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Pain on inserting and how to avoid bent cannulas

Thanks.

I've tried tape but it just comes off or presses on the needle making it uncomfy.

I don't use body lotion or cream on the sites more for fear of contamination but that's good to know.

I'll try your technique the next time. I've been taking the sticky off first and putting straight down and using the plastic as a butterfly which is what I was shown in the hospital.
 
Yes, that is what hospitals show. i showed my nurse years ago and she was very interested to see alternative methods, i think it is a matter of what works for each person. The tape shouldn't feel as if it is pressing on the needle, it sits flat over, it may be the set is not put in flat, see technique above. Yesterday after i had the hurried midriff insertion of set, i was tired, was sitting on a train, and bent to pick something up and got the sharp pain and saw i had inserted not quite flat on the skin, put tape on, checked, and saw it could not work, skin not flat enough, and had to do another set , unusual, but it happens. Its when i am tired/ill and not 100% concentrating on the tedium of set insertion.
 
Out of interest do you insert standing up, sitting down or lying down?
 

I tend to use clear transpore tape which sticks ok and is waterproof and sometimes use a bit of Opsite flexifix as that is really good and doesnt leave clothes die marks around the edges.
As for absorbtion issues......the very back part of bum where no pen needle went is ok if I use a 30 degree angle set and get his nibs to help me a bit pulling the introducer out ok and putting some Opsite over the top to make sure the set doesnt come loose when pulling knickers up and down on the loo.
Upper tummy is ok but that's because I rrarely ever did a pen injection there unless bg was very high. Most of the time arms for bolus and side bum for basal.
 
So I thought I was getting there with silhouettes until last night I took it out and it looked pink and raised around the site. I put another in close by and it wasn't so comfy. Overnight by bs rose (not hugely but more than they should have) which made me suspect that either:

1. It was an extended effect of fish and chips for supper (still rising 11 hours later seems a bit much)
2. The set was not delivering entirely efficiently
3. I have an infection
4. My basal rates have risen again.

So to try and rule out some of these I put a new set in. Looking at the site now I am actually wondering if I've had some sort of reaction to the adhesive as the sites just look pink where the adhesive has been but not angry. Is that possible? I haven't had this before with any of the other sets or the earlier silhouettes I used. Or do I need to space them out more?

Is there any barrier I can put underneath to try and rule out this possibility?

Also if anyone has any other ideas on why my bs is running higher than it should, all will be gratefully received.
 
When I have to put in a replacement site, I now keep well away from the previous site eg if using my leg, I'll swap to the other leg. It could be an infection or simply a misplaced site. Sometimes some of my cannulas leave a raised pink dot but there's been no infection. No idea why they do that! Keep an eye on it to check it's ok.

I don't know Silhouettes, I'm afraid, but if I have highs from a site I always look carefully at the cannula when I take it out to see if it has any clue to the high eg kinking.

It could be the fish and chips.Did you test your BS in the night to see how it was going? I don't remember having an extended high from fish and chips, but pregnancy may affect your BS more in addition to the carby, fatty food whereas it wouldn't normally.

As for your basals, you could maybe get your BS back to normal today, eat a predictable evening meal, and see what your resukts are tomorrow morning. I tended to look for a series of highs at the same time before putting my basals up just in case they were one-offs. If in doubt,need what your DSN says.
 
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Thanks @azure that was my plan. I tested in the night and it had come down slightly by 2am but then started to rise again. It's going down slowly now so am trying a few correction doses just to get it back to preferred level. I won't do a proper basal test unless it goes funny again tomorrow.

The canula looked fine when I took it out. I always seem to get raised pink dots when I take out my canulas or bleeding.

It's not massively high thankfully( highest post supper reading was 12.7 and this morning was 9.7) but just more than I'd like it to be at the moment.
 


The 30 degree angle sets will leave a tiny red hole mark when pulling the cannula out after 3 or 4 days but there's not a lot you can do except dab a bit of pure tea tree oil on the hole as that should help speed up the healing so that the hole mark fades after 4 or 5 days. The 90 degree sets have a shorter and thinner cannula so tend leave only a tiny hole mark.

As for fish n chips.......how much to bolus upfront and how much to delay is down to bg testing and trial and error. Someone told me to have a go with 30/70 over 2hrs so you could try that to see what happens and adjust it for next time round if you need to.
nd
 
I had the same as you with the silhouettes... Left a bump / red mark that was a bit angry for a few days... The T-sure doesn't leave hardly anything. As for the adhesive -- yes, it's possible you're reacting to those too... I do as well! (We must have crossed over in a previous life

-- I use LBF wipes which help... I had a sample of some other wipes which were even better but can't remeber their name, sorry -- but the company that makes them is called Opus... If you google them they'll send you samples (as will the LBF people). Good luck!
 
Thanks @-Artemis- I've just ordered some samples.

I find it really odd that I haven't reacted to the other adhesives but am having this one with the silhouettes. The box of sure-ts has just arrived so I can have fun switching between the two until I decide which I prefer...... But my levels are back at 4.9 so all is feeling better
 
Hi all. I dont go "live" with my pump until 9th srpt but 7ve got it now to play about with. Im on the accucheck insight. No problems with using and understanding pump/handset. However ive tried two cannulastoday on my stomach but ended removing the 1st after about 10mins as really pianful. Put second one in in s different area and same again. Worn them before with no problem slthough can only manage about 2 days before it needs changing as it gets sore. Has anyone experienced this? Dont know if my skin is feeling sensitive at the moment as just had time of month as even my injections have hurt despite new needles.
 
Hi - my experience has been that different sites have different comfort levels and require different canulas. I'm on minmed so don't know the names for the accuchek sets but the different types I've used are the one with an inserter that goes in at 90c with a plastic canula (quickset), the one you have to insert at 20-45c angles (silhouette) and the steel needle (sure-t). I found the quickset comfy depending on where I sited it but sometimes incredibly painful particularly on the left side of my stomach. The silhouettes are fine in my stomach but not comfy elsewhere and I'm not confident enough to try them in my bottom. The sure-ts are fine in my leg and stomach and bottom (although not always). My major issue with them is lack of stick to the adhesive which results in movement and non-delivery.

I'm afraid it's a trial and error process to find what suits you best. As you can see from this thread everyone has different experiences. I have never injected in my stomach so don't know if that makes it easier for me as I have no pre-existing scars.

Good luck!
 

Tigger,

I think I'm going through something similar to you. My cannula hurts sometimes and I don't know why. It also needs to be changed as it bends and the pump starts beeping and warning. It's sore, frustrating and annoying (venting). How did you find out how to solve it? Just trial and error? Developed a technique?

Would love to hear.
Thanks
Nicola
 
Hi @NicolaN - as per my posts above I switched to different sets and use different ones for different areas. I still get the occasional problem but nothing as bad as at the beginning when I was trying to get the quick sets to work.
 

My understanding is that attaching to an adults' bum hurts and is less effective because (believe it or not) it has more muscle which interferes with absorption, too. They use it on infants because they crawl and have much more fat on their bottoms than grown-ups do. You might find your tummy really is the best alternative.
 
Thanks Cheryl! That makes sense/ties in with my experinces
 
Hmmm, I suppose it depends on how much of a wobble you have on your bum! . . . Both my tummy and bum wobble quite a bit and I'd say I've found them equally effective
 
Issues today for me: replaced cannula - painful and didn't seem to settle. So I tried a new one again. Same! Super painful and felt like it wasn't sitting properly in me. BSL rose from normal to 13 and still going up so I knew it wasn't in right. Had to leave work, go home and get ANOTHER one. Guess what, still painful (and plenty of distance from the previous attempts. Odd... annoying and painful. will have to try AGAIN when I get home, thats if I haven't ripped this one off as it's (metaphorically) killing me!

I pinch the skin (ok, pinch is probs not the best word) but I've been using these for 10 months + and only occasionally hgave issues. Strange to have so many in one day.
 

Hi @aphex2k would you like me to create a new thread for you as this one is quite old ?
 
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