I suppose they can happen, mishaps with cannulas, I mean.
Mr T uses these for the infusion of insulin delivered via his pump. Considering he changes the cannula every three days, it must be a total of 500 cannulae used so far.
This is the first one that failed like this, therefore 1:500 chance.
Not too bad.
This is what happened.
Mr T uses these for the infusion of insulin delivered via his pump. Considering he changes the cannula every three days, it must be a total of 500 cannulae used so far.
This is the first one that failed like this, therefore 1:500 chance.
Not too bad.
This is what happened.
The other day, at the end of the cannulas’ three days short lived life, Mr T was peeling it off his back side as usual as he was ready for insertion of a new one in his tummy. All appeared normal until I glanced at the old cannula and saw no tube protruding from the plate ! There should be at least 6mm if not 9mm of tiny plastic tube attached to the plate, this is the bit that actually gets inserted in to the subcutaneous tissue.
There was a millimetre long stump. That’s all. The rest of it stayed behind, in his behind.
NOW WHAT!
I tried to squeeze it out …just a bit, but I gave up since it is a see through tube and I could not see it at all. I could not feel it under my fingers either. I phoned the DE – she had never heard of such a thing. She advised me the best would be to let the doctor dig it out before it could get infected.
Hmmmmm. It was time for bed and I did not feel like rushing to the after hours (again). So I looked up on the internet and decided to go for a splinter removal trick with a thick paste of bicarbonate of soda and a plaster over it …… can't hurt.
Next morning it was still the same. A small red dot where the cannula had pierced the skin initially, it looked just like any other time after we had removed it. I even doubted if the bit of tube was actually still in his body (I thought maybe it was a faulty cannula to start with, maybe it never had a tube, but then I remembered that Mr T’s numbers had been OK over past 3 days which would not be the case if the cannula had been faulty from the start of insertion).
Off we went to the doctor.
I did remember to take a spare cannula with me to show the Dr. what he should be looking for during his dig. Since the cannula has the applicator which conceals the missing tube I had to insert it somewhere and remove it to expose the culprit.
Nonchalantly, in front of the Dr., I inserted the new cannula in my tummy (done that in past just to be able to feel what Mr T feels, at least a bit of it). As I peeled it off to remove it, the blood started squirting from my tummy!
WHAT! Mr T was shocked, poor thing...It had never happened like that to him.
Silly me, I had not even looked where I was inserting the cannula and voila I had struck a vein! We did laugh! Now I was the first one in need of a first aid, not Mr T. I thought I had better stop trying to “help” the situation and let the doctor do his thing.
There was a millimetre long stump. That’s all. The rest of it stayed behind, in his behind.
NOW WHAT!
I tried to squeeze it out …just a bit, but I gave up since it is a see through tube and I could not see it at all. I could not feel it under my fingers either. I phoned the DE – she had never heard of such a thing. She advised me the best would be to let the doctor dig it out before it could get infected.
Hmmmmm. It was time for bed and I did not feel like rushing to the after hours (again). So I looked up on the internet and decided to go for a splinter removal trick with a thick paste of bicarbonate of soda and a plaster over it …… can't hurt.
Next morning it was still the same. A small red dot where the cannula had pierced the skin initially, it looked just like any other time after we had removed it. I even doubted if the bit of tube was actually still in his body (I thought maybe it was a faulty cannula to start with, maybe it never had a tube, but then I remembered that Mr T’s numbers had been OK over past 3 days which would not be the case if the cannula had been faulty from the start of insertion).
Off we went to the doctor.
I did remember to take a spare cannula with me to show the Dr. what he should be looking for during his dig. Since the cannula has the applicator which conceals the missing tube I had to insert it somewhere and remove it to expose the culprit.
Nonchalantly, in front of the Dr., I inserted the new cannula in my tummy (done that in past just to be able to feel what Mr T feels, at least a bit of it). As I peeled it off to remove it, the blood started squirting from my tummy!
WHAT! Mr T was shocked, poor thing...It had never happened like that to him.
Silly me, I had not even looked where I was inserting the cannula and voila I had struck a vein! We did laugh! Now I was the first one in need of a first aid, not Mr T. I thought I had better stop trying to “help” the situation and let the doctor do his thing.
He tried “milking” the tube out by gently pressing the skin all around the little red dot where it was hiding, to no avail.
So out comes the local anesthetic, a seriously BIG needle and a pair of tweezers. A couple of minutes later he was holding a 9mm long tube and Mr T had a plaster to show for it.
Now we know what to do if it happens again. Hope it will be at least another 500 cannulae before then.
So out comes the local anesthetic, a seriously BIG needle and a pair of tweezers. A couple of minutes later he was holding a 9mm long tube and Mr T had a plaster to show for it.
Now we know what to do if it happens again. Hope it will be at least another 500 cannulae before then.
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