This is my first time on the message board, and while not new to diabetes in general (just commemorated 17 years) I am new to the Omnipod, having only been using it for a week. My previous experience has been with Minimed, so this is all a Brave New World for me. My experiences with the Omnipod have ranged from perfect to several calls to Omnipod in a single evening a few days again due first to a leaking pod, and then a beeping one when I changed it out. The people I've spoken to on Omnipod's helpline have been so friendly and helpful, but I have another question and I don't want them to flag me as a pest if I call AGAIN, so I was wondering if I can pester you all instead!
I just placed a new pod on my back tonight, with the cannula on the side nearest my spine and it was the first one that hurt going in -- and still twinges a little an hour later. I've been forgetting to pinch the skin, as my training session didn't include that tip (also, while I'm not extremely overweight, I'm not exactly what you'd call "lean" either) and now I'm a bit freaked out that I may have put it too close to my spine. For those who like to place their pods on their back, how close to the spine do you typically go? And how high up on your back do you place it?
I use back most of the time. never got close to spine, as i would need help with putting it on. or maybe not… never tried. 1-15th of a month I use one side, making sure never going in the same spot. I like to go about the waistline, to the side. this is where I have some fat. It hurts less if u have some subcutaneous tissue. RRarely I feel the.pod a few minutes after inserion, but sometimes inserting is not a pleasure. I could not use my legs with minimed, pods are.just fine. I go for the.effect that I have something in my pocket.
good luck, enjoy
I've been using my back for a couple months now. I always put the cannula the opposite way from what you describe - facing the 'love handle' area, not my spine. I've never had a problem doing it that way.
I think there is a "quick start guide" that shows you where on your back you should place the pod. Typically, when I use my back, the cannula is closest to the love handle area.
Pinching is a must for me. You'll get the pod change down to a science quickly, I'm sure. I typically place mine on my back. I like to keep it fairly low. But like Mark, I just never place the pod where the cannula side is pointing to my spine. Enjoy!
My trainer did advise me that if I'm placing a pod on the back near the love-handle area, it might not always be necessary to pinch if I just couldn't manage it. I manage it most of the time, but on occasion I have placed he pod and inserted without pinching up. Never had a problem so far.
Thanks so much for your advice everybody! As an update: the site was definitely a problem, and I'm up at 2am to replace it! (Grumble, grumble...) I use a Dexcom and it woke me to say my blood sugar was high. When I tried to correct it, I got an occlusion error and the pod deactivated. I turned the new pod with the cannula facing out and remembered to pinch the skin this time, and this site admittedly feels better. Did anyone else have a rough learning curve when they started the Pod? I'm hoping that's all it is, because I really want to like this system, but so far my average of good to bad insertions is not very good!
Definitely trial and error. Fortunately I've not had to replace a pod due to bad locations, but I have had a few bad ones. I've just toughed it out. I do wish I could wear mine in some locations that have turned out rather bad. Oh, and I do hate it when they sting and won't stop, at least for a while.
Good spots occasionally give problems though. A couple pods ago, I pulled a normally worked pod off at the end of it's life and the cannula insertion point would NOT stop bleeding. And it was bleeding a lot. To make matters worse, it was in a spot that I couldn't see so I was unable to accurately apply pressure to the area to help stop the bleeding. After making quite a mess on me, around me and everywhere I finally asked my wife to help out and she was able to apply pressure to the area to stop the flow. Fun times!
My sister has a friend that uses the Minimed. She too talks about bad canula points and insertion problems etc, so I don't feel it's an Omnipod issue. But sometimes sure feels like it is. Fortunately it's not the norm for problems like this. I've only had a couple bad locations/insertions in the past 6 months.
You're absolutely right that it's not just an Omnipod issue. I've definitely had issues with my Minimed pump in the past. I think it's just the newness of the whole thing that adds an extra layer of drama/stress. Especially as I'm a bit of a perfectionist and I want to be an Omnipod master from the get-go!
I hear you on the "bleeders" when you pull a site out. After all these years of pricking my fingers for blood sugar tests, going to the lab and having blood drawn, etc., a bleeder still has the capacity to make me so squeamish and woozy that I feel the need to sit down and put my head between my knees!
