After today’s experience, I’ve decided to go back to using pens for a few days.
My site last night was fairly painful and the pain didn’t go away throughout the day. When I got home, I took it off and, sure enough: there was quite a bit of bleeding. I am sure I hit a vessel and the activity from the day probably didn’t leave it in peace…
So I decided to give the pump some rest, plus I ordered a new Quickserter (my original one seems to be doomed)… some time next week I will go back on it.
i’m sorry to hear that this has happened. now you’re making me second guess this pump thingie again! i go do my blood work this week and have my endo appt on the 11th. we’ll see how i feel then. Betcha that Minimed rep I met at the Expo has already contacted my doc!
Just insert the infusion set manually. It’s a lot easier and you don’t have to worry about the insertion needles getting bent… I’ve been doing it the old fashion way with the Silloette infusion sets for about 2 years now. Ever since I had 3 in a row bend or almost get stuck when I used the insertion device.
Landileigh,
You should continue your quest for the pump. It is not a cure, but it will definitely make living with diabetes sooooo much easier. I did shots for 35 years and now pumping for almost 5 years and pumping is the best form of insulin delivery. Try it you will like it. 
Landi:
Please don’t let my decision for a few days question whether it is a good idea to get on the pump.
Though I know that the pumps are not for everyone, I cannot overstate how much being on one has helped me in terms of quality of life (24 shots every three days vs. only one infusion set insertion over the same period of time) and BG control.
Think of this decision more of the geek going “crazy” by not wanting to check his email for 24 hours (how crazy can that be!) to take a break from the Internet, if you may…
How big are the Silhouette needles? I use the quicksets. Can those be inserted manually? The needles look a pretty good size (gauge) to me. :S
My relationship with my pump was a love/hate relationship. One day (a while back), I got SO frustrated with it that I ripped it out (i.e. my infusion set). And decided that I would take a “pump break” for a month, which my doctor told me I could do if I got frustrated. I went back to multiple daily injections and on about day three of that, I realized how much I LOVE my pump. I haven’t taken a break from it since then!
There are frustrations with the pump-- and there will be challenges, but I would not give it up! But there is nothing wrong with taking a few days off But I say go for it!
The Silhouette needle looks a lot bigger but there are two different lengths to it and not all of the needle goes into you so it looks worse than it is. I use the one with the long needle. The longer cannula infusion sets leak less. Silhouettes have a transparent “window” that allows you to see leaks. The 90 degrees sets ie the quickset, sof set are less reliable, more prone to leaking, becoming irritated since they bend easier than 35 degree angled sets. Years ago I used to use the 90 degree sof set infusion sets . Only after I switched to a Silhouette type set did I noticed how much more reliable they were than the 90 degree ones. Manually inserting the sets allows you to adjust the needle angle, avoid going into the muscle and use areas that you wouldn’t be able to use with “straight down” type sets. Plus I have always been scared of using the serter so this way works well for me lol.
There is nothing wrong with taking a break from the pump!!! Every once in a while I like to take out my infusion set etc(cover with humalog for a good part of the day) and not be attached to anything when I am “snuggling”at home with my girlfriend. The few times when I had Lantus and switched back to MDI’s lasted only a few days then I realized how much I missed my remote control pancreas lol. It’s good to remind myself that I can be unattached.
If you have trouble with the insertion process, you may want to check out buying some topical anesthetic to freeze the area you are going to insert. I haven’t tried it yet, but a rep for the pump company told me that she uses this stuff called emla - so I bought some just in case I’m a little injection-shy. I’m looking into it . You may want to look into it, too - I figure we need anything that can make our lives a little easier.
Ewww, Manny! TMI! TMI!!!
Haha. I was on shots for a few weeks last summer after giving up on the untethered regime and I had quite a few bruises as well.
I’m also on the silhouette and love it and would never do anything else. I like that if I’m putting the needle in where it hurts, I can just stop, pull out the needle, move it over somewhere else without wasting an entire silhouette. Give it a try. They have silhouette inserters, but I like being able to stop the insertion if it starts to hurt. Helps avoid bruising, bleeding and overall bad sites.
