I just joined to get some help with my daughter's new omnipod.
My 10 year old was diagnosed 9 months ago, and started on Omnipod 1 month ago. I love the pod when it works, but we're having so many problems with pods not working and we're really exhausted dealing with this thing.
We have no adhesion or priming issues, but a lot of problems after it's been on for a day or two. Three times, her blood sugar skyrocketed, but went down when we gave insulin through a syringe. There was no alarm, but we assume there was some occlusion that prevented the insulin from getting in. They always work for 12 - 36 hours.
We've also had several alarms and had to change the pod. Looking at the downloaded report, they just say "pod alarm". I'm not sure what these alarms mean -- Did the pod itself stop working? Or did it detect some problem with insulin getting in? Is there any way to tell?
Do we need to change how or where we put it? We seem to have more problems with sites on the tummy than arms. That could be because she only used her tummy for MDI, and we need to avoid those spots for awhile. It could be because she was pinching up a lot there, and needs to pinch less (she has a good amount of fat there without pinching.)
CDE says all pumps have problems, and it will get better. I finally got through to Insulet. They suggested standing (rather than sitting) for pod changes,and less pinching. We have a second appt with CDE in 3 days.
I am on the old pod , not sure if the pdm's are the same or not , but on my pdm when it alarms for an occlusion it says on the top of the screen occlusion change pod now , if that is not there you can go in under the alarms and you will see the error and a ? mark beside it , on the pdm keys there is also a ? key , if you press that it will give some more information depending on the error it may just be numbers that you can give to your supplier and they should be able to give you the reason , or maybe even try doing a google seach for omnipod error codes and you may find something , I know in the last week I have had 2 occlusions one was within 2 minutes of changing pods it didn't even finish the bolus and the other was 2 hours after changing the pod , with me I think it is the tissue that it is in , but who really knows , I hope you can get your issues straightened out , I love my pod and don't know how I did without it , I have had diabetes for 48 years and have had the pump since halloween day last year I was 2 when I was diagnosed ,good luck
my first question are you are the new or old pods. Jacob has been podding for about 2 years, new pods for a month or 2, I actually find the new pods more reliable. the biggest alarm we find is during a bolus this is an occlusion. not to jinx but none of these with the new pods. I agree perhaps there can be an absorption issue with the rising bs late in day two or three, we have had this problem before. now our endo writes the prescription to change out every two days lately this is more because he is running out of insulin due to lots of eating and higher insulin needs d/t growth. be patient there is an adjustment period for sure. it is soooo frustrating when high bs's are pump issues it does make you wonder if going back to MDI would be better. but for a pre teen it is certainly 'cooler' and more convenient to bolus with a pump vrs needles. so try to keep changing up sites, Jacob also throws in some leg sites. so she does ok with pod changes no highs after that? that was our biggest start up problem solved with a small bolus post pod change. I agree with the educator about putting pod on when standing for belly Jacob sits for a leg site and we help with his arm. we always pinch up a bit. also make sure you don't overfill the pod this is a new one we found out about. in anycase I know this is sooo frustrating esp since we have been told that pumping is so great. please ask more specific questions if any come up, I hope your daughter is coping ok, our job is to make it seem like it is easy when it is really very very hard bus some days, weeks flow by with ease hoping for that for you! best wishes, amy
You may find there is just one spot that is best to use. I like my arms best so I move the pods all around them. Whenever I use any other spot I have problems. As far as alarms and stuff it could just be you got some bad pods. I’ve been pretty lucky and haven’t had a lot of pods fail mostly just ripping them off or they don’t stick well. If you have more than one box of pods maybe grab a pod from a new box & see if you have better luck.
If it is an occlusion, the pod should alarm. This sounds more like a problem with pod adhesion. Like the pod is coming loose after 12 to 36 hours and the canula coming out. That's just a guess though. Might try the arm or leg area and sports tape for a test to see if it occurs after taping the pod on tighter.
Yes, come to think of it, my daughter said she saw the cannula come out once and she saw insulin on her skin another time. We can try skin tac or bands4life. Thanks.
Thanks. I'll ask about changing to 2 day prescription.
I'm trying to remember that it would have been a frustrating few weeks even on MDI... We have 8 week old, for one. And, my daughter was sick with high BG the first week of starting middle school with new teachers, routines, etc, and those issues would have been if anything worse on MDI.
We're actually on hour 78 with her current pod. We'll change in one hour, which puts us on schedule to change pods after school when we want to. Fingers crossed for this coming week!
not sure what type o insulin you use , I use novo rapid and if it is leaking I can smell it , try taking 2 or 3 units in a syringe and squirting it on your hand for you and your daughter to smell , I even run finger around the outside patch of the pod and smell my finger , if I smell insulin I change my pod
best of luck, my son at 10th grade had his first year without a huge first day or multiple days of blood sugar spikes, he's got this, way to cool! so many variables sounds like you have had a tough stretch the diabetes gods usually aren't that relentless you are due for a week or two of smooth sailing! hugs, amy
I find they work best on my arms also. I know I should move them around more (they work okay on my lower back) but I tend to always place them on my arms unless I know I'll be wearing a sleeveless dress for a social event. So my advice for the OP is stick to those areas where they work best for your child.
Thanks so much for everyone's advice. Arms definitely seem to be working better. My daughter is ready to jump to a tslim, but we're going to give omnipod one more week. We really do love it when it's working. Thanks a lot!
I hope that it works out for you , I had no interest in a tubed pump at all , but jumped at the chance of a tubeless pump , I don't miss needles at all , it is still a small struggle but control is better , and daily life seems so much easier good luck
