Ok DH has been sick for the past 2 days and did not bolus for over 24 hours - kept his basal going but no need to bolus. His pod is now expiring today and he still has 50+ units still in the pod. Is there a way to override the expiration and extend the use of this pod to use at least some of that 50 units?
I’ve been wondering the same thing. Last week i was sick and didnt bolus but once for only 2.1 units and when it was time to change it, i felt bad for wasting so much insulin. But as far as i knew there was no way to extend it and my CDE said not to take out insulin from the pod after you’ve used the pod…
Hopefully there is a way to do it though, because insulin isn’t cheap.
The pod will last 80 hours max. After 80 hours it will shut down. I was told this by someone at Insulet and also my trainer. I went past 72 hours but my BG started to rise. My doctor thinks it was because I wore the pod to long. After a certain period of time the pod will start yelling at you every 15 minutes.
Ditto Lisa. 72 hours + an 8 hour grace period. Then it will shut down. I’ve taken mine right to 80 hours without a problem. YMMV.
In order to save the insulin, you can stick the syringe back into the hole on the underside of the pod and extract the insulin. I’ve done this before, and save a good amount of insulin. It’s worth a try!
I’m with Emily Joy… I’ve done the same thing. No way am I going to waste that amount of insulin. “They” say that the insulin breaks down and is less efficient. Whatever… I check my BG a lot and will correct if need be. Haven’t had an issue with it though.
Also, I NEVER change my pod @ 72 hours. I figure that if I wait out the 8 grace hours each time, I will save myself several pods/year… It’s been great. The beeping is even ok during the night. It’s only when you take it beyond the 8 hours that it starts SCREAMING at you. That’s ok. THAT will wake me up! I am getting to the place that I always end my 3 day 8 hour session with less than 10 units. It’s gotten to be a silly game that I play with myself.
I agree to wear the pod to the maximum time possible, but i would caution against extracting any remaining insulin after the 80 hours. Keep in mind that insulin begins to degrade above 86 (?) degrees, so by the end of three days in contact with your body you are not working with “full strength” insulin any longer.
Thanks - he did end up changing out the pod at about 3 hours past. Bc the expiration was going to be in the mid of the night. But he has kept that in mind for future reference! He had taken out insulin in the first day or so if the pod fails for some reason or he bumps it off. thanks
Vicki
I want to stress what Tim is saying. Ask any CDE or endocrinologist or endo nurse and they will all tell you the same thing - don’t re-use insulin that has been in a pod (or syringe or pump) for very long. There are reasons why those people have years of training and are paid well 
Not only does insulin break down and lose effectiveness, you are increasing the chance of contamination and infection. Having a significant amount of insulin left in an expired pod should not happen very often; is it really worth risking your health to save 50 units every once in a while?