For anyone who used to use a tubed pump on their stomach, do any of you feel like there isn't good absorption in your arms and thighs? Or is it because since there is a remote, it might be less mindful to bolus before you eat? for some reason my blood sugars are staying high. I think it might be because I eat before giving insulin.
I usually experience the opposite, better absorption in my arms than my stomach. My Doctor said it was due to more blood flow in my arms. It could also be due to scare tissue in this area that you are having problems. I was almost 100% MDI in my stomach previously.
I use my arms often, and I find that the absorption rate is better in my arms than in some other places. I try to stay a little more toward the lower back of my arms just south of the shoulder. After 48 years of injections, my stomach and thigh areas have some spots that give me absorption trouble due to scar tissue, so I was happy when I could use my upper arms. Try avoiding the front muscle area, and if one arm does not work, try the other. Strangely, my left arm absorbs better than my right.
My endo told me to ALWAYS plan what I am going to eat, calculate the carbs, and bolus BEFORE the meal. I am on Humolog, so I am sure that part of that advice is due to how quickly the insulin works. Also, once you know how your body reacts, you may want to try the extended bolus feature. Foods like pizza, pasta, and rice always send me very high, and if I take the full bolus all at once, I stay high. If I use the extended bolus (generally 60% at the beginning and the remaining 40% over 1.5 hours) my sugars stay more reasonable as my body processes the high carb meals. Using the extended bolus is something that you will have to work with and adjust to suit how your body reacts, but it is a great feature on the OmniPod that many people forget to use.
I never tried a tubed pump; however, I have been very happy with the OmniPod for the past five years.
I seem to have different absorption with different locations. My abdomen seems to be the most consistent so far (I've only been on the pod a couple of months), with my arms sometimes being pretty erratic - I presume because I've got more into muscle than fat with the infusion set. I'm on day two of my first experiment with my thigh, and it has been a very smooth ride so far.
I love that we have this flexibility in our site locations with the pod!
I actually have better absorption in my arms than my stomach, but I also stopped using the OmniPod on my stomach because it was an uncomfortable site for me to use and often ended up with bleeding there. My legs are kind of hit-or-miss, but arms are usually a great site for me.
Definitely make sure you bolus before you eat every time, even for snacks. It makes a huge difference. I would guess that is the problem more than the absorption.
x2