From: MM
My granddaughter is 3 years old and uses the pump. Unfortunately, the only place she can use right now is her bottom. Is there any cream made that can help soften injection sites? At this point, she has no fat available on the tummy or otherwise to use different areas. We would appreciate any help.
John
Hi MM,
For a young child like your granddaughter, I always recommend one of the short straight-in metal infusion set like the Contact Detach, Sure-T, or Rapid-D. Metal sets are thinner then Teflon and the easiest to insert by hand and less likely to fail than a Teflon set placed with an auto inserter. Plus, more skin areas can be used. If she is not already using one of these, that would be the way to go.
Keeping sets attached is critical. For children, always place an adhesive like IV3000 or Tegaderm over the metal needle area after it has been inserted. Place any excess adhesive over the infusion line to make the set really secure. If more adhesion is needed for water or sweating, cover the skin with Skin-Tac before inserting the needle, and then overlay with an adhesive material. This makes the set close to failure-proof. Another nice thing about metal sets is that if they do fall off or get pulled off, you can re-insert them again after cleaning with alcohol.
Bottoms are usually best for the young. As she grows, her parents will be able to use other areas like the flanks or abdomen. Short metal needle sets are usually the best way to extend useable infusion site areas.
Hope this helps,
John