Although my problem was really bad insulin, the fact is, the “thickened” insulin - which eventually made itself known with tons of teeny-tiny bubbles, wound up ruining the motor in the pump and I actually had to get it replaced because of it. Since I use 2 vials per month, each vial is only out at room temp for about 20 days, but after this experience, I’m with Anna - I think I will start keeping it in the fridge - filling a cartridge and leaving it out to warm awhile before loading it in the pump. The fact is, who knows what has happened to that little bottle before we get it? I will say that Animas was really good about replacing the pump.
Can you tell us more about how the bad or “thickened” insulin affected the motor? Was the motor damaged because it was working too hard to push the insulin through . . . or was there leakage of insulin into the cartridge chamber? And . . . do you know why the damaged motor contributed to the tiny bubbles?
Yes, Leilani, I believe the thickened insulin made the pump have to work too hard - and I actually heard that at one point as it sounded really labored when trying to load the cartridge. What was so maddening is that when I was getting the unexplained highs, I kept looking and looking and examining the insulin and it showed nothing. It was only after several days of this, changing everything I had control over, that the thickening actually showed up, and when it did, so did the tiny bubbles - I believe it was just another indicator that the insulin was bad. But one of the things I learned out of this is that the insulin can start going bad before it visibly shows.
Do you have any recollection of anything that could have happened to the insulin . . . like overheating or freezing? And, did you always change your cartridge and tubing every 3 days . . . as reuse can cause damage to the motor as well? Also, back when this happened . . . when you cycled the cartridge prior to use, did the plunger ever feel stiff?
Back in the older days I wore the Animas IR1000 and they were having to replace it every 6 months . . . as it seems that my low insulin usage contributed to problems with the motor drive . . . but they went through a spell back then when the lubricant in their cartridges was not adequate . . . so it may have been their cartridge problem??
Thanks Joe! I put the new pump on about noon on Saturday and so far, so good. When I talked to customer service, they told me that I would be able to call in about 2 months and ask what was wrong with the pump. She said it is not something they do automatically, but they would tell me if I call to ask. I am going to do that!
Cheri, I really have to wonder if that is what happened to me. My pump just did not sound right and it really did start when I had some bad insulin. Animas kept saying that it coudl not be the insulin but …
When you say “thickened,” did your insulin look any different than it usually does? I can’t say mine looked different, but I did not exactly take it out of the either the vial or the cartridge.
It did look different, eventually, Kelly. I guess with every day that passed it was getting more “spoiled” - but when I first started getting high numbers, it didn’t look different. After a day or so, I started getting unexplained occlusions, one after another, even after changing infusion sets. In another day or so, having tried all kinds of things, the weird motor sound happened. I went back and took another look at the vial and, like magic, bunches of tiny bubbles were now there and when I tipped the vial, I could see how thick the insulin had gotten. This is when I learned that insulin can “go bad” before you can tell visibly. Think about it - if it is thicker, it’s going to put a strain on the motor to push it through and create occlusions. Animas is wrong.
