New to pumping - little anxious

[jemmaedias]

Hey guys,

I got my Medtronic MiniMed 640G on Tuesday so I'm very much still learning!!!

I've just done my first set change on my own and I'm getting a bit paranoid. I'm sure everything this fine but there is a faint stinging feeling around my site. I was wondering if you can feel a kinked cannula? Will your pump tell you if there's a kink or other obstruction?

My levels are still a bit up in the air and very different each day so I'm worried something could be preventing delivery and I wouldn't know.

 

[Deleted Account]

My advice if the cannula feels uncomfortable is to change it. Doesn't matter whether it is affecting your insulin delivery, you don't need to endure discomfort.
And, if it uncomfortable, it may not be correctly applied/installed/deployed. Sorry, I struggle to find the correct verb.

 

[Snapsy]

Hi @jemmaedias - really excited for you and your new pump!

My first cannula was very very painful. And I could feel every drop of insulin going in. It failed after a day (leaky, wet with insulin, blood sugar through the roof). Changed it and it was fine.

SOMETIMES I can feel that a cannula is sore. If it's very sore, I change it. In the wise words of @donnellysdogs , whose posts were so useful to me pre-pump, 'if it doesn't feel right, it probably isn't'.

Keep testing, and if you're going unexpectedly high - or indeed the discomfort is really bothering you - just ditch that cannula and bung in a new one. And test, test, test.

My pump has never pinged an alarm to say that it's not happy (in cannula terms). I've had two fails - in 18 months - and because I'm an avid tester I picked up on the problem quickly.

Enjoy getting to know your pump!

Love Snapsy

 

[himtoo]

I agree with @helensaramay
if the cannula feels really uncomfortable change it--
also -- I would test every 45 min / hour until you are happy that BG's are stable

 

[donnellysdogs]

Still agree and advise anybody if you can feel the sets they are unlikely to be correctly placed in your body. Change it. Especially with the plastic cannulas as those really should not be felt at all. Neither should steel ones to be honest but I got so thin and no fat at all at one point that I'm sure they were somehow touching bone even on my bum.
Worked perfect for me for 5 years following my own advice but cannulas are rejected by my body so no longer able to use.

 

[iHs]

Sometimes when I insert a set, there is a tiny bit of discomfort which might last for about 30 to 60 mins when I press on it but usually the discomfort subsides and the set works ok so no need to remove it unless it really hurts.

 

[mentat]

If you're too close to a nerve ending it can be painful. Also sometimes the body gets aggravated by a foreign object and there is an inflammatory reaction. Sometimes the skin around my sites gets red. This is a red flag. (Pun intended.) Change the site immediately. You don't want the immune system destroying insulin, or starting to treat it as a foreign body.

 

[dancer]

Usually if a set stings it is OK after an hour or so. On the other hand, if it hurts and continues to hurt for about an hour, I change the cannula.

 

[kellyxo]

Hello, I have had a medtronic 640g for 2 months and a bit now.
Sometimes where you insert your cannula, there may not be enough fat, or you may've inserted it too close a nerve ending. The first cannula change will always feel weird, as it's new. As you go on, it will get and feel better. If you're ever uncertain if the cannula is correct, keep a close eye on your blood sugars and ketone levels. If you do a cannula change and then have a meal, test your bg 1-2 hours after the meal to make sure all is well. I'd personally remove the cannula if it was too discomforting, to be on the safe side. Good luck!

 

[jemmaedias]

Thanks for all your advice guys! The pain has stopped and insulin is delivering - trouble is my sugars are high anyway and my basal levels are definitely wrong, but I think the cannula is okay now. If there was a problem, what kind of levels would you expect?

 

[himtoo]

Thanks for all your advice guys! The pain has stopped and insulin is delivering - trouble is my sugars are high anyway and my basal levels are definitely wrong, but I think the cannula is okay now. If there was a problem, what kind of levels would you expect?

hi there -- looks like you did not get immediate replies on this important question. sorry I missed seeing you had updated !!

for me anything above 14 would be my "imminent danger" level - and I would proceed by correction bolusing through the pump and wait around 2-3 hours for BG's to start lowering --if they didn't I would do a pen correction and look to change set ( cannula )

 

[Deleted Account]

If you think the cannula is ok but your BG is high, give yourself a corrective dose. Check after 30 minutes. If your BG has come down, everything is fine. If your BG has gone up further, I would change your cannula regardless how it feels.

 

[genix]

If it stings change it.

 

[richyb]

if you go high try a slight walk ...it helps a lot