Pictures of a Site Change

We have some friends who are considering a pump, so we took pictures of one of Andrew's recent site changes. Here are all the supplies:

Insulin,
Insulin Cartridge pack,
IV Prep,
Alcohol Swab,
Inset for site (round case),
Tubing is coiled inside this site, but comes in a separate pack for others

We use the alcohol swab to clean the top of the insulin vial. Then we open the cartridge pack, attach the needle, & plunger and use it to draw up the insulin. Andrew can do this step himself!

Then it is time to choose a location for the site. We rotate right arm, right hip, right thigh, left thigh, left hip, left arm. We can also use his stomach, but his stomach needs a break for awhile. Andrew uses the IV Prep to clean the area. It also leaves a sticky residue which helps the site stay in place. Once we open the round case, we unwind the tubing, remove the cover over the needle, peel off the sticker, and pull it back to cock the needle. We are ready to go!
Now comes the L..O...N.....G count to 1, 2, th....r...e..........e before I push the buttons to insert the site. Once the site is in, we remove the tubing that is attached. The tubing goes through the cap of the pump & connects to the insulin cartridge. The insulin then slides in its slot & the cap is screwed on tight. The pump loads the cartridge and automatically detects the number of units of insulin in the cartidge.

Priming the pump is filling the tubing that you see with insulin. We also fill the cannula, which is the part of the tubing under Andrew's skin which you can't see. Now the pump is full of insulin and ready to pump it out through the tubing and into Andrew in little bits per hour or as needed for meals. It can be removed for baths, swimming, or contact sports, but for the most part, the pump is his constant friend.