Insulin Pump Infusion Sites!

Good afternoon, Type 1 Warriors! This week's post is about different Omnipod infusion sites and the pros and cons of each one. If you're thinking, what the heck is an Omnipod?, then let me explain. 

Omnipod is an insulin pump company. There are other companies as well, like Medtronic. They produce and sell insulin pumps and PDMs. Do the words insulin pump and PDM sound like gibberish to you?

That's ok, I didn't know what they were either in my first months of  living with T1D (type 1 diabetes) Click here for a detailed explanation of what an insulin pump is, and the major differences between different types of pumps.

Are we all caught up? Good! Let's keep going.

Now that you know what an Omnipod is, we can get into infusion sites. The term "infusion site" means the site on your body where the sensor's cannula is injected. 

There are lots of different possible infusion site areas on the human body:

1. The Abdomen

2. The Upper Thighs

3. The Arms

4. The Lower Back

It's a good thing that there are so many different infusion site areas, because when you are on a pump, you are constantly changing them. 

Each sensor lasts for no more than three days. I'm sure that they could last for longer, but it's not safe for insulin to go in the same place for more than three days, otherwise you risk developing Lipohypertrophy, which is basically raised areas under the skin.

After the three days are up, you need to remove the sensor and inject a new one. That is called doing a site change. 

To avoid developing Lipos, you should also change your area when you are doing a site change.

Let me give an example.

If you wear a sensor on the left side of your abdomen for three days, then you have to do a site change. When you are choosing your next infusion site, move it to a different infusion site area, such as the right side of your abdomen. 

MOVING ON!!! 

There are pros, cons, tips, and tricks for each infusion site area. I'm going to list them for you.

Let's start with the abdomen. 

The abdomen is most definitely my favourite spot for infusion sites. It is big, there are lots of different places for infusion sites, there is a sufficient amount of fat there, and it's easy to clean.

The Abdomen Is Perfect For You If:

you sleep on your back

you sleep on your side(s)

You don't sleep on your stomach

You like to be able to see your sensor

You like to put on/take off your sensors by yourself

You are using a tubed pump, such as Medtronic
(the sensor would be right next to your waistband, which is an optimum place to clip your PDM)

The Abdomen Probably Isn't Right For You If:

you sleep on your stomach

you like to go sledding on your stomach

Basically, the abdomen is just a great spot for infusion sites! But there are other great infusion site areas, too.



Speaking of which, next we have the upper thighs.

I've never actually worn a sensor on my leg before, I'll admit it. Although I don't speak from experience for this particular list, the items listed do make sense. Well, they do to me at least. Anyways...


The Upper Thigh Is Perfect For You If:

you don't want people to see your sensors

you have a sufficient amount of fat on your legs
 (I don't put my sensors on my upper thighs because I don't have a lot of fat there)

you are using a tubed pump, such as Medtronic
(Again, the sensor is right next to your waistband, which is an optimum place to clip your PDM)


The Upper Thigh Probably Isn't Right For You If:

You don't have a sufficient amount of fat on your legs

You tend to wear tight pants

You do gymnastics
(If you're doing the splits and back-walkovers and stuff like that, then your sensor might get ripped off)


As I said before, I've never worn a sensor on my leg before, so I'm not speaking from experience. However, those are a few reasons why I don't wear sensors on my legs.

The upper thigh can definitely be a great place for infusion sites, but it just doesn't work for me.



Next up, we have the back of the arm!


The Back of The Arm Is Perfect For You If:

you sleep on your back

you have a sufficient amount of fat on your arms

you sleep on your stomach

you don't like other people to see your sensor



The Back of The Arm Probably Isn't Right For You If:

you sleep on your side

you don't have a sufficient amount of fat on your arms

You do gymnastics
(Again if you're doing the splits and cartwheels and back-walkovers and stuff like that, then your sensor might get ripped off.)


I've only ever worn the Omnipod on my stomach once, and it always felt like it was falling off. I guess that was because there's not a lot of fat on my arms, though.

It's VERY IMPORTANT to choose an infusion site area that has a sufficient amount of fat on it. Let me explain. If you are trying to determine whether or not your arm has enough fat for a sensor, then simply pinch it. If you can pinch a nice amount of fat up, then there is enough there for a sensor. If there isn't a lot of fat, then the insertion of sensor's cannula will probably hurt.



Moving on to our last infusion site area, the lower back!

The Lower Back is Perfect For You If:

you don't mind letting someone else put on your sensor 

you sleep on your side

you sleep on your stomach

you have a sufficient amount of fat on your back



The Lower Back Probably Isn't Right For You If:

you sleep on your back

you like to put on your sensors yourself

you don't have a sufficient amount of fat on your back


I recently tried putting a sensor on my lower back for the first time and I LOVED IT!!! It is definitely my favourite infusion site area besides the abdomen.



So there you go! Those are my opinions on the different infusion site areas. If you were having trouble choosing a new area, then I hope that this information has been helpful.



Thanks for reading this post of That Stupid Pancreas!



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Till next week, Type 1 Warriors!