I've had diabetes (type 1) for 9 years and have been wearing a pump for about 6 years but I have always been afraid to put a site on my thigh. I always wonder if it will hurt more or if the insulin will still work quickly etc. I can always find a reason to not do it but now i am starting to need more insertion sites. So if there are any other teens or people out there that can tell me what it is like then that would be fantastic!
I've found the thigh to work just fine. Only two problems I have: I forget I've put the set there, and pull it out when I'm dressing/undressing. Or: In winter the skin on my legs gets dry and that seems to make it easier to pull out as well.
I prefer using my thigh, works just fine. I will caution against putting the site under the seam of your jeans, however.
I have no problem with using my thigh. I did wind up having to use a angeled insertion set on my thigh instead of a straight in secondary to weight loss and the straight in insertion set, even the 6mm would not work as effectively. In the summer, I am able to place the site high enough so it does not show when wearing shorts. I find the best area to use is directly in the middle of my leg, up to a inch to the outside of the thigh (from the middle), and only about 1/2 inch to the inside of the thigh(from the middle). I do not notice any difference in absorption when compared to other locations I use. Just try it a couple of times and see! Good luck!
I've never had much success with my thigh, but as you can see several others have. It just feels a little uncomfortable to me, and I don't seem to get as good of absorption. But it doesn't hurt to try, and if you can successfully do it, just that many more spots to use.
I find they can be more painful but thy aren’t always and that my absorption is much slower unless I’m walking a lot. I found that if I wanted to eat out or knew I wasn’t having a super predictable day that they weren’t worth the headache but if I had to I could make them work.
I sleep on my side, so have to put it towards the front or back; otherwise it hurts to lay on it. I have seen no difference in effectiveness. I took insulin shots on my thighs for 40 years.
Worth trying for sure. I recently tried about 10 different sites on my thighs and had to give it up. The sites absorbed fine and I loved the locations but by day 3 they would all hurt and it took a week for the redness and swelling underneath to clear up.
Each site had a hard knot of swelling an inch or more across. I guess walking and moving my legs caused the cannulas to constantly move and irritate the tissues?
Thanks very much guys! I will totally try it out once softball season is done!
I just recently started using my thigh as well! I think I've had 4 infusion sets -- 2 on each thigh now. 3 of them were great. The absorption seemed to be quite good and it also seemed to be a convenient location for tube management. I had one set where the cannula got bent (I was using a 9mm) and I got a couple non-delivery alarms from it. If you are really lean or muscular in the thigh area like I am, I might suggest trying a 6mm infusion set, but 3 of my 4 "thigh trials" have been quite good. Certainly good enough to start including them in my regular site rotations.
If you are using an angled set in your thigh (as opposed to the straight in 90degree one) do you put it in so the cannula is horizontal or vertical, i.e. side to side or pointing down?
I point it so the tubing goes down your leg, so the cannula pointing up. That way if I'm not thinking about it I don't tear it out by catching my pants on the tubing when I take them off.