Equipment used when infusing

[floopyjim]

Hi,

As I sit here preparing for the weeks infusion, I was just wondering how much the equipment people use differs from person to person when infusing via subcut and what experiences you have had with different needles, pumps and ways of sticking down the needles.

I guess, because I am in for the long haul, I would like to improve my SCIG infusions.  Not that they are bad though - after adopting John's method of gently searching for the right spot with the needle before inserting, they are pretty much pain free now.

I suppose I want to start a thread that is a sort of Life Pro Tip for infusing and I am also interested in how SCIG differs between hospitals.

I use 20ml syringes, MPmlh pumps and Hospira butterfly winged infusion sets (orange 25G, 19mm).  I stick them down with Tegaderm patches although I may try micropore instead.

So - share your tips, your kit and what changes you have made with your SCIG kit to make things better!

James.

[rnmandyj]

Keeping my eyes on this! I'm still on IVIG and will be switching over after my next infusion. From there it's weekly home sub q infusions. I'm nervous about the whole more than one needle deal.

[floopyjim]

I was nervous as well but I'm quite used to it now. I was very surprised how easy it is to stick needles in - I put in 4 needles (2 at a time) and very rarely feel any pain. The ways I make it easier are as follows:

1 - I make the environment as nice as possible - something nice to drink/snack. Good music or TV, comfortable (not too warm or cold). I see the infusions as a very positive thing so I almost look forward to them (mostly!).
2 - Take your time - there is no need to rush - I give my self a good 3 hours or more to infuse - I'll do the infusion on a different day if I need to be somewhere.
3 - John - one of the admins here, gave me the best tip that made the needle insertions a breeze - gently touch the needle to the area you will be inserting it and you will notice there are some points on your skin that feel less sensitive than others. Those are the ones that are less painful to insert. This has made a huge difference to me.
4 - I think the best advice is to not worry - it's easier than you think (the fear of the unknown is worse than the actual event). We are here to help and share advice and comfort you if you need it.

Obviously my advice can (and should) be overridden by the advice of medical personnel but it's a bit like driving - you learn the way that the instructor tells you, after that, you start to develop your own methods that you find easier (as long as they are safe).

Hope that helps!

James

[glowing]

Great answer that will help many, James. Thank you.

Glo

[john]

I did my SCIG this morning, and this is my routine.
I take an empty carrier bag to my "stockroom" and fill it with everything I'm going to need for today's infusion.
I spread out the clean paper cover on a well lit table top and unpack the carrier bag onto it.
Then I remove all the wrappings, putting them into the now-empty carrier bag.
I flip off the bottle lids and discard them into the bag, and peel off the labels and stick them in the log-book, on the page I have labelled with todays date.
I then fill the two 50mL syringe reservoirs from the bottles and discard the empty bottles into the sharps bin.
So now on the table, all I have are the filled syringes, the needle set, the tegaderm adhesive patches with their paper covers discarded, the unwrapped sticking plasters lined up, and the pump.
A great tip with the needle set is to gently stretch the tubing and this has the effect of keeping the four lines (in my case) untangled and easier to control.
I then connect the needle set to one of the syringes and very gently push down the plunger to fill the tubing with product. Stop pushing before the fluid meniscus gets to the needle because fluid on the needles does make inserting the needles harder (it's so sticky!)
Then I insert the needles into me one by one and secure them with the waiting tegaderm patch, and making sure they're far enough apart to keep the patches from overlapping.
Discard the plunger and fit the reservoir/syringe to the pump.
Turn on the pump, note the start time for the log-book, and sit back and enjoy!
When the infusion is over I pull off each tegaderm patch one by one and extract the needles, popping on a waiting plaster to stop any leakage/bleeding.
Make the needles safe by clipping the "wings" together and put the needle set in the sharps bin.
At this point there is nothing left on the table, so I can screw up the antiseptic paper cover and put it in the carrier bag, which I now put in the trash!
If you are organised, tidy and calm nothing can go wrong, and in a few weeks it'll all be like second nature!
John

[glowing]

You explained that so well John. Who needs a video when we have you?
Glo

[kate]

Hi,
I have just started doing subcutaneous infusions for my son Tom, who is 12, at home. Previously he was on IVIG. It was a bit scary to begin with, but I am gaining confidence every week. He has worked really hard to overcome a needle phobia over the last few years and copes really well with the needles now, I am so proud of him and how he takes it all in his stride. It won't be long I guess until he can do it for himself.
Kate

[floopyjim]

John - good tip about the filling of the infusion set - I was taught to prime the set until a small drop of the fluid can be seen at the tip - I tried your method of only filling to the bottom of the needle and it made a big difference to inserting the needles - they stung less and almost glided in!