I’ve only been a pumper for 2 months - so I’m a newbie. I like the Ping but am not sure I like the insets. I’m using the 9mm auto insets. First, there is sooooooooooooooooo much disposable plastic involved (hurts my ecological self), second, I’ve ripped it out several times because of the high profile, and third, my very thin, fair skin starts getting irritated at 2.5 days, which affect absorption.
I have just now realized that I don’t have to use the insets they gave me at the doc’s office - so I would like to make some decisions before I have to order resupplies. But I have no idea where to begin - what sets are compatible, which options would be best for my issues, what criteria should I use to choose, etc.
Any guidance would be appreciated.
Ripping sets out happens with just about any infusion set… there really aren’t any that don’t have “any” profile… except for maybe the contact detatch.
Personally, I like the orbit micro’s best out of everything I have tried (and as a former MM pumper, I’ve used Quicksets, Sofsets, Silhouettes in addition to the Insets from Animas).
Thanks, Sarah
Can you explain the difference / significance of “straight” versus “slanted”? I’m not sure I understand this.
Also - the Orbit Micro you mention - is Orbit the manufacturer? Is that the same as the Orbit 90?
Thanks,
Cheri
Hi Cheri
Like you I have been pumping for 2 months. After complex and eco-unfriendlt experiences with the OEM sets, I too switched to the ICU Medical (California and the largest supplier of surgical infusion sests to hosptials) Orbit products. They are self-insert, take 5 seconds, hold on to your skin with a patented adhesive that gets stronger as you sweat, rotate 360 degrees and have the only closed septum on the entire market (no clip when you shopwr). I get 5-6 days out of each, and the best is they are at least 25% cheaper than the OEM sets. The orbit micro is stell just like a syringe tip (31 gauge) and they also have teflon. I prefer the steel and you cannot even feel it going in, or coming out. I do not think I will ever use another infusion set…
Thanks, Carleton! I went on the Web and looked at them - I love the idea of the 360 rotation. I’m not sure how to go about ordering them - guess I’ll start by calling them to request a sample.
Cheri
no problem Cheri. Your pharmacy is always a good place to start - they can order them in…
I’m not sure who posted this first, but I will Repeat it. If you take a set of pliers, and pull the metal needle out of the inset the rest can be recycled. I mean the inserter part of it.
i used the insets and hated them: too much plastic, and never knowing if the teflon was in right. i was able to sample a few different kinds (i suggest asking your CDE to get you samples,) and i decided on using two; the contact detach and comfort short, alternating between them. the contact detach is str8 metal manual insertion, the comfort sets are and angled manual insertion with a metal needle that you remove to leave in the teflon. its very simple!
i switch my insertions sight from hips, to stomach to legs. they come in different needle lengths, depending on your needs, and i find them great, particularly because I was injecting for 25 years before pumping. as a result, i have no fear of needles, and basically need to know where something is going in my body (that is why i hated the insets, because I had a 50% failure rate as a result of them not inserting properly)
for me, one of the advantages of the comfort and the teflon insertion is that i can detach and suspend my pump, clip on the palstic cover and play sports, whereas the metal tip of the contact detach works better for in the hips and the side, which are harder to inject in at an angle, so the short str8 metal tip works well in that area, and i use these for times when i am not scheduling any sports. i will next be adding a longer metal needle to my arsenal, and start using the buttocks, as it will be needed. since it is important to rotate your sites (i cannot possibly stress how important this is,) my using different sets is necessary due to my anantomy and sport activities.
btw, I cannot imagine leaving a set in for more than 3 days, the insertion sites get icky soon enough as it is. i wonder is there something special about the other sets that allow longer insertion times or are those of you that do this just doing it regardless?
all in all the only drawback is that they stopped making 31" tube length, now it is only 23" or 41" either just too short or way too long… do other companies offer a 31" tube length i wonder?
Well I need my insurance to pay for them so I think I’ll have to start with my CDE.
Are you referring to a specific inset?
Lots of great information.
I’m curious, with all the different sites you use, do you get burning with dosing? When I inset “lean” areas I tend to get burning - which is not really a big deal but annoying (I did set dosing to Slow vs. Normal, which helps a bit).
I’m also curious about needle size - so you use the longer needle for areas with more padding, is that it?
Thanks for the help.
The Orbit sets come in everything from 18 inc h for women and kids who like short lengths to 36 inches, and the tubing is a patented blue, which looks cooler and makes it easier to see occlusions and bubbles in the tubing
Dose any one know if the Orbit is available in Canada??
I’m sorry, I was talking about the all in one inset from anaimas, the one that came with the pump on my original order
Thanks for the info, but it’s still A LOT of plastic. I think I’m going with the mini-orbit. Love the idea of 360 - I get tired of the tangles and the limits of placement (with the little “pinch” removal, it’s too hard to place the inset, for example, on my flank).
Absolutely - go to www.insulinpumps.ca which is the exclusive Canadian distributor owned by insulin pumpers, based in Mississauga, Ontario. They deal directly with the pharmacies and will get it to your pharmacy for you. Ask for Beth there. The Orbits are 25-30% less expensive than the others and are quite amazing…
Yes, the Orbit is available in Canada. I order them online from Diabetes Depot. I really like them as well. They’re so easy to insert-- you know exactly where it’s going, unlike the automatic Insets, and the inserter needle just seems so thin and sharp, there’s very little discomfort. The only thing about Diabetes Depot is that they charge a $20 shipping fee for orders less than $200. Diabetes Express has free shipping, but don’t carry the Orbits. Anyway, what I do is order two sets at a time so no shipping charges.
I saw my pump educator yesterday. She’d never seen the Orbit before and asked me quite a few questions about it. She’s going to try them out herself.
yes you can not only save the shipping costs by getting them mthrough the distributor, but their prices are the same as the others and you will be getting it directly from your pharmacy for tax and insurance purposes…
We use the inset, which is a straight Animas set in the round plastic case with it. Good Lord, it’s a lot of junk, but we also keep pliers with the supplies, pull out the needle, and put the rest of the inserter plastic into the recycling. We still throw away the cartridge packaging, the old cartridge and tubing, and the thin plastic and paper from around the set. There’s no doubt about it, diabetes creates a lot of waste.