finally !!!!

Omg, poor you. Glad you ok now, what cannulas are u using?

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Alot of other pump users have had trouble with the flex link ones with/without inserter. I went through em ding dong cause they wouldn't stay in. have now swapped to the rapid d one. Just the metal needle going in. must say have not had that problem since swapping

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good luck

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marie.T1 said:

im using the flexilink cannulas but im not using the inserter . i have spoken to my dsn and we are gonna look at other cannulas when i go to see her on thursday .

Click to expand...

Hi

Sorry to hear that you've ended up in A&E with DKA just as you've started with a pump. Hope you are ok now...

The Flexlinks are best put in the body using the inserter. Many pumpers think that using the inserter is going to be painful but seriously that's far from the truth. The set goes in precisely with the inserter and its fairly painless to use. It's fear of the unknown and hearing the loud spring noise that stops people but its a doddle to use. By not using the inserter you may have bent the cannula slightly so that would explain why insulin wasn't being delivered all that well. I only ever give my pump one chance to get my bg levels down after delivering a correction and if that doesn't work, then its insulin pen time or syringe and test every hour until my bg gets back to being ok again and then start using the pump again.

The Rapid d's are good and easy to insert ..... bit like a pen needle going in and need to be inserted manually and 2 tubes join together with a small swivel type connector. Tenderlinks are also good but you'll have to see how you feel..

Hope things will be ok for you until Thursday but remember to test frequently and remember the insulin pen when things start to go wrong...

Good luck, hope the new cannulas do the trick. Think at one time the flexlinks had a big recall due to a problem, don't think they managed to sort it.

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I hope you are able to get a set that's ok for you as well. Best place to insert sets ideally is on places on the body that hasn't been used too much for injections. For convenience the tummy is always used but if loads of injections have been done, then its gonna be a bit hit and miss in finding somewhere where insulin will be absorbed ok.

Regarding the Flexlink, it was the Flexlink Plus that was withdrawn... The standard Flexlink is ok although it recently became available in 6mm as well as 8mm. I get on fine with the 8mm but not 6mm. I can insert the 8mm in upper tummy above naval and also upper centre part of backside but the set is not so good in my lower tummy or side lower part of my backside (I always injected my Levemir there).

The Rapid D depending on where you end up inserting it, might require help from someone to unswivel the 2 tube connectors when taking a shower etc. Do get some adhesive removal spray when taking them out as they stick really well and will need the white adhesive part to be pulled back slowly towards the centre where the needle is otherwise you will get blood everywhere and a bit of ''''ouch''''' as well. Some people use babyoil but I use a spray such as LiftPlus (there are loads of companies that produce adhesive removal spray mainly for stomas but the spray works on infusion sets as well.

Good luck

Thanks ihs, I do recall the flexlink plus being withdrawn. Yep, I also use the adhesive removal wipes, saves alot of pain.

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I am thinking of maybe getting the dana R, onl y because of size and colour (I appreciate these arent really the criteria one should use for a pump! But have had the accu check combo for 5 years (well spirit then combo) and knowing whats what and looking into it again now I think the accu check is definitely greatly supperior the the other main contenders. Just wanted to say one small thing - that they are way better at giving you bags/pouches etc to put it in than anyone else. Supposed to sell all of it. but if you just ask for the odd thing every now and then they always send it free even if it says £15 or something on the internet. Medtronic certainly dont. They only give you the bloody lion!! Good luck! Its easier than you think

I must be strange... On injections, yhe majority of them went in my left bum cheek.
Even now with cannulas, I have had to set up a lower basal profile for when I use my left cheek bum than my right.. Which has been very rarely used.

I know my consultant always checks for lumps n bumps in it.. IHS says to use cannulas in less worn out/used places from injections and yet I definitely get hugely better results in my always used cheek of my bum. Just find it odd.. Left cheek am on 13.85 per day and right cheek is a whole unit more per day.

Do others monitor which places on body give best results for sets? Am I so different?

Actually only realised this fully this weekend.... Had a month of rotating on my right cheek and levels were going higher, so I actually set up a new profile.

Saturday, I changed to left cheek for my next month.. After 2 days of lows practically all day and night I went back to my other profile. Yesterday perfect.. So far overnights.. 2 nights perfect and di far since getting up at 4am still a steady 5.8 again, testing hourly as doing basal checks just to make sure.

How can my cheek bum that really has been used for at least 90% of my D life of 27+ years still be so good?? And so vastly different to the right cheek?

( too muscly for stomach...and sweat and bending and lifting constantly in my stomach they either come off or are extremely painful and dont work).