Pump Sites?

Hey everyone. I’ve only been on the pump for just under a year. And I’ve noticed many things regarding it. Especially the sites. For me, the worst place for a site is on my butt. Haha does anyone else find that when it’s there that you run higher? I know a few other people with the same thing. I was wondering if like it was just in general, or just for us. The places I see the best results with are on my flank. What’s your “favorite” spot for your pump site? Where do you all see the best results? Are there any like, other than the norm site that you use? Give me your input, please and thank you!
Best wishes.
Andrew G.

Depends. During my 20 years of tubed pumping, the abdomen was the best, hands down. It was the least problematic and provided the most predictable absorption.

Now that I’m an OmniPodder, I love the back of the arm.

Experiment until you find the best spot. I’ve tried (almost) everywhere at this point.

Hi Andrew,

I tried the abdomen for a while, but I never got it to work out as well as I wanted. Once I tried it on the outside of my thighs, I never looked back. I rotate back and forth on each leg, but I get consistent absorption and no pain unlike all the problems I was having on my stomach.

Guess it’s like everything, YMMV.

The most important thing I can tell you is not to get too complacent using an area. Most people DO develop scar tissue and absorption issues after using a “favorite” spot for too long. I can no longer use my abdomen at all after 8 solid years of pumping there…so I’m relegated to all of the other real estate: back, butt, arms, thighs. I have pumped for over a year now without using my old standby (the abdomen). Surprisingly, there’s a lot of good meat on the body that we don’t think about using.

Yay for backs of arms and the oPod!

I was on MM for about a year and a half and was very experimental (plus I had another MM’er who lived one floor below me my first year in college!)

backs of arms are GREAT for MM too. tummy (upper and lower), back (love handles and a bit farther in toward the spine too), butt (I don’t have issues with the rear, probably because I have more of it :), outer hips, top of thighs, outer thighs, backs of legs. Sorry that that doesn’t narrow it down much. I hope I gave a few examples for you to try.

I’m a new pumper and trying out my abdomen for the first time a few days ago. I used the area on the lower abdomen where there’s a bit more fat. The next time I switched to the opposite side of the same area and got “no delivery”. Tried another spot in that area and also got “no delivery” a 2nd time. I’m a little hesitant to use my abdomen now. Is there a good reference or diagram online to give me a better idea of where I should be aiming for? I’m using quickset from minimed so I’m afraid that if I use my upper abdomen there may not be enough fat? Should I be concerned about that?

I have been pumping for 7 out of my 43 years of Type1 and have only used the abdomen, …but lately I have had some bad sites, poor absorption something I never have had, so I know I need to start exploring other territory, but I am afraid to try it, but I guess we need to listen to Ms. Melissa.

I usually have used the abdomen with no problems. But recently I have moved more to the love handle area with good results.

I had nothing but issues with the upper thigh as recommended as an option…
I ended up having that particular leg start to cramp after one day… though the insulin seemed to absorb ok…

Pulled the set and dismissed the upper thigh for now

I have a minimed 722 and use the back of my arm my flank my tummy anywhere that doesn’t look to beat up. for me I can’t use my thighs as the muscles don’t make room for fat there

This really doesn’t answer your question, but it made me laugh. Yesterday, I drove past the park and saw a woman playing basketball. She was wearing a bra and shorts with the waistband rolled down. She was pretty lean with just a bit of fat above her hip bones. I thought, “Wow, that would be a great set site.” What a diabetes DORK!

To actually answer your question, it is my daughter who pumps, not I. She prefers to use her tummy. She’s said that it hurts to use her thighs, although she used to inject there. We’ve also had poor luck with the back love handle area (what would be the term for that area?) because she can’t see it and has pulled her site out several times, when pulling up/down her pants or when playing because it’s harder to keep the cord tucked when she can’t see it.

hi Kathy

Do you have the shorter silhouettes or the longer ones? And do they go straight in, or at an angle?

I don’t have enough on my abs to “pinch an inch” (I have to lean over and grab the tissue on my stomach to make enough of a roll to get the needle in correctly)

I’m not using a pump (Though I used to be on MM 712 or 722, i can’t remember now) but I’m currently using the Dexcom and the needle on the Dex seems much thicker and longer than the MM needles. And I have no issues putting the Dex directly into my ab muscle so high up sometimes I can feel it banging against my ribs. :slight_smile:

Just be careful, because putting it into muscle tends to make “bleeders”, though I haven’t had issues w that area for a long time.

Maybe it’s just me? :slight_smile:

I was rotating all over my abdomen, sides and tops of my buttocks since I went on the pump last August. (36 years of using MDIs). I tried my upper arms just a couple of weeks ago with Orbit and got GREAT results. Then I tried my thighs for the first time-- also great results. I tend to have a lot of pain and after-withdrawal bleeding with the angles infusion sets, especially the ones that you use without an automatic inserter, so now I stick to Orbit and Insert 1 for my Animas ping. I’ll never order any other infusion set again. (Orbit is self-insertion, but 90 degrees, like Insert 1, and the insertion needle for the cannula is so thin, you can barely even feel a prick. Great product!)

  • Patti

I switched to way high abdomen last few site changes, today I think I pierced a lung :wink:

Karen - I haven’t done that … yet - but my last infusion site that I pulled out was in the upper area of my tummy (1" above waistline was that where yours was?). Anyway, I think had knicked a blood vein either on entry or coming out. When I put the steel infusion (90 degree) in, it felt “weird” (after 43 years of injecting - I think we all know that we’ve hit something that’s not quite right). Over the next few days, the area felt strange like I’d hit a muscle, as I’d move a certain way, and I’d get that odd feeling. My BG’s were doing fine - in the 4-7 range - which is my goal - but when I pulled out the infusion set after 3 days - had a gusher. I’m getting better at not almost passing out at these occasional blood floods. I put the new infusion site over the mandatory 1" - and so far, things seem to be alright, tho’ I have a feeling that area is just full of blood veins, time will tell when I pull it out again (and hopefully at the same angle as I put it in). The life of a guinea pig sometimes for us D’s Anna aka FatCatAnna from Montreal - The Roller Coast Ride of Diabetes

I went pretty high maybe two inches above waistline.

Waistline would be the perfect place except for the fact that my pants sit there!!! :-p

I still have not done any other areas except for abdomen, I am too chicken.

I see endo tomorrow, but I won’t bring it up, in fact I won’t bring anything up, I just hate going, such a pricey A1C, but I gotta go to keep my RX’s rolling along.

Gushers still freak me out, they ■■■■ me off as I think one more thing to deal with blood every where.

To think I did shots in my legs for decades (very painful), because I was too afraid to try my abdomen, what was I thinking?

I know for sure that a pump site will never go in my leg, way to painful.

Once again I am ■■■■■■■ and moaning, but I only do that about the D on the internet, in real life top secret. :slight_smile:

Oddly enough my first gusher was doing a set change from saline to insulin right in the pump trainers office… I was like WTF… and shes like. Youll get these occasionally… as i grab the box of tissues off her desk…

Ahh you are so cute - about only ■■■■■■■/moaning here - that’s why I love this place so much - LET’S GET THE PARTY STARTED!

I think I must have a high pain threshold and a stupid curiosity for blood and gore. For example, trigger fingers ops in my 30’s - I HAVE to watch them open up my hand, do the cutting, etc. I know, gross, but very interesting (tho’ hand is frozen - you don’t feel a thing). Before I had my mastectomy (subcutaneous mastectomy - took the gunk out - left the skin flap intake for a new Dolly Parton) - the core samples they took to figure out what the heck was growing in my Incredible Shrinking Boob was interesting. I would come home from the procedure on the subway, feeling myself, wondering about what they did. No wonder people looked at me strange (as you probably all are looking now at my written words - she’s a WACKOOO you’re all saying to yourself - okay - I’m slightly sleep deprived with stress).

Anyway, I can poke holes in pretty well anywhere that insulin can be given. I have alot of territory that is good for shots / infusion spots (getting the nerve to have hubby put an infusion set in - stainless steel - manual insertion - into my backside which I can’ t reach due to old age making me less flexible). I’m going to have him practise on a box of tissues to put in an used infusion set tho’ before he uses me as a target practise! Bulls eye!!!

Okay - gotta get some zzzzz’s! Miss coming to Tudiabetes like I used to - making up for it today with a few postings here and there.

I rotate my sites based on my insulin vile…meaning fresh insulin(new bottle) or roughly the first half of the bottle is infused around the rear end, or where the absorption is less. As the bottle of insulin becomes less potent over the time(12-15 days), I switch to the abdomen where absorption is best for me. In theory this gives me a stable rate. This is not hard science, just what I do. It takes me about a month to use one bottle of insulin because I eat low carb…

The most pain was just below the rib and when I stand up straight, it is almost into the rib. Ouchie!