Running out of areas for Subcut

[glowing]

Hi.
I'm having trouble with subcut as my only suitable treatment area is my tummy. Lately the same areas that have been used over three years are becoming harder to insert the needles and they often come out and have to be re-sited. I'm wondering if there is anything else I can try, other than IV. I don't want to attend hospital again if I can avoid it. Have you any ideas how I can overcome my problem?

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

We, at long last, are enjoying a few beautiful spring days. I hope you are keeping well and able to do the same.

Glo

[prickles]

Hi Glo

My Caitlin had the same problem, she done sub cut for about 6 years, and her tummy became very hard with needles falling out or leaking. She tried using her thighs but didn't like it. She threw a wobbly and refused to have the ig's but after 3 or 4 months not having them she became ill.

She went back on IVIG and not looked back, she had a portacath inserted 18 months ago and we hope that we can be trained to do the ig's at home, but her portacath is temperamental so it may need to be changed to a power port.

Caitlin does prefer IVIG to subcutaneous it works better for her.

Sue

[kelli]

While I was doing SubQ infusions, I used a back brace to place over my stomach and needles. I thought that something supporting the needles and keeping them in place felt more comfortable. The back brace was the only thing I could come up with to wear over my sites. It wrapped around the abdomen with a Velcro closure. Before the back brace, it seemed the needles would move in and out to different degrees and sometimes leak. The leaking would then cause the adhesive film to start shifting around.
I hope this might help someone else.

[glowing]

Thank you Sue and Kelli,

I saw my immunologist in April and someone was to contact me regarding larger needles. This hasn't happened yet, but in the meantime I've been using a similar idea to your's Kelli, though not with a back brace, but with pressure from a wad of swabs held tightly with micropore. It's working okay but sometimes when the area is hard one side it doesn't absorb too well, then I'm left with a tiny mound like a pancake and a slightly larger than normal boob type lump on the other side. I figured it's okay as long as I receive the whole treatment.

Lately I'm finding the needles sting quite a bit when I try to insert them and I have to re-site immediately, leaving myself with two or three tiny bloody areas. Last week I used a cold flannel over the area first and it worked better, no stinging. I think it was because of the heat that my pores were too active. That's trying to be polite but I really mean my own sweat was stinging me. This week I'm going to wash in very cool water before treatment, instead of the usual very warm water.

Has anyone else found similar problems?

Glo