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Cannula irritation - prevention suggestions please.

Snapsy said:
I don't have any allergies, or any skin issues in general.

If a cannula is too well stuck I have sometimes softened the adhesive with tea tree oil before removal - not recently though. And bio oil is good to soothe and remove any residual 'stick'.
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It is a form of dermatitis which I have been plagued with for the last twenty years as my skin has become sensitised to some of the surgical dressings and sticky tapes.

When I get my blood tests at the pathology shop down the road, I used to get those irritations from the sticky tape they put on to hold the cotton swab in place. It's marked in my record there so I get a nice neat bandage put on.

Tea tree oil is another thing that will bring dermatitis on as well with me.
 
Gosh, @Tipetoo , bad luck! And thanks for the heads-up about the tea tree oil.

I'm going to be eagle-eyed when it comes to every kind of sticky stuff in future - everything from Micropore to gaffer tape.....

#comingunstuck

 
Snapsy said:
I'm going to be eagle-eyed when it comes to every kind of sticky stuff in future - everything from Micropore to gaffer tape.....
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When I was having treatment at the wounds dressing clinic at the local hospital after I was discharged, they used a dressing called Coban 2 which is a two part pressure dressing up my leg.

Needless to say that my leg threw a fit and full blown dermatitis occured, I have put a link to the graphic as it is a bit gory.

WARNING: Not for the weak gutted.

http://i.imgur.com/b8nIIzL.jpg
 
For Accuchek sets, I usually use a quick spray of Liftplus adhesive remover. I gave up using bio oil because I couldn't be bothered after the first 6 months of pumping. I only use tea tree oil as antiseptic to dab on the needle holes left by 30 degree sets. It stinks too the high ? and OH says I smell like a chemist shop.
 
Snapsy said:
:***:
Blimey, @Tipetoo , I'm now very much counting my blessings!

Your poor leg!
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It's all good know thanks.

One of the SOPC Sisters got me tranfered to tthe Occupation Health dept. at the hospital, and I was given Jobst pressure stocking with a inner and outer layer. With wearing these and treating the leg myself with dressings and Betadine ointment that I knew did not cause problems, I finally got the hole in my ankle healed up.

It took a while and it has now been healed for almost a year.
 
Oh poor u @Snapsy / that looks sore
Hope it's now feeling much better. My DSN also recommended Cavilon but I haven't needed it yet. The Libre makes my arm itch intensely after a few days! Hope you're sorted. Take care
 
Thanks, @Medusa41 ! It's improving but still really stings, especially in the shower. Tis properly burnt!

It looks a little bit like the tattoo of a red lipstick print my friend's got on his neck..... which is a similar colour but less scabby!

I have got and am using some Cavilon spray under the cannula I'm supposed to be changing tomorrow. It's a bit itchy already, though. The cannula I replaced the evil one with lasted two days before I took it off but in fact only left a small mark which was nothing like Friday' chemical burn, thank goodness!

Will see how the spray has improved things at next change. I also have some barrier cream to try, and a Tegaderm dressing thanks to my kind benefactor Grant. So two more options in the bag!

Sorry to hear of your Libre sensor reaction. So far I've been fine with mine, but I fear with all of these adhesives it's perhaps only a matter of time.....!

 
@Snapsy Thank you very much for starting this thread and to all the amazing advice to follow!

I'm allergic to plasters and have similar reactions to the adhesive on my MiniMed quicksets. I've got scars from every single infusion. I didn't realise there was anything I could do about it and thought I'd just have to get used to it. I'll give some of this stuff a go and hope for the best.

Thanks again for raising this issue. I hope it all clears up.
 
Apologies if I've missed it but I don't see anyone suggesting SkinTac. I found the cannula sticky very itchy the first time I used it so SkinTac was recommended. I get this delivered as part of my set supplies from Animas (I have an Animas Vibe). It provides a sticky barrier which seems to minimise the irritation.

The other thing is taking care when I remove my old cannula.
I always do this in the shower and make sure I have been soaking for at least 5 minutes before starting to peel. Then I peel very slowly allowing the water to get in as I peel the sticky back.

Finally, I change my sets more regularly than most. I change them every other day. Occasionally, I can last 3 days but try to avoid this as it will start to itch.
 
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