Eczema and cannulas

[Moddey]

I mentioned in my blog that we're apprehensive about pumping as E had a such a strong reaction to the CGM sensor. His skin was infected for weeks afterwards, his skin really didn't like the sensor, nor the plaster/film on it.
E has bad eczema, so it was no surprise, but still upsetting. We try to keep the skin around the injection sites clean, as they are relatively small and very much needed. Plus we've been told not to use prescription creams on the areas where you inject.

How is it with the actual pump cannula? Shiv commented on my blog that CGM does cause problems but it's not such an issue with pumping.
I really hope this is the case as pumping seems like the only working solution to the insane night readings.

 

[Pumper_Sue]

I mentioned in my blog that we're apprehensive about pumping as E had a such a strong reaction to the CGM sensor. His skin was infected for weeks afterwards, his skin really didn't like the sensor, nor the plaster/film on it.
E has bad eczema, so it was no surprise, but still upsetting. We try to keep the skin around the injection sites clean, as they are relatively small and very much needed. Plus we've been told not to use prescription creams on the areas where you inject.

How is it with the actual pump cannula? Shiv commented on my blog that CGM does cause problems but it's not such an issue with pumping.
I really hope this is the case as pumping seems like the only working solution to the insane night readings.

Hi Moddey,
There are barrier sprays that can be used to protect the skin from adhisive from the cannul.

 

[Witchy Mum]

eczema

Don't know if it will help but my two younger children suffered with eczema, my mum's carer in Ireland put me on to a product called Seavite, they do shampoo, conditioner and bublebath along with a lot of other creams, it is seaweed based. I noticed when I washed their hair their shoulders would flair up, so I invested in this and now swear by it. You can get it online ant Seavite.ie I think, but just type seavite in and it will come up. In Ireland you get it in health shops, but I bought it online and got it by post. Hope this helps, the skin creams are lovely too , and not just for eczema. Actually I don't think it is sold for that reason, but it does work, the kids loved the bubble bath, they are fine now so the cheap stuff works!!

 

[Liz!]

Get some Hope's 'Relief' froma health food shop.

I have had eczema for 25 years, found steroid creams were taing the fingerprints off my fingers, and stopped using them. I then found that all the steroid cream does is surpress the eczema - I used to use it on one patch and it would go but appear somewhere else.

Using more natural remedies I noticed they did not reappear anywhere else... Hope's is the very best cream I have ever found and i know several people who use it on their children and it really does work, and what's more, it stops the itching.

You mention keeping the areas clean for injectons, are you using steri wipes? Because they can dry the skin and make the problem worse. Ordinary soap and water kills 99.9% germs and should be suffficient. the infection you mention probably had nothing to do with how 'dirty' the skin was, and more to do with the fact your child scratched at the place the tape was on, and introduced infection that way.

 

[Ellie Jones]

As sue says there are barrier sprays and products that can be used, sprays are probably better though..

E's normal Soap that she uses will be more than than enough to ensure the site is clean for inserting the cannular.. It's a long time since we've been told to use surgical spirit or an alcohol swab of some sort!

Cannular are only used for 3 days max depending on what type you use.. unlike a CGM sensor which is supposed to be left for the best part of a week which increaes the risk of it being a irratant even for those that have no underlaying Eczema or sensivity problems...

So it may be that by using a barrier spay changing the cannular sooner than the reccomend max time for that type you can sucessfully use the insulin pump with out causing flare ups of E's eczema

 

[Moddey]

There's been a slight misunderstanding. When I said we were told to keep the injection sites clean, I meant clean from rash. I never use antiseptics nor anything else to clean E's skin. Water is sufficient, he only uses normal soap to wash his hands. In the winter, we put some oil in his bath water. Otherwise his skin care includes using a moisturizer twice a day, 365 days a year, plus the cortisol creams on very infected patches and Protopic to prevent the infections.

I suppose the CGM is in for a considerable longer time than the pump cannula, where the site can be changed regularly. Maybe the pump is a option, that would be great 🙂

Thanks for the tips Sue and Liz, I will have a look for those products. I've heard good things about seaweed products before. Hope's Relief is a popular product here, too, but I've been a bit scared of trying it, as E also has allergies and previous experiences of herbal remedies have made his skin worse. Otherwise, the product itself sounds good, very simple.

I've had bad eczema all my life and do sympathize with my poor little boy, who happened to get my skin. Unfortunately it goes with the seasons, the summer heals his skin but as soon as the first cold weather hits, so does the rash. The skin problems are actually one of the reasons we've considered moving back to the UK, as my skin was a lot better when we lived there. The winters are very harsh here and when the weather gets below -15C the skin on his face cracks and gets infected. Not nice