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Absorption Areas

Tom1982

Tom1982

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Parent of person with diabetes
This new T Slim that Jo is using has been great and the fact there are no skin reactions to the cannulas is giving her belly and lower back a great chance to recover. Are there certain areas of the body that are off limits or don’t work as well for insulin absorption? Is it just a case of trial and error?
 
We all vary for different reasons. So yes I just trialing it, you will soon learn which is best for her, for now, it will change.

I have a lot of scar tissue on my upper legs, from injecting, pregnancy so this is a slower site for me. I know this so I add a couple of minutes onto when I eat after having insulin if on my legs.

Exercise has an impact, too as in if that part moves about more than others then absorption can be quicker.

My arms are the quickest site, less scar tissue, and I would say my belly and back are about the same. Bottom again seems standard for me. So arms quickest, legs slowest.

I think fat and muscle has an impact too. I am sure someone with a more science based answer will be along soon.
 
The T-slim User manual seems to have a few pages on areas you can use
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(Quality of my screenshot is not great but you can see it in the User Manual)

From my experience, cannula sites are pretty much the same as injection sites where some sites suit some people more than others.
I was advised not to use my arms if I am going to be doing "intensive" arm exercise such as playing squash or climbing and to avoid my legs if I was doing "intensive" leg exercise like running or cycling. As a climber and a cyclist, I usually stick with the abdomen as it is easy to access and it is the area where I have most fat rather than muscle.
So, as our body makeup is different (and changes as we age), the absorption is different.
 
I’m very slim and find my arms awful for absorption. My tummy is hopeless too. The best places are where there’s sufficient fat. Fat distribution would probably be different in a child than an adult.
 
When using the Omnipod sites would start off great but after a day or so they’d go slow and ultimately stop working altogether. With the T Slim cannulas I’ve noticed they seem slow when on the legs but they still work. So it’s best to just crack on with the slow site and adjust times accordingly?
 
Tom1982 said:
When using the Omnipod sites would start off great but after a day or so they’d go slow and ultimately stop working altogether. With the T Slim cannulas I’ve noticed they seem slow when on the legs but they still work. So it’s best to just crack on with the slow site and adjust times accordingly?
Click to expand...

My legs are my preferred site @Tom1982 but I’m a lot older than your daughter and probably more muscular. The child I know who uses a T Slim uses their stomach for sites. To be honest, I’d use whatever sites worked, even if they were slower. Taking advantage of as many useable places as you can gives other sites a rest.
 
Tom1982 said:
When using the Omnipod sites would start off great but after a day or so they’d go slow and ultimately stop working altogether. With the T Slim cannulas I’ve noticed they seem slow when on the legs but they still work. So it’s best to just crack on with the slow site and adjust times accordingly?
Click to expand...
Yes Tom that’s what I do. Use different sites and adjust the time as needed.
Her surface space is much smaller as a child, and keeping those sites healthy for as much of her life as possible is key.
There was a time MDI I mainly only used the top of my legs, one of the reasons I think they are slower now.
 
I mostly use my sides and back. My abdomen had a real battering on MDI because it was just so easy and accessible to lift up a shirt when out and about. It’s still not really recovered despite having been on a pump for 12+ years!

There are a couple of spots on both sides above my hips where sites have often failed / just not taken, so I try to avoid those. I can’t feel any lumps or bumps, but can soon tell when I hit those duff spots because my BG just skyrockets until I put a new cannula in. 🙄
 
Oh yes, I have been using my back too, only recently though as I didn't feel I had enough flesh, maybe 3-4 times now and that works well as I have never used those sites before.
 
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