I'm not yet a pump user, but I've used each upper arm for housands of injections, so I have some observations that might work for you. Until you have done a procedure so often that you can do it blindfolded, being able to clearly see what you are doing is important. If you can't see what you are doing, try using a mirrror. Don't be afraid to do "dry" rehearsals. Experiment with a capped needle short of the insertion until you find a technique that is comfortable. If you aren't comfortable you will make mistakes. What technique will work best for you depends on your arm's length and shape, your flexibiity and the exact site A thin middle aged woman will have differnt arm mobility than a much older woman, a child or a muscular man. eg I have long thin and non-muscular (flabby) arms. I use the back of a chair to stabilize my upper arm before I clean the area with alcohol. Depending on where I want to make the insertion I will either put the palm of that arm behind my shoulder or the back against my sternum. The first works better for my sites closer to the body arm and nearer the armpit. I inject those from "below" The second works better for more outboard sites and I inject those from above. From those positions I can push the area where I'm going to insert the needle forward where I can see it better. This should work just as well for me manually inserting a cannula. But it might be totally unsuitable for you!!
Good tutorial, I’m relatively new to being diabetic (adult onset T1DM yay) and I’m really nervous about using sites other than my abdomen. The advice I get from my healthcare team is that I will probably need a second person to help insert into sites like my arm, which just isn’t going to happen. The other tutorials I’ve seen are for the MiniMed Mio, and I can’t use vertical springloaded sets like that because they always bounce off my skin and kink. Maybe I will get brave now that I’ve seen it done by a real person…
I'm not yet a pump user, but I've used each upper arm for housands of injections, so I have some observations that might work for you.
Until you have done a procedure so often that you can do it blindfolded, being able to clearly see what you are doing is important. If you can't see what you are doing, try using a mirrror.
Don't be afraid to do "dry" rehearsals. Experiment with a capped needle short of the insertion until you find a technique that is comfortable. If you aren't comfortable you will make mistakes.
What technique will work best for you depends on your arm's length and shape, your flexibiity and the exact site A thin middle aged woman will have differnt arm mobility than a much older woman, a child or a muscular man.
eg
I have long thin and non-muscular (flabby) arms.
I use the back of a chair to stabilize my upper arm before I clean the area with alcohol.
Depending on where I want to make the insertion I will either put the palm of that arm behind my shoulder or the back against my sternum. The first works better for my sites closer to the body arm and nearer the armpit. I inject those from "below" The second works better for more outboard sites and I inject those from above. From those positions I can push the area where I'm going to insert the needle forward where I can see it better. This should work just as well for me manually inserting a cannula. But it might be totally unsuitable for you!!
Good tutorial, I’m relatively new to being diabetic (adult onset T1DM yay) and I’m really nervous about using sites other than my abdomen. The advice I get from my healthcare team is that I will probably need a second person to help insert into sites like my arm, which just isn’t going to happen. The other tutorials I’ve seen are for the MiniMed Mio, and I can’t use vertical springloaded sets like that because they always bounce off my skin and kink. Maybe I will get brave now that I’ve seen it done by a real person…
Thanks! It does take some getting used to and patience.