Sore/stinging pump sites

[Rnr1975]

hi there was wondering if anyone else has had ? I am using 6mm mio’s and have for the last three canulas been getting very sore when blousing increasingly quickly after insertion, (to begin with on the third day, the last one less than 24 hours. Can anyone help or have suggestions???

 

[Jaylee]

Hi @Rnr1975 ,

Tagging in some pumpers that may help.. @himtoo @Juicyj @tim2000s . they will most certainly tag in more with ideas..

Just give it a little time till they get online..

 

[Rnr1975]

Thank you for tagging them, will be nice to have some ideas

 

[himtoo]

Hi @Rnr1975

sorry but I am on the omnipod so don't have a choice of insusion sets -- I know @Juicyj
has used different sets -- hopefully she will be along this evening.

tagging a few other pumpers too --- @claire1991 and @Snapsy and @Gaz-M

 

[claire1991]

Thanks @himtoo

This happens to me too. When I’ve put a new one in the first couple of boluses sting but are fine after that. What I do is extend the first bolus over 15 mins and it seems to be okay after that.

I’ve no idea why it happens though!

 

[dancer]

I'm on the 9mm Mio and have also had sets which sting to various extents, for the past couple of months. I phoned Medtronic, told them what was happening and said that I thought I could be better off with the 6mm Mio.
The girl agreed with me but added that if the same thing happened with the 6mm set, I should try a set that goes in at an angle.

She said Medtronic couldn't send me different sets until my nurse sent them an e-mail approving this. You should contact your DSN, tell her what's been happening and ask if she could let you try an angled set (Silhouette and Mio 30 are ones that come to mind but there could be others.) I hope you get on better with her than I did with my nurse!

 

[Snapsy]

Hi @Rnr1975 !

I have an Insight pump and use their 6mm cannulas as the 8s are too deep - occasionally I get some initial discomfort with a new cannula. If it's not sore sore, it generally calms down within a short space of time, and I'll leave it. But if a new cannula is particularly ouchy I will change it immediately for another new one.

 

[Snapsy]

PS I never bolus more than 5u in one go, as per advice at my pump start. Usually I split each bolus in half, with half immediately and half over the next 15 minutes, so usually the maximum I'll bung in at once is around 2.75u maximum, so that area of flesh doesn't get too much WHAM! all at once.

 

[Gaz-M]

I,m on the insight and there is only 1 cannula available. I use the 8mm cannula and sometimes it does get very uncomfortable at first and I have had a few that I have had to change after a few hours or so because of the discomfort. I may however try the 6mm ones as Snapsy has mentioned as I have lost 5kg since September for no apparant reason apart from my workload tripling since then

 

[Snapsy]

I have lost 5kg since September for no apparant reason apart from my workload tripling since then

Golly @Gaz-M , untried for weight loss is a bit of a worry - are you feeling fit and well otherwise? Mind you that tripling of workload could easily be the culprit! Hope all's well.

The first cannula I ever used - at my pump start - was an 8mm, and I was so surprised at how incredibly sore it was - I felt every single fractional squirt of basal! Bolusing was agony. You know what? I just gritted my teeth and got on with it, because I thought that's what was expected! Foolish girl. I should've said something to the rep or my DSN at the time, rather than the next day when it all went wrong! No matter.....

Turns out the 6mm Flex cannulas suit me a whole lot better - when I had tried the 8mm one I was several pounds heavier yet I think it had hit muscle. I'm slimmer than that now and am fine with the 6mm ones, but it might be the case @Rnr1975 that you might be more comfortable with the cannula in a more padded area, if it's going in a bit too deep?

 

[Gaz-M]

@Snapsy yeah feel ok but was shattered and so ready for the 3 weeks I get off over Christmas and New Year, had my thyriod checked and had a full blood count done and chest X-Ray last week and all is normal

 

[scotteric]

hi there was wondering if anyone else has had ? I am using 6mm mio’s and have for the last three canulas been getting very sore when blousing increasingly quickly after insertion, (to begin with on the third day, the last one less than 24 hours. Can anyone help or have suggestions???

What insulin are you using? I had this problem when I pumped NovoRapid and switched to Humalog as I read other people had the same problem. It can be caused by a preservative in NovoRapid that Humalog doesn't have apparently. Humalog didn't work as well for me for whatever reason, so I tried NovoRapid and spraying the site with Benadryl spray which worked most of the time. I'm not pumping at the moment due to numerous site problems I kept having, but when I was I found steel sets worked better and that the less insulin I used (if I ate lower carb) the less site problems I had.

 

[Gaz-M]

novo here but hopefully moving onto Fiasp next year

 

[scotteric]

novo here but hopefully moving onto Fiasp next year

I hate to say it, but Fiasp has been known to cause more irritation than NovoRapid. Are you able to try Apidra or Humalog?

 

[Gaz-M]

I hate to say it, but Fiasp has been known to cause more irritation than NovoRapid. Are you able to try Apidra or Humalog?

No there is only Novorapid and Fiasp available for the insight pumps

 

[Gaz-M]

@Snapsy my DSN had a look at my bloods and my potassium level is high and combined with the weight loss and tiredness this could be indicating Addison. Ive got an appointment to see the nurse tomorrow to get a dressing changed on my arm as I badly burnt it yesterday with a pan of boiling water