Since I have started using the pump I have noticed that whenever I take a infusion set out I seem to be having a reaction to the adhesive I guess it would be. My skin is usually broke out and dry and itches like crazy. What do other people do to deal with that or to prevent it. I have a spot on my leg that is still broke out over a week later after taking the infusion set out.
IV Prep, then IV 3000, then the infusion set. That is what I used to do, but now I just do IV Prep and straight to the infusion set. I cannot remember what pump you use but call the company as I am sure you are not the first to experience this.
How ya like pumping??
I use the minimed 722. I love the pump. The only time I have had high blood sugars is when my infusion set wasn’t in correctly. One day I went through 5 infusion sets because they kept kinking off or were painful where I put them. I have discovered I can’t use my thigh or my hips. They get very painful within a few hours if I place them there. My best places are stomach and lower back/upper buttocks. I honestly can’t see myself ever wanting to go back to shots.
Hi Cody! I used to use the inset 30’s but I was having loads of trouble with the cannula not being under the skin.I use an IV prep.That’s the only time my sugars have been high too.I have had no problems with the dressing.I only use an IV prep wipe.My dietician gave me a couple of the 90 degree insets and I love them.They go straight in,no worries.I was going to try the manual ones but the more I thought about it,the more it would seem like an injection.I injected for 22 years and do not wish to go back.The inset II’s dressing is alot smaller than the 30’s.I haven’t tried any other place other than my tummy.It is handy there.Maybe someday I will try another site.
My daughter is on the omnipod and allergic to the adhesive. She gets severe hives from it. We use Bard barrier wipes before we put down the pod. It is like an alcohol wipe. It works like magic for my daughter - no more rashes.
Do you use an adhesive wipe remover when you take it out? If I miss taking off any part of the adhesive left behind, it gets real itchy. Make sure you get it completely cleaned off. Have you looked into the fact you may be allergic to the tape you’re using?
my son is sometimes itchy around his sites too, but at his last visit they found he actually had a staph infection (not at the site exactly, just in the area around it) and needed to be treated with an antibiotic cream. of course he is a 5 year old boy who plays in the dirt, but if you have some spots that aren’t healing, have them looked at.
I just started on the pump first of this month. I do not use any adhesive remover, I wipe with iv prep or skin prep before I put the infusion set in. I use iv 3000 over the top of it to keep it on. When I remove a site I use Bactroban Cream on the site and a bandaid for at least a day. I have Bactroban Cream left from sores I have had that have been slow in healing and my doctor has prescribed it. Maybe on my next site I will place an iv 3000 first then the infusion site and see how that works. I will also check with CCS Medical about adhesive remover wipes.
I do it just opposite from Flo (lol) I put the one with the hole in it on first, then loop the tubing a bit, just in case I drop the darn thing - it won’t pull out, then I put the IV3000 on. we’ve been discussing this over in the pumping group, too
Flo
I am going to have to try that on my next site change. I don’t know if it is an adhesive allergy or if it just irritates my skin. But I do know I DO NOT want to go back to shots so I will find a way to make it work.
I had similar issues when I first went on the pump. IV Prep doesn’t do it for me, but the Bard wipes seem to be my magic solution. They are actually intended for use with stomas, so are designed to stand up to digestive juices. I have had no real issues with irritation at pump sites with Bard. I buy them from Minimed/Medtronic, out of pocket, and they are only about $12/50 wipes.
Good luck! Keep trying different things.
Jen
Have you tried putting moisturiser on your sites when you take out your infusion sets? I sometimes get sore and a bit itchy and find just putting some moisturiser on the site helps sooth it.
I have these issues with my CGM. I use IV Prep, now, as other folks have suggested, and slather on a layer of Aquaphor after I remove the adhesive. That stuff is amazing (and non-medicated) – it’ll clear you right up!
I’m very sensitive to certain adhesives, and I have to use either IV3000 or Tegaderm tapes next to my skin, and then insert the site on top of that. Otherwise I get red and itchy almost immediately. There are several types of “barriers” and you can ask your pump company to send you some samples. The two I mentioned are the most common, but I think there are some others as well.
Ruth
Mastisol is the least irritating for me for both CGM sensors. My infusion sites will get irritated when I put the infusion set in before the IV Prep is completely dry.
My rash is due to the fact that I am allergic to the adhesive. I have a spot on my stomach that is almost a month old. The doctor just told me to skip the IV 3000 and just use the infusion set and to also change my infusion set every two days.
I have also found that I am more sensitive during the winter months.
I am considering the pump but I am not sure. How many shots were you taking before going on the pump? Do you have more energy. It seems like the tube would kink a lot at night.
I’m on the MM722 and I use QuickSet infusion sets. If I go 4 days, I get a slightly red circle where the tape was. I don’t use anything but the set. It goes away a day or so later.
I thought that IV Prep was IV 3000? Am I wrong on this?
IV Prep is a type of alcohol pad for cleaning the skin…it’s got something else in it that makes the surface of the skin slightly sticky (although not really noticeable at all when compared to something like skin tac).
IV 3000 is an adhesive over-bandage used to hold stuff down (like infusion sets and CGM transmitters).
In the hospital your nurse could use IV Prep to place an IV in your arm and then cover it w/ IV 3000. Too many things w/ the same name huh? 