I just had my first experiance hitting a nerve with the OmniPod… I put the pod on my bum, a pretty normal site for me, and when the cannula was inserted… OUCH! Instant tears and excruciating pain. I have a really high pain tolerance too (this was significantly more painful than tearing my rotator cuff!)
Stupid me, I didn’t want to deal with ripping the brand new adhesive off, and I thought the pain would subside (as other painful, though less extreme insertion sites had) after some time. I didn’t want to waste a good pod!
I left it on until just after my first bolus, when I went through the whole ordeal all over again!
I ripped it off then and there and said "Honey. We have an hour to get home."
Has this happened to anyone else? You can't see the site anymore but it is still pretty tender...
Yes, MANY times…I find that I tend to remember exactly WHERE those “tender” spots are (usually on my stomach or hip) and avoid them like the plague! I’ve actually never had to replace the pod after a painful canula insertion…but there is a first time for everyting, so I’ll expect to feel it next painful insertion!
while I do have a ot of painful insertions, I’ve never felt anything like this. In fact, it felt even worse than getting your blood gas drawn at the hospital…I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t have even been possible to leave it on for more than the 4 hours I did have it on…
When i wear the pod on my arms, or other more muscular areas, I’ll get a little “stinging” (ish…kinda…more like the feeling when they fluch out a pic or IV line, I guess…) when I bolus…
With this whole nerve incident, the only bolus I took literally knocked me over it hurt so bad…
I get that pain when I hit muscle, I’m very thin. It never hurt again when I did a bolus but it does keep bothering me when I move around, I think that is because the cannula is rubbing on muscle. I then pull the pod and pick a better spot.
YIKES!! I’ve felt your pain. I’ve had two serious shoulder surgeries (looks like I lost a couple of battles with a samuri) and that blood gases draw…could have punched out the tech. Seriously!! Ive only had this happen with my pod once…ripped the sucker off and most of the skin beneath it–more pain!!!
I normally use the site above my hip on my left side. Most times when the cannula injects it isn’t half as painful as sticking my finger. Except there is one tiny area that I use that I call the dead zone. It is like fire when I put it there. I try to tough it out until the pain goes away but it never does. So I end up ripping it off my body and start all over with a new one.
If you talking about the area high on the butt, I sometimes use it there but I have to be careful. If I go too high it will hit muscle because I don’t have much fat there. If it is too low on my butt it interferes with wearing jeans so I usually just use my tummy area. One time I put it too high on my butt and it hurt so bad I couldn’t even get it off. I was screaming get it off get it off when my sister came and pulled off for me. It took me a month to get up enough courage to try it again.
There is a certain pain I get when I hit muscle, I too amd pretty thin and know exactly the feeling you are talking about… but this was something else entirely… sounds a lot like the time where your sister had to help you out. OUCH!
When I first started podding, I had it on my stomach and it had been there for a day. All of a sudden I was bolusing and I felt this horrible pain, different than the burning I sometimes get though. So, I called omnipod and they told me its probably touching a nerve and to remove it if its too uncomfortable. It came off.
These are starting to sound like horrible worrisome stories one hears about people’s experience at the dentist…you’re fine with it all, but still…there ARE those stories you’ve heard. Yikes!
that is exactly why I waited a couple of hours (foolishly)… I didn’t want the nerve pain AND the pain from ripping off the pod… I couldn’t even touch the site! My boyfriend actually sat me down and ripped it off of me without my permission. I’ll admit that in hindsight, I should have ripped it off ASAP…
that Blood-Gas draw is the worst…I remember my ab tach was the cutest pregnant woman, and before she did it, she said “I know you’ll want to punch me, but if you do, avoid the baby!”
