I've been having quite a number of problems with my Pods these days. It seems like I'm replacing them every day. It costs me roughly $25 for a pod through my insurance including insulin and they just aren't lasting. There will be times when they'll last three days and there will be times when I'll go through them like crazy. It's kind of annoying. The only place I can put them relatively safely is the backs of my arms. I get blisters under the adhesive when I put them on my stomach or my sides. I've had numbers of failures in the priming phase, a number of unexplained occlusions, and several failurs that I can't attribute to anything at all. I've had a few that I've filled with insulin that never turned on. I go through roughly 50 units a day so I alway fill them with 200 units. My PDM shuts off all the time on it's own and I have a couple different basal programs so when it's time to change from one basal rate to another I've notices that it doesn't change because the pdm isn't working. I'll have to take the batteries out and put them back in before it will turn back on.
I'm really frustrated because when everything is working like it's supposed to I have great control but there are lots of times when I'm doubting whether or not my pod is working based on my glucose levels. I've also noticed that sometimes after a bolus I'll see insulin seeping out from around the canula making me doubt whether or not I'm actually getting the full bolus.
I rarely ever have a problem with the adhesive sticking to my skin but after a couple of days the pod has usally gotten floppy and has started to tear away from the fabric so I'll have to glue it, tape it, put an arm band around it, or just wait till it tears completely off.
I think that I have much better control when I'm on the pump, less lows than when I'm just on the shots, but it's getting rediculously expensive.
Have any of you used another pump previous to your omnipod and have switched back because you didn't like it? Are there any benefits to useing another pump? If you have had OmniPod and swithched to a different pump which pump would you reccomend? I live a very active lifestyle.
I think we’ve all had some problems with the pod b ut I still love mine! If I have one fail, I draw the insulin back out of it and put it in the new one so I’m not wasting any and that has worked for me. Plus if you call Insulet they will replace almost any bad pod except for ones that alarm as an occulsion. I’ve founnd the back of my arm to be the place where I have the least problems but I don’t like to wear it there except in winter when I wear long sleeves. I put mine on my back in the fattyish area by my side and haven’t had many problems there.
Good Luck to you!!
Really sounds as if you need to work with Insulet on some of those problems. Esp the PDM. Mine has worked flawlessly since I’ve had it for more than a year. It shouldn’t just shut down unless batteries are low. I would think they should send you a new one as long as you document in detail what problems it has caused you. I do occasionally have pod problems which I imagine everyone does. But not with the frequency you report. I don’t recall ever having a priming issue. There have been two or three occlusions over the past year. I switched from the mini-med and I really like the fact that the Omni has no tubing. I have heard thru my diabetes educator that the Animus is highly recommended and I believe it will eventually work with the Dexcom CGM. Currently my insurance won’t cover a CGM and I can’t afford to pay $1000 for one right now. I used to have the Minimed CGM but was so disappointed with its inaccuracy that it’s been sitting on a shelf for the past several months. I had the opportunity to try the Dexcom CGM for a week and it gave my doc really good data to help fine tune the Omni. I would use one if I could afford it.
I just switched from the OmniPod, which I had for almost 2 years, to the Minimed Paradigm Revel 723. I’ve only been on the Revel pump for two days, so I can’t give you a lot of information about it. I do like the traditional pump as my insulin delivery seems to be more stable than it was on the OmniPod.
My PDM did the same things that yours is doing and finally I just got plain tired of never knowing whether it was going to ‘behave’ itself or not. Check the OmniPod users discussions and you will find a thread I started about the PDM turning on and off by itself.
You can call Insulet every time a PDM has a problem and depending on what the problem is, they will replace it. I should know, they replaced 5 of them for me in 14 months.
If your skin is very sensitive you may want to try a body wash that has no fragrance in it - or - you can use Tegaderm HP on your infusion site and then apply the OmniPod.
So sorry you are frustrated. I liked the OmniPod, but I could not afford to keep replacing the pods and PDM after I went on Medicare. Medicare does not pay anything at all for the OmniPod. Best wishes to you.
Knuckle- I agree with Alesha, clubkobe and Mayumi on everything they have said. I think I may be the longest “podster” in this group, as I was one of the “Pilot” users back in '05. During the past 5 years I have had about every known problem that surfaces in this group, and had my share of ffrustrated calls to INsulet. I must say, however, that Insulet has worked with me on each problem and we have always arrived at a solution. I had one bad PDM and they sent me a new one overnight. I know the feeling of going back on MDI for a few days, while I was working through an entire box of pods that were going bad on me one after the other. I found a great solution when my trainer called me and suggested that every time I have a problem with a pod I give her a call direct and she drives to my house to deliver a few pods, which she had done several times now. It is a bit aggravating from time to time, but for me its worth the increased control without the inconvenience of tubing, and in addition, I like the fact that Insulet is working with DExcom on the “external artificial Pancreas” and I want to be right there for it when it comes out (projection, 2012). I would offer the advice: be patient…call insulet, let them know what is happening, let them know you are very frustrated, and see if they offer any additional advice! FYI: There is a pump in the works called the “solo”…to be released either later this year or early next year, see it at solo4you.com it looks very much like the omnipod with majjor improvements: a detachable insulin reservoir, so if you have a “bad” pod or a “bad” infusion site, you can just detach the reservoir, and use a new pod in a new location without wasting any more insulin. I am sure Insuliet is working on someting similar…I certainly have mentined it enough times to them! (“You guys know about this thing, right?..I am gonna switch as soon as It’s available!”) In any case, good luck, and above all: PEACE.
jim - I believe the basal programs are delinvered to the pod during priming, but i may be wrong. If I am, I am sorry and if anyone knows different pls post!
I just talked to them an hour or so ago. I left a message earlier this morning. Took them a few hrs to get back to me. I had a pod go bad before I even opened the box, it was beeping and I had to crack the pod to get it to stop. Good luck. Sorry about your problems. R u filling each of the pods out of the same vial of insulin?
My son had a PDM fail on our first vacation after diagnosis… called them…they said the pod will continue to deliver the basal even w/out communication…but he had to change the pod inorder to bolus so we did and then the pdm had to wait 3 hrs to calculate his Boluses… once the cycle for him was up… otherwise it didn’t know his IOB…
That wasn’t too bad to do manually…but finding something to put in the little hole under the batteries to rest the thing…ARG! Finally used my earring!!! LOL
If you haven’t been working closely with your area Insulet rep then call them and explain your frustration. I know my area rep will go the extra mile to ensure that both my son and I are pleased with using the Omnipod. Like I just mentioned both my son (who is 17) and myself both use the Omnipod and we have very few problems. My son is very active (sports, girls, etc) and I swim and run daily so we push the capabilities of the pod to the max. Most of the problems we have are do to pod changes but after a quick call to customer support a new one is dispatched. Like one other had stated if we have a pod failure when we change we also draw the insulin and then watch to see if we have control problems
Again my advice is to contact ur rep and work closely with them before leaving the pod. I really am 100 percent behind this product and feel it has made a huge difference in my life. It is not perfect but once you understand the limitations you will have much more success
I am very happy to read this post! My son started the omni pod 3 weeks ago and we were going thru pods like crazy with crazy alarms that didnt make any sence at all! My rep and the person on the phone from inselet told me they have never heard of some one having as many problems as I have had! Once again thanks tudiabetes!!!
I am very happy to read this post! My son started the omni pod 3 weeks ago and we were going thru pods like crazy with crazy alarms that didnt make any sence at all! My rep and the person on the phone from inselet told me they have never heard of some one having as many problems as I have had! Once again thanks tudiabetes!!!
