Does anyone have any tricks for keeping infusion sites attached during the summer? I sweat really bad and lately I’m having a horrible time keeping my sites from sweating off and falling out. Right now I use IV prep, the normal site adhesive and then I cover the area with two of the IV3000 patches which I modify. I cut out place just big enough in each IV3000 patch so that the connector will stick through patch. I put two on which seems to work better than one but lately with umpiring and all the moving around a do combined with being soaked in sweat has them falling out on almost every other day. Thankfully my prescription is for a change every other day because of skin reactions to the canulla but it’s annoying when they will only last for a day. I have one tagaderm patch that I am going to try this weekend but any suggestion short of super-glue and duct tape would be appreciated.
I use opsite flexfix for my dexcom… it’s lasted almost 2 weeks. It’s like tegaderm but comes in a roll, so you can cut a strip for each side. The stuff makes it through showers, sweat… so far, so good.
I use skin prep spray (not wipes) for my infusion sites. Make sure you let it dry completely. Works better for me than the wipes, maybe because I can get a thicker layer. When it’s really humid I do 2 coats and let them dry in between.
I sweat a lot too. I use the IV3000 tegaderm patches that Medtronic just came out with (they are specifically cut to accommodate the Mio infusion sets). I also apply my site using Skin Tac. First, I apply the Skin Tac directly on my skin and then, once I have the site in, I apply more Skin Tac all around the site itself. This seems to help.
I am not on a pump because of lack of funding, but my concern would be the adhesive patches as I am generally allergic to all of those adhesives, allergenic, hypoallergenic or not!
I just had a sudden light bulb moment which I wonder might be an answer? Using op-site, or spray on plaster BEFORE using the adhesive? Anybody else done this? Did it work?
Also I wonder if your reaction to the cannula is not actually a reaction to the adhesive? If I leave strapping on for more than a couple of hours, I start reacting, and once was told to leave a shoulder strapping on for a week - but managed 3 days and removed all the skin from the whole area, including a very nasty burn!
I needed dressings changed daily and it was proved I was allergic to all adhesives when they kept removing them - and I had new reactions each day. They moved the tape that held the dressing on a few degrees clockwise each day onto fresh skin and I ended up with a very interesting and decorative scar on my shoulder - looks like a central scar at the site of the original reaction and flower petals all around the outside!
the site reaction is because the site comes loose and the canula starts to slide in and out… which is bloody horrible. No major scars, just a small dot where the insertion was.
I put a little anti-perspirant on my site, wait about 15 min for the chemical to soak in and then wipe it off or shower. Then wipe with IV prep or ski prep. Works every time.
I’m allergic to everything but paper tape… same reaction as you, skin comes off with the tape. I’ve had no reaction to the pump site or dex site adhesive… amazing. I don’t see why you couldn’t put flexfix under the pump adhesive. I’d hesitate to put anything under the dex… the sensor is coated with an enzyme and I don’t know if it would interfere.
Mastisol! It’s the only way things stay stuck in the summer… between sweat and swimming, everything would fall off in less than a day without it… no matter how much tape I put over my sites.
I’ve found that I am not allergic to omnipod or dexcom adhesive but I do break out with the opsite flexifix! But the opsite works so good I just bought some of those barrier wipes and continue to use it with no problem. Opsite is some good stuff in my opinion!
I hope so too! Please report. Not sure if you do your work at a hospital, but my brother just ‘borrowed’ some small tegaderm rectangles with windows cut in them. Can’t wait to try it on the next sensor. Started week 3 on this one Monday, longest I’ve gone. The flexfix is holding up
skin tac first and IV3000 with a hole cut in the middle over the top of the infusion set.
pro tip from my experience in special effects makeup - medical adhesive comes off best with a little baby oil or cheap hand lotion. personally i prefer palmer’s cocoa butter to remove the reside.
Thanks Marti! I use hemp oil to get off the residual gunk from dexcom and infusion site glue. Didn’t know it would work on something as gunky as mastitol!
i haven’t personally tried it on mastisol, but i’ve removed several kinds of adhesives residues with various oils and cocoa butter, quite successfully. heavy oils- olive, canola, baby oil. light oils like tea tree and grapeseed don’t work as well. although i often put tea tree oil in my palmer’s cocoa butter lotion because it’s an antiseptic.
