Ok, so this has been discussed before but my husband really hates (and I mean HATES) the Comfort Short sets that we use on Mia. We have had a couple of inconsistent numbers recently and he feels that it might be due to the set not working properly at times...so he sent me to investigate what other sets other parents are using on their young children . I know someone mentioned that they loved the Rapid D's but I would love to hear from other parents on what they are using. I will then order samples of each and try them out till we find the one that works best for us! Thanks so much!!!
We use the Inset Infusion System 6mm cannula, 23 with our Animas 1250. Our daughter is 5 and weighs 37lbs, so the only spot we can apply it is on her bottom. What is nice is that it comes in an enclosed case, so after prep work is done, all you do is pull back, place on the skin, and push. She never sees the needle. My only real complaint is that the set does sometimes fall off, even with adhesive. It is usually after active play, and my feeling is that the 6mm cannula can be too short, while the 9mm is too big for her at this time. Via Animas, 10 sets are $135, pre-insurance.
My son used the Tender for years without a problem, but he wanted EMLA cream to numb for the insertion. He now uses UltraFlex without any topical numbing.
My son uses the Comfort Short for his stomach and the Quickset for his hips (though we would probably use the Inset or Cleo-90 instead if they were available in Canada). We've never had a problem with the Comforts working and have had a few with the Quicksets -- the cannula does seem to get bent or dislodged more quickly. Funnily enough, he prefers inserting the Comfort Shorts even though they look more daunting. The only thing we don't like is that they leave pretty long-lasting scabby bumps, which the straight-in sets don't. Reading adult forums, those angled sets seem to be a love-em-or-hate-em proposition. Diabetes educators do seem to feel they are more secure for kids though.
We've always used the Accu-Check Tenders with no problems. We've only had 1 site failure in 1 1/2 years -- and Carson is a very active 5 (almost 6) year old. He does use the Emla cream to numb the site, but in a pinch, we've changed sites with no emla cream and he's done fine. I like the fact that you can actually see the cannula going into the skin.
Thomas uses the Animas IR 1200 and will only use the Insets from Animas. I am not sure why. Maybe because you can't see the needle as it goes in?
I thought whatever pump you had you had to use there infusion sets. Is this not true? We are in the process of getting the Cozmore pump and I thought we had to use there infusion sets. Also I was wondering is there an angled set that has an inserter instead of manually putting it in yourself?
infusion sets I beleive that finding the correct set is the most important part. My son was very thin and the CDE suggested the Comfort's They Scared him so after some pushing and proding we got him to try the Rapid D on his stomach and used the Quickset on hips and legs... now that the Inset is out we use it and the Rapid D... 6mm is the best when the thin and in the stomach with a metal needle you never have to worry about crimping! We no longer have occulisons any more!!!!!!
One of the reasons we chose the Cozmo pump is because you DON'T have to use their infusion sets. It has a universal luer lock and you can use any brand you want. However with the Minimed, you HAVE to use their sets and that was a big drawback for us. We wanted the option of switching sets in case one kind didn't work for us. I don't know about the Animas sets. As far as a long angled set with an inserter, again, I don't know if their available now. They were not avalable when Carson started pumping in January of 2005. But I can tell you that we use the long angled sets (AccuCheck Tender) and we manually insert them and it is no worse than doing a syringe shot of insulin. The needle looks really long, but it doesn't go in all the way, just far enough to get the cannula in. Have your rep show you how it works if your interested in the long angled sets. Good luck!!
Tracy, that's true with the MiniMed Paradigm pumps. MM requires you to use their proprietary infusion sets. That's one reason we did not choose MM.
We love the minimed 6mm quick-sets. The quick-sets are a great design, so easy to insert and we have never had a site problem. Ok, sorry but I have to vent. I disagree with this as being a drawback to the minimed pump. They have many options to choose from, (all we will ever need) and have thoroughly tested their system with these sets. No pump company can guarantee the accuracy of a set that they don't make/test, so it seems perfectly logical to design an infusion set that works with your pump. MM puts more money into researching these things than all of the other pump companies combined, so it's really just smart business. BTW, my husband likes the minimed sets much better than any set he ever used with his animas pump.
Thanks for all the recommendations! I spoke with our endo, and they will have some samples available for us to try on our next visit (31st). They told me that the Rapid-D's can only be used in Mia's tush for now because of her (low) body fat. We may end up with multiple sets so we can keep doing the tummy, too LOL. Funny I just posted this thread because I did a set change on Mia yesterday at a friend's house, and we ended up with a crimped and bleeding site . She was running fine through dinner but her basals didn't seem to go through, so I ended up doing a shot and a site change at 1am when I realized what was happening! Of course, I was up hourly thereafter to make sure she didn't go low...Yaaaaaawn!! Amazing how little sleep my body can take LOL.
Ahhhhh!!!! I am up against, 5am here and doing a set change :-(. Somehow the set I put in last night stopped working tonight, and I have a feeling it has crimped again . Mia was 191 at mightnight, 250 at 3 and 300 at 4...something definitely not working right now. She had traces of ketones, so now I am waiting for the EMLA to work to do a set change....poor thing, she doesn't understand what's going on...hubby sick with a stomach thingie, let's hope he can keep that to himself....I am so frustrated with these set changes and ready to try out your recommendations! Thanks for listening :-(
HI I thought this link may be helpful, i know when we got the pump, our nurse had the 2 types of infusion sets sent to us, so we can see the basic diffrence.. one was the inset and the other and angled.. to be honest the angeled looked a littel scarry to me and i have NO problems with needles, hubby has BIG problem with needles and charlize said she didnt like it, SO we decided on the inset one, we have had very little problem with it and are happy with it, we dont have to use any creams at all.. I stays on fairly well too. it came off 2 times, but both times where after a bath on its 3rd day ( which means it needed to come off any way ), and being yanked on by a 5 year old... http://www.childrenwithdiabetes.com/pumps/infusionsets.htm
