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how long can you leave a infusion set really in

maria030660

maria030660

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Hi,
I recentely lost my bag at the airport with my supply of infusion sets for my medtronic pump. As my infusion set that was attached was giving me no problems and my sugar levels remained fine i assumed that it was still working fine. The advise is to change the set every 3 days. Are there any pumpers outthere that leave their infusion set longer in then 3 days without a problem. It is well known that the medical companies earn a fortune on the consumbles. Would love to receive your comments.
 
Personally I change every 2-2.5 days. In your case it sounds like it was an emergency so a once off should be ok, I find if I leave it longer than 3 days the site gets tender...


Diabetic warrior since 2005!
 
I have left mine a 4th day (teflon cannula) when I was tired after arriving back late from hols. There was no problem and the site looked perfect the next day (I always try and avoid changing my set late at night anyway in case of set change problems while I'm sleeping).
I do find that some sites look reder than others sooner, so had it have looked red and felt sore I would have changed it that night or on day 2 even. I'm a bit of a sheep though and do as my DSN tell me so I normally stick to the guidance and change every 3 days. I've got a felling that I could get away with 4 days :shifty:
 
I try to only do 2-3 days as I too find that the site gets a bit tender by then. Although the one I have in my stomach at the moment is really sore after a day. Think I'll be changing that first thing in the morning (thank god)
 
I leave my infusion set in untill it gets tender which at times can be up to 6 - 7 days. It really is hwhat works for you. It's just advised to move it around so you don't get a lump of insulin that settles around the site pretty much the same as injection sites. I luckily don't have this problem at the moment but it's always good to keep a check on things. Xxxxxxx
 
Hello, like a few other people, I change mine every 2-3 days. When I first started on the pump I was leaving it up to 4 days but then found the pump was alarming quite a bit and also receiving a few occlusion errors. Since changing infusion set more often, no probs. hope this helps. Good luck


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Hi Maria,
I regularly leave mine in for longer than 3 days on average it's about 6days I have left them in up to 10 days without any problems. I do keep them very clean which helps but people need to keep a close eye on the site areas if they leave them in that long as areas of fibrous tissues can build up which can really affect absorption. I rotate mine around 9 different areas so by the time I go back to using my thigh it's about 2-3 months later.
 
I am afraid to admit I rarely stick to the 3 day mark, often leaving them in over a week, I think the absolute maximum is between 10-12 days otherwise they become tender or start to leak I find. Once had a real nasty infection from one that was left in too long, and now I have a scar :( Don't do it


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