Pump Insertion Site Problems

[LifeItIs]

Hello, my name is Jon and I am 24 years old.  I have had Type 1 diabetes for 23 years now and just finally got onto the pump about 4 weeks ago.  I am slender and very lean on body fat.  With a high metabolism and some recent complications with my diabetes, I have lost a lot of weight.  I tried the pump about 2 years ago and was not able to find any insertion areas as when I inserted it, it felt like it was rubbing directly on my muscle.  However, this time, it seems to be ok.  I have been inserting the pump in more my buttocks and my hip area as that seems to be the most comfortable.  I tried my stomack and it worked once, but the second time, I tried it on the other side and it hurt and was uncomfortable.  It seems like I am running out of areas to put the darn thing and I am worried this may cause more complications than what it is worth.  Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions about finding comfortable insertion areas and where the best absorbtion is.  Please let me know.  Thank you.

[Forum-vol-wak]

I am a volunteer and the mom of a type one diabetic on an insulin pump.  I totally understand your problem.  My daughter is very slender and does not have a lot of fat on her body.

She uses her butt cheeks, her belly about an inch past her belly button on either side, the top of her thighs, and the back of her upper arms in the fatty part.   We rotate the sites so that by the time she gets back to the first sight it is healed enough.

You did not state what type of the site you are using we find that the silhouette site is best for her slender body as it goes in sideways not straight so it hurts less and does not hit muscle that easily.

As for absorption, if you use your legs and arms a lot the absorption will be quicker then than in other spots.

I would suggest you talk to your pump trainer to see if they have any other tips for the site to be more comfortable.

I hope this helps.

[kendaz]

Yep!  Silhouettes work best for us too.  My son is 11 years old and diagnosed 10 months ago.  For THREE months we struggled with the 6mm Quick Sets with very random results.  We initially hated the 13 mm silhouettes because they were so painful to insert.  We use numbing cream with Glad Press N Seal over the cream for 1 hour and then painlessly insert the site on his buttocks, arms and quadriceps.  He went from an A1C of 14 at diagnosis to a recent 5.9.  Good Luck and keep trying.  At one point our hospital even recommended that we take our son off of the pump due to unprecidented results for the first 3 months on the pump which WE determined were due to the Quick Sets.  We also figured out on our own that the sils needed to be inserted manually so that we could control the angle of insertion (very shallow due to low body fat) which is difficult with the inserter.  Blessings,