Infusion set change boredom

[Simbul]

I've been on a pump for about a decade. That makes it about 1,000 infusion set changes. And it gets old really fast

To fight boredom, I started sitting in front of the computer and watching YouTube videos, while I'm going through the motions for the umpteenth time.
Nothing that requires too much attention, of course. Funny stuff like standup or people playing games.

It has become a bit of a rite and it has made those unpleasant 10 minutes a little easier, I have to say.

I'm curious to know from you fellow set-changers: do you do anything while changing your infusion set? What is it? And how come you've picked that activity?

 

[trophywench]

Doesn't take me 10 minutes, nowhere near that long! Not time to do anything else - usually do it when I'm getting dressed.

 

[ingrid]

I change cannula & reservoir separately so it's not 'one big job' all together (cannula every 3 days, res every 6-7 days, they rarely coincide) & also since changing to steel sets, the whole cannula change for me is simpler and far quicker now.

I know what you mean though, despite being only 3 years into pumping - I get that 'oh no *sigh* time to do a change AGAIN, ALREADY' feeling, a sort of boredom. I'm a radio loving person & just tend to keep listening to whatever station I'm on during set changes. I still love my pump & the freedom it gives me though 🙂 -- used 5 temp basals today for 5 different reasons so so fab to be able to do that, and to avoid a hypo whilst out on an unexpectedly long & demanding (for me) walk 🙂 🙂

 

[Sally71]

The only time it annoys me is if I'm about to dish the dinner up and have forgotten that it's set change day, then we get an "oh **** we've got to do that" moment; but beyond that I don't think about it much, cannula change only takes a few seconds, whole pump refill + cannula I can do in less than ten minutes usually so I don't consider it any more boring than doing the washing up or ironing or any of the other little chores that you have to do every day!

 

[HOBIE]

Takes me about 2mins ! Try 4 injections a day since 1966 Pumps are brill & just a couple of pushes of buttons 🙂 (Medtronic veo)

 

[Simbul]

Doesn't take me 10 minutes, nowhere near that long! Not time to do anything else - usually do it when I'm getting dressed.

I change cannula & reservoir separately so it's not 'one big job' all together

That's very efficient! Which pump/reservoirs are you using? I'm on a Minimed Paradigm and I usually have to change both at the same time. Also, my understanding was that insulin starts to lose some of its efficacy after ~3 days at room temperature. How do you deal with that?

The only time it annoys me is if I'm about to dish the dinner up and have forgotten that it's set change day, then we get an "oh **** we've got to do that" moment

I know! I usually get this right before going to bed. All ready to go and then I realise I won't last the night so I have to change right now

Takes me about 2mins ! Try 4 injections a day since 1966 Pumps are brill & just a couple of pushes of buttons 🙂 (Medtronic veo)

I can't beat 1966, but I've been on syringes and pens for years before moving to the pump: I wouldn't really go back.

There's a trade off: injections are much more inflexible, whereas the pump holds you on sort of a leash (both literal and metaphorical). Still, clearly progress.


It's surprising to see how many different pumps and ways of doing things are around. I guess I had not really met many other people with diabetes before.
I'm curious: could you describe how you change your set in more detail? I'll post my routine later as well 🙂

 

[Pumper_Sue]

I'm another one who doesn't change cannula and cartridge at the same time.
Cannula every 3 days and cartridge when empty (about 5 days) Less than 2 mins for both operations.
Dexcom sensor takes about 5 mins as that's a work of art as like to make sure it sticks for at least 4 weeks

 

[trophywench]

Cannula every 2 days, tubing every 6. Reservoir - when it's empty! In the winter I fill them so could be 9 or 10 days. In the summer I only stick about 200 ml in - and again change it when it's empty. I use c 20u a day all in, plus priming 1u for a cannula change, cannula and tubing about 11/12u plus 1u for the cannula.

It obviously takes a longer time to rewind the plunger - automatic - and wind back from the full 315u to c 200u when I don't fill them. The latter you have to keep your finger on the button to wind it back up, which is a bit tedious but still doesn't take more than what, 30 secs to do? - in truth.

Meter alarms when 'only' 20u is left, so that means tomorrow I need to change the reservoir.

Meter tells me first time I test that day, if 2 days have passed since my last cannula change (and you set that yourself to either 2 or 3 days) - beeps at you and you either press 'Snooze' if you can't be bothered right then (eg when dinner's on the table) in which case, it does it again every time you turn it on to use it thereafter until you actually do the set change, when you press 'Dismiss' the next time you turn it on and it starts beeping.

OK if you dwell in the Med or further south then perhaps 3 days is sensible - but we regularly live there for a month or two at a time - and I've only had to alter it to every 6 days. I think Novorapid can be a bit more forgiving than Apidra in the heat - but dunno about Humalog or anything else. You'd just have to suck it and see - like everything else!

 

[Simbul]

Dexcom sensor takes about 5 mins as that's a work of art as like to make sure it sticks for at least 4 weeks

Haha, yeah. When I was using them it was hard to keep them on for more than 4 days. 4 weeks sounds quite the feat!

Cannula every 2 days, tubing every 6. Reservoir - when it's empty!

So you can change the cannula, the tubing and the reservoir separately? That sounds neat. Which pump is that again?

My medtronic pump seems to be designed to have you change everything at the same time. Given the reservoir holds 180u tops, that turns out to mean 3-4 days.

I thought the heat problem had more to do with the reservoir sitting real close to your body pretty much 24/7, rather than with room temperature.
I've definitely seen my BS average raising the longer I keep a set on and I always put it down to degraded insulin effectiveness, but maybe it's more about insulin sensitivity in the area around the cannula.

 

[trophywench]

Roche Combo, mine at the moment. It's never next to my body, usually hangs on my waistband so the ambient temperature is always what's on the outside of it.

180u lasts me about 5 or 6 days, possibly a week.

 

[Pumper_Sue]

Haha, yeah. When I was using them it was hard to keep them on for more than 4 days. 4 weeks sounds quite the feat!

I hold master classes in getting sensors to stay put The most I had was 47 days and the was removed only because the sensor wasn't accurate anymore.

 

[Maryanne29]

Takes me about a couple of minutes to change set or cannula and I usually do it while making tea first thing in the morning. No problems and very quick. After over 55 years on injections, taking a few minutes to do what's needed for the pump is nothing to me - I'm just so glad to have one.