Runnin’ low on real estate.
Right now, there’s an OmniPod on my back that hurts if I lean back in my car seat too much. I had to put that pod over an infusion site that wasn’t totally healed yet. And my DexCom seems to be in the perfect spot right now to irritate the site when I sleep on it. Why all the poking and prodding? Cuz I’m running out of real estate people! Body real estate that is.
Aside from the general issue of wearing diabetes hardware on the outside of my body, I find my gadgets to be quite comfortable and unobtrusive generally speaking. But the past few days, my skin seems to be reacting to the fact that every few days I’m piercing it with another subcutaneous poking device that sits there for several days. My normally unnoticeable plastic bits have recently been, well, noticeable, in a painful way.
Part of my issue is that I’m pretty limited in where I wear my stuff: I never wear ‘betes gadgets or inject anything in my stomach - every time I end up with a bruise, and more annoying, since I sit in the car driving around for most of the day, the tummy is not a comfortable place for my OmniPod or Dex sensors.
I’ve tried wearing the pods on the side of my legs towards my upper thigh, but I’d inevitably rip it off while changing clothes and waste the pod. I’ve occasionally worn it on the back of my arm, but being that boxing is my sport of choice, I find all the jostling uncomfortable. As a result, I switch my pump pods from each side of my lower back every time they require changing (every three days), and sometimes, the old site isn’t completely healed. I make sure the cannula doesn’t insert directly over the old site, but the pod has a large adhesive backing that inevitably hits some of the same area. The result = ouch.
My DexCom sensors follow a similar pattern as my OmniPod - I have a hard time wearing them on my stomach, so I wear them on the top, side-area of my thigh, but I genuinely get better readings when I wear it on the left leg. Why? I have no clue, but it’s consistently been the case. I try to switch it to the right when I really run out of space, and I stretch my left-leg sensors for up to 14 days when I can, but it still leaves a very small area for me to be poking around.
I realize some of these issues are a result with me being a bit inflexible with my sites, but we all try to make having this disease as comfortable as possible for ourselves, and those are the best spots for me. I’m wondering if anyone out there has some tricks for getting sites to heal faster. Is there any merit to Neosporin and a Band-Aid? Or should I really push myself to hit some other sites?
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I have the same problem and preferences in “real estate” area as you, I have recently tried wearing sensors on my upper abdomen area- close to/over my rib cage, and it works really well. I don’t think I’ve ever injected there in my 21 years of diabetes so it’s fresh from that standpoint and it doesn’t bruise much. Also, it’s so high up that I don’t notice it as much when I am sitting.
Another thing, and this may be mean, but whenever I see people who are extremely overwight I get a little bit jealous of all the possible places they could put a pump or sensor 
What about your sensor on your arm? I’ve been putting it there recently and really like it. On my upper tricep, but not so high up that it interferes when I put my arm behind my back. It’s not so jostley like the pod during kickboxing (I take a mixed martial arts class at my gym and haven’t had any problems, but I definitely know it is there…). And your butt more for pods? Real estate is a tough one……
So ya, I just had my lower back crap out on me :/
So I’ve been putting my pump sites in my abdomen! Makes me so sad… But I do the thighs too for the CGM sensor.
However, I agree with Elizabeth - use your arms! I’ve tried the tricep area for the CGM (felt ok, but didn’t stick for all that long sadly), and I’ve also seen two women put their sensor on the flat part of the arm (btwn the tricep & bicep).
As for additional real estate… your CGM sensors bruise your abdomen, too? And have you tried the side of your leg?
I like my hip (upper butt) for my sensors. I insert them about an or two below the band of my underwear/pants. Readings seem to be pretty accurate and it doesn’t get in my way.
Have you ever considered switching your Dexcom and Omnipod for the new Minimed all-in-one system? I really like mine. Everything is controlled by the pump (no remotes) and the 23” tube gives you a lot of possibilities. I have my small infusion set and CGMS sensor in my belly, but wear the pump in whatever pocket is most convenient. For cycling, that would be my back jersey pocket, which would also work for martial arts. I have strategically cut holes in my clothes for the tube and the quick-disconnect means it’s easy to switch outfits. Just a thought for you.
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You can always place your pod on your arm and wear an arm warmer over the top of it to hold it in place. Under Armour makes some good ones. They are cald cold gear and they will hold it tight on your arm. They are really flexible and you won’t even notice that it’s there.