kidney problems, and has gone into heart failure, so I'm putting him down tomorrow morning because there is NO possibility of a comfortable life for him), it HASN'T been a nice day today. Tomorrow won't be, either, but I'm in survival mode. This, too, shall pass.
Forgot to add -- I did put in a new site, far away from the infection, because I realized it would be a LOT harder to try to manage with shots, especially when all I have on hand is Novolog. I also put in a new sensor, also far away, because in time of illness, it's better to have all the tools available, and not go back to the Neolithic! :-)
Sorry to hear about your kitty. And hope you get feeling better soon. Those antibiotics for the urinary infection will probably be a help to the site infection too.
Oh, Natalie. Just the kitty would be enough, without the other things. My heart is with you; my own Lula is two years into chronic kidney failure so I'm ready for what is coming. I hope your kittie has had good health until just now when he is ready to go - that's the best we can hope for. But they are so much a part of our lives, it hurts so to say goodbye. Do keep your support system close to get you through tomorrow and the days to come.
Hi Natalie. I'm so sorry about your kitty, and Zoe's Lula as well. About the antibiotics. As you no doubt know, antibioics can lead to C Diff later if you forget to take probiotics. My best wishes.
Well, I habitually eat Greek yogurt, which has 5 different live cultures. Do those count as probiotics? It's a fact that antibiotics can mess with your gut bacteria, but I don't know if it's completely known what bacteria live there in the first place.
On the other hand, 3 urinary infections since August has got me down -- I'm having it investigated, but no answers as yet. :-(
I like Greek yogurt too, but I don't know if it's always sufficient to prevent the dreaded D Diff. I did some research on it all once, and decided to buy the expensive capsules one finds refrigerated in health food stores. My concern came about four years ago when I got C Diff about 2 weeks after taking an antibiotic. It darn near killed me; emergency room IV's brought me around. Ugh. I've been taking the capsules since that experience, and haven't had the problem again even though I've had to take antibiotics twice since. The nice thing is that my digestion has greatly improved since taking probiotics, and my lactose intolerance has disappeared. I think the cultures in DanActive are also helpful, so I drink it for lows.
I've been told that it's a good idea to switch up your probiotic source from time to time and find ways of getting different combinations of bacteria, just to keep the "ecosystem" diverse. And as far as the probiotics in yogurt are concerned, they're mostly Lactobacillus, which is good, but you also could use Bifidobacteria species. There's a product called Align which contains Bifidobacterium infantilis (the species most often found in mother's milk) that is great for GI upset, and of course there are multitudes of other combinations of probiotics available. But Align is what my GI specialist recommended for me and it worked wonders, so... best of luck!
How are you feeling today Natalie.? Are you getting better?.Good to hear the news about the Greek yogurt.. I eat it everyday, too, because I like the high protein and I love how it tastes. I had a minor urinary tract infection this summer, but was able to arrest it with a round( 7 days) of antibiotics. Never had a pump site infection.
I decided I need probiotics about 5 years ago. After researching and coming to the conclusion that no one really knows what's needed, I went with the best refrigerated one at my HFS. A few days of horrific cramps and I stopped taking them. I do love my Greek yogurt though. Maybe I should try a less extensive probiotic?
