Hey everyone I joined a while ago and just have been super busy. I use to be on the omni pod and had horrible skin irritation. I tried everything been to lots of different doctors and I was basically labeled as a "medical mystery" This however did not help the problem. I have taken antibiotics for infections the pump or my scratching gave me, I have used every different skin prep and also not used a skin prep I have tried tegaderm and same problem, red terribly itchy skin. I have even gone back to injections. I just have WAY better control of my type 1 diabetes with a pump. I finally just decided to try a new pump. My diabetes educator/ nurse practitioner gave me two choice Ping or medtronic pump. I am right now wearing the Ping (animas) pump it is super different with the tubing but I like it. I however changed my site yesterday and have a red irritated spot which today almost feels like little knives pricking my skin where the site was before. This is NOT good. On the new spot after my shower this morning I saw raised bumps all around my site on my stomach. I am terrified that if there is nothing I can do I will have to just use injections. I was hoping to see if ANYone had any ideas or if they had this same problem what they might have done to fix it. I also use Humalog in my pump and actually will be asking my doctors if switching insulin might be a different change I can try. For almost 3 1/2 years I had the omni pod with NO problems. Its only been within the last 1 1/2-2 years that it has torn my backs skin up horrible and yes any where else I put it. I would LOVE to hear any suggestions anyone might have! Thanks!
My skin seems to react to whatever was 3 months before. I used to pull my pods off and everything was fine. 3 months later my skin was irritated and I started to use skin-prep and uni-solve. My skin kept sending me the same signals. It was itchy and irritated. I thought that I did the right thing. Why did my skin not respond? I don't know. After 3 months my skin acknowledged my efforts and now I don't have any skin irritations at all. It is very hard to deal with delays as long as this.
I don't know whether you have a Dexcom. My dex does more for me than the pump. The pump is way harder on my skin. You could consider taking a pump vacation and make up for it with a dex. Your A1C will most likely improve. That is if you don't have a dex already.
When you take injections, do you see any problem ? If injections are ok, and you do them in the same sites of your pump set, insulin is not the cause I think.
What set are you using with your PING ? vertical , angled, which length ?
Could it be teflon ? Try to use steel sets for a while.
As Helmut says, it's difficult to discover the cause because perhaps your body has a "memory" and it takes a while before it doesn't react bad to something it found "unpleasant".
Hey i get little spots with the pen when i give insulin its not as bad but I see the spots and I never use to see them. I am just trying the PING out, so I used each of the types the shortest length. Idk what kind of set via the teflon or steel, does it say on the set? I will have to look and see if Omni pod is the same as the two I have tried. My stomach is now all broken out in hives I can only assume from the site I had tuesday and the new site I put on Friday. It is horrible.
Oh yeah... I have also been told by my doctors and dermatologist I am a medical mystery so they haven't been too helpful since all there ideas haven't worked. Which is the reason I thought to see if anyone had or has a similar problem and any ideas.
So insulin is at least part of the problem.
AS far as I know, solutions can be:
- change insulin (apidra is the most different from humalog, I would try)
- use longer needles/sets to let insulin be absorbed sooner and not rest underskin too long
- use pharma to lower your insulin reaction (...)
Look here (link), but note: "It is however, important to note that all reactions to insulin are not allergic reactions."