Cavilon and skin tac

[Sally71]

Does anyone know if you can use Cavilon spray and skin tac at the same time?

Since daughter got her new pump last August we have had terrible problems trying to get the cannulas to stay on, Roche cannulas used to stick like billy-o but Tandem ones obviously use different glue and they fall off far too often. Daughter was starting to get a bit of skin irritation from them too. Then we discovered skin-tac, absolutely fab for sticking them on and making sure they don’t budge, but seems to have made the reaction worse and she’s getting a bright red rash underneath now! Can we use Cavilon barrier spray or would that mix with the skin-tac and make neither of them work properly? Has anyone ever tried?! I suppose we should have a go but are a bit concerned that if we use Cavilon on its own then we’ll be back to the same problem of them not sticking, Tandem were already starting to get a bit fed up with us asking for extra boxes of cannulas!

Many thanks x

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I’m not sure how many members have used Cavilon with or without Skintak

@Pumper_Sue - did you ever use either or both or have I misremembered entirely?

Could you phone either manufacturer? Do they have a helpline number?

 

[Pumper_Sue]

could you use something like tegaderm sp* then put the the cannula on top of it?

No idea if they exist but can you get a spray on antihistamine and use that before you apply sensor/skintac?

 

[helli]

When I have experienced skin reactions to the glue which skinTac or Cavilon are unable to protect against, I take a hayfever tablet. They are not overly expensive and really help.

 

[Lucyr]

I take a hay fever tablet daily when wearing the libre which stops the itching and red reaction that the adhesive usually gives me. I’ve used cavillon wipe under this current sensor and it has stuck well, and that’s whilst being on holiday and using the spa (swimming pool, jacuzzi, hot hydro pool, sauna and steam room) daily for the past 5 days, so I at least think cavillon doesn’t make adhesion worse. Can you try one with just cavillon and see if that sticks well enough or not?

 

[Sally71]

Thank you all! We had thought about using cavilon only but daughter is afraid that the cannula won’t stick so is a bit reluctant to try that one, we have wasted so many cannulas recently that the Tandem suppliers are already starting to get a bit stroppy about how many boxes we ask for (don’t know whether I got the jobsworth the last time I rang but she wouldn’t let me have one extra box, apparently I have to get my clinic to write a letter of authorisation before that can happen; all the people I’ve spoken to there before were happy to add one extra box or even mix and match between different types of cannula!)
We’ve tried putting Tegaderm over the cannula, which didn’t work terribly well although it used to be quite good for holding LIbre sensors on; never tried putting the Tegaderm under the cannula though so that might be worth a go. Have started on antihistamines too, she seems to go through phases of coming out in hives all the time for no obvious reason then it eventually stops again so hoping this might only be temporary too. Thanks for the ideas folks!

 

[Pumper_Sue]

Just an added thought @Sally71 does the itching start whilst wearing the cannula or do the problems start when you remove the cannula? If after perhaps soak the cannula before removal so the skin doesn't pull.

As to Tandem getting knick knacks in a twist re the supplies then I would suggest to them the product is not fit for purpose hence they must replace free of charge. Cannulas are about £100/box if not more so do not see why the NHS should be paying for faulty goods.

 

[Sally71]

Update - putting Tegaderm on first and then firing the cannula through it seems to work, cannula much happier sticking to plastic than my daughter’s skin! Thanks for that idea (need to order some more cannulas today, fingers crossed I get a nice person, we can order one less box of cartridges though as we have loads of those so maybe that will make them happier!)

Itching has got worse though, it happens as soon as anything is stuck onto the skin and drives her nuts, twice we’ve even had cannulas come off in the night because she’s scratched them off in her sleep!! Also where clothing is tight it itches (bra straps, waistlines etc). Funny how sticking stuff on her skin hasn’t been a problem for nearly 9 years and now all of a sudden it is. So I contacted the GP yesterday, you can contact them via internet if it isn’t urgent. Quite clever, I asked for help for my child and that it was a rash, it then took me through various questions asking had we used any over the counter treatments, ruling out anything potentially life threatening such as anaphylaxis or meningitis, asking for a brief description of the problem, asking whether I wanted to upload a photo (would have been a good idea but I hadn’t though to take one, doh...) and so on. Then it said thank you someone will contact you by 6pm the next day. Within a couple of hours had a text message from a GP with a link on it asking me to upload a photo so did that when she came home from school, and he rang me at 9.30 this morning and said it looks like eczema and he will prescribe some creams. Well that beats sitting in a queue on the phone trying to make an appointment and then having to drag her out of school because there aren’t any available later in the day!

She won’t like creams because of her OCD, hates the feel of anything on her skin and it makes her feel dirty, one of them can be used like a soap though apparently so hopefully she will accept that. The steroid one has to be left on, if she’s desperate enough maybe we can get her to try it just for a short period at first and then gradually increase the time before she needs to wash it off. Or maybe she’ll put it on overnight and then wash it off in the morning. Fingers crossed I can talk her into at least trying!