I’ve been on Fiasp for 4-5 years now, was on Novorapid before. Around 2 years ago I got my second ever pump, switched from AccuCheck to Ypsomed. I’ve got to say that I despise it because of the regular occlusions I experience.
They used to happen maybe once every two weeks or so, overall infrequent. Nowadays, they happen at least once a week, recently almost every single day. I change the infusion set, it rarely works. I change the site and sometimes it works. But then when I change sites again when it’s time, the cycle repeats. My skin is becoming so bruised and bumpy from changing more frequently than I should (I change every three days, I have a set rotation of left thigh → right thigh → right buttock → left buttock to give the tissue time to rest).
It’s also affecting my blood sugar levels and my mood. Maybe Fiasp is the problem? I’ve heard many complaints online from other pump users that Fiasp causes occlusions often, but I’ve also heard of YpsoMed being the cause as well. Or maybe I’m too thin and don’t have enough tissue for the insulin to absorb? (I weigh ~50 kg at 168 cm at age 17)
I’m honestly sick of this pump, but I don’t know if I can even replace it. I live in Poland, so I can only get one covered by insurance every 4 years or so. I don’t know what to do anymore. Does anyone have any solutions or similar experiences? Any help would be appreciated, much thanks. :']
Sorry for occlusion troubles you’ve experienced. During my 37 years of pumping insulin, I’ve found that it’s one of the more complicated issues with delivering insulin. I don’t have any experience with Fiasp or either of the pumps you mention.
I have some experience, however, with Novorapid (Novolog, insulin Aspart) in a pump. I had (20 years ago) used it successfully in a pump for a few years but then started experiencing red inflamed “pump bumps” at the infusion site.
This caused me to switch out the infusion sets at 48 hours instead of the usual 72 hours. The inflamed pump bumps would take a week or more to heal. My glucose control suffered. My doctor recommended that I try another insulin. I switched to Apidra (Glulisine) and that’s what I’m on today. That was about 20 years ago
While others’ experience with the actual insulin or pump brands can shed a light on your problem, your own personal experimentation is likely to help the most.
Here are the things that I would try:
Can you switch back to Novorapid to see if that might have some effect? Can you try some other brand/formulation of insulin such as Apidra (Glulisine) or Humalog (Lispro)?
Do you still have access to your former Accucheck pump? If so, it would be nice to see if the occlusions stopped when using a different pump.
Are you able to try different infusion sets? I switched from a 90 degree set to a 30 degree angled set to solve problems like you describe.
Have you considered switching, at least temporarily, to multiple daily injections?
I’m a big fan of personal experimentation. Keeping a daily journal makes analysis easier.
I love pumping but I think occasional pump vacations are a good thing. Please post about the path you take, especially if you identify the source of your problem. Good luck!
I’m seeing my doctor in a month or so, so I will ask if switching insulin is a possibility, especially going back to Novorapid.
I have my former Accucheck pump, but the components for this particular model are no longer produced/available in my country.
I use the Orbitsoft (made of teflon, I think) with 6 mm needles. When I first began using my Ypsopump, I tried steel ones (only 90 degree angled ones are available in general) and while I myself don’t recall what they were like, my mom says I complained about them being more painful than the Orbitsoft ones. The steel ones also need to be changed every 2 days, unlike 3 days with the Orbitsoft.
I haven’t considered going back to MDI, I really thought these pump problems would go away on their own with time. I still have access to my insulin pen. I don’t know how it would mesh with the Freestyle Libre 2 sensor I’m using currently, if I were to go back to pens, since I’d have to use my arm for injections. Maybe I could use my abdomen for injections, but I’m not sure, since I’m really slim and can barely put on weight at all, so there might be not enough fat there. I’m not really sure about going back to MDI, life is easier with pumps, especially with the bolus calculator, but Ypso is just making it so much worse with all these issues. I’m conflicted on this.
Just be aware that both Fiasp and Novorapid are both Aspart insulin formulations. Maybe trying out another formulation could give you more useful insight.
Does this mean that you can no longer get infusion sets for this pump?
What infusion sets are available for the Ypsomed pump? Are there any angled sets?
Yeah, I think the big disadvantage of going back to MDI is remembering if or when you took your dose. I know there exists new tech to deal with this.
