[mdiamond]

so i'm on a minmed paradigm pump, taking humalog. i change the site along with the reservoir every three days. why do i have to use a new reservoir? a rep at minimed told me it's necessary to prevent occlusion, but i suspect that i could hold out at least 6 days with no occlusion, and then use half the amount of reservoirs as usual, and save half the money i spend on these things.
Assuming i have no occlusion problems, is there any reason why i need to change my reservoir every three days?
-Michael

 

[meurtelken]

so i'm on a minmed paradigm pump, taking humalog. i change the site along with the reservoir every three days. why do i have to use a new reservoir? a rep at minimed told me it's necessary to prevent occlusion, but i suspect that i could hold out at least 6 days with no occlusion, and then use half the amount of reservoirs as usual, and save half the money i spend on these things.
Assuming i have no occlusion problems, is there any reason why i need to change my reservoir every three days?
-Michael

Hi Michael!

I have learned from my diabetes nurse, that one should not use a reservoir that long or prefill a couple of reservoirs in advance. Inside the reservoir there is some kind of silicon, and once it gets in contact with insulin, it may dissolve. In that manner, the silicon enters our bodies and it's not a good idea to do so.

Good luck!

 

[confusedxx]

Hi there.

I have heard that the silicon seal around the plunger in the insulin cartridge will break down but not within a week or two. If the nurse says one must change the cartridge everytime the infusion site is changed then, I would go with the smaller MM pump (cartridge holds 150u).

 

[Guest]

Hi there.

I have heard that the silicon seal around the plunger in the insulin cartridge will break down but not within a week or two. If the nurse says one must change the cartridge everytime the infusion site is changed

My diabetes educator, and my endo told me the same thing, so I do what the professionals say, I change everything out every three days.

 

[Guest]

I have learned from my diabetes nurse, that one should not use a reservoir that long or prefill a couple of reservoirs in advance. Inside the reservoir there is some kind of silicon, and once it gets in contact with insulin, it may dissolve. In that manner, the silicon enters our bodies and it's not a good idea to do so.

I agree with you totally.

Look form the little "O" ring around the plunger, this is what they are talking about. I have an Animas Ping, and that is the way that they are.

 

[Richard157]

I have been using the Minimed 522 pump for 25 months. My cartridge holds 15 units but I use only 120 units in three days so I have 30 units left over after 3 days. I keep using that set for an additional 12 hours. I am using every set for 3 1/2 days. That means that at the end of the year I have several extra sets and resevoirs. My supplies are shipped to me from Liberty. There have been times that I had trouble with scar tissue or defective sets or resevoirs and I had to change before I was scheduled. The extras I save help to make up for those early changes. Going the extra 12 hours with each set has not caused me any problems. I have seen many people post that they go a little longer than 3 days. There are some that do say they are not able to go longer than 3 days. That is usually due to their feeling little knots under the site and so scar tissue is possibly forming. That is NOT good! Scar tissue that remains will cause slow and incomplete absorption of the insulin if the same site is used again. Rotating sites will usually give enough time for the sites to heal before they are used again.

 

[AurixLarson]

Thanks for the advice but not my thing