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Thursday
May192011

Trying Something Different

A very long time ago my good friend Sara gave me a few Sure-T infusion sets to try. I have never gotten around to trying them out because frankly, they kind of freak me out.

I should break this all down for you.

Currently I use what Minimed calls Quick-Sets.

Wait, one more step backwards.

I use an insulin pump to deliver the insulin my body needs. An infusion set is basically the spot where the insulin gets into my body. The infusion set is moved around every three days to avoid infection and maximize absorption.

Quick-Sets are the ones I have always used. They have a soft plastic cannula that is inserted with a needle. The little cannula sits in fatty tissue and allows the insulin to be pumped into the body and absorbed.

Sometimes that cannula with bend. I have no idea why since I am not into yoga or folding up into any weird shapes but occasionally I will notice that my blood glucose numbers will not come down and decide to pull out my set early and lo and behold the little cannula is bent. So annoying!

Sara told me about these Sure-T sets that instead of a plastic cannula use a steel needle that stays in your skin. She gave me a couple of them to try out which I was excited to try. Unfortunately sometimes fear trumps excitement so I have not used them because that needle kind of freaks me out.

Until now.

Last night I decided to go for it and popped one of those bad boys right into my thigh. So far so good.

There was a time last night when I turned over and I felt an itty bitty pinch but I think that was because of the adhesive. Other than that I think I am sold on these.

Here’s the thing, when my blood sugars are crazy high and I have no clue why there are a number of things that could be wrong. This would eliminate one of them which to me is a win.

Do you use Sure-T’s too? Some other infusion set? I would love to hear what you guys think.

Reader Comments (6)

Woah, what is up with the two sites in the image. We use the inset for my son, but I have never seen this setup.

May 19, 2011 | Unregistered CommenterDennis Burton

The steel needle required a safety loop. This is how they do it so you don't have to tape one yourself.

I use Contact Detach (which are the same thing as the Sure-Ts). Before that, I used Sure-Ts.

May 19, 2011 | Unregistered CommenterLili

I used to use the Quik-Sets, but I, too, had the problem with kinked cannulas. It seemed like my scar tissue would get in the way since the set went in at a 90 degree angle. I switched to the Silhouttes and have had no problem with them in 6 years. They have a plastic cannula (longer than the Quik-set) but go in at a 45 degree angle. Love them!

May 19, 2011 | Unregistered CommenterTara

My 16 year old son started out with Quick-sets four years ago when he went on the pump. He hated the insertion device. Sometimes it took two hours to change a site because he had to work up the nerve to push the buttons on that awful thing. He hated the noise and the suddenness of the insertion. And then there were all the wasted sets. We had our share of bent cannulas and the resulting high blood sugar, but we also wasted a lot of sets when the tape got stuck on the insertion device. Sometimes the set just felt "wrong" and he had to pull it and start over. After almost 6 months of this, our endo's pump trainer suggested the Silhouette or the Sure-T My son decided to try to Sure-T and we have been very happy with it. No more bent cannulas, of course, but he feels he has more control while inserting the needle by hand. We have very few wasted sets now. And, when we travel, I don't have to worry about making sure we have the Quick-serter with us and that we don't lose it. I hope you like them too.

May 20, 2011 | Unregistered CommenterAnne

Dude! Way to go on trying something new! You're totally right on being able to eliminate the hardest part of troubleshooting - that part you can't see!

May 20, 2011 | Unregistered CommenterScott K. Johnson

Hey G,

I have tried em all. The old fashion bent needle was a metal one years ago from Medtronic. When I pump i use the sillouette, angled, and compared to the 90 degree soft sets, better predictability in absorption and kinkage.

Cheers!

May 27, 2011 | Unregistered CommenterTrev

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