I have my DIA set to 4.5 hours. It was at 4.0 hours, but I recently changed it, because my blood sugar continues to lower a bit after that.
Not only do you have to get them set right, but you have to test and change them regularly. I rarely have settings that stay the same for more than a week, because I am constantly downloading my Dexcom and looking at it and deciding if I need to make adjustments (not including temporary adjustments like temporary basal rates). It does get exhausting sometimes, but thatās the fault of diabetes, not the fault of the pump.
thanks, terry. what do you have your duration at? iām just wondering if maybe the cannula (insertion and/or length) on the POD doesnāt work for me? Brand new bottle of novolog, changed pod and blood sugars wouldnāt come down all night long with increasing basal, corrections, etcā¦Take a shot and it comes right down. So frustrated. Iāve gone 5 days straight with terribly high blood sugar ever since starting on POD and using more insulin on the pump. I know itās an adjustment but something doesnāt seem right? My Endo told me every ābodyā uses and absorbs insulin differently. Those of us who are very thin or active tend to absorb insulin more quickly.
@Sarah66, that sounds frustrating! My duration of insulin action is set at five hours.
Iām not a good one for pod questions. I tried it for five months a few years back and gave up due to some poorly absorbing sites and some occlusions. There are so many that get good results from it that I think itās worth toughing out for a while.
Your observation that you ātake a shot and it comes right downā suggests a poorly absorbing site. But there are so many factors that come into play. Even though youāve just changed pods, perhaps trying another site might be good idea.
I had another problem with pods in that I almost always had a gap in absorption and a spike in BGs between pod changes. I had to give myself a few units of insulin to ābridgeā from one pod to the next.
Thanks, Terry. When you say youād have to give insulin after POD change, was that a shot or an extra bolus with PDM. Not gonna give upā¦thanks for the encouragement. Howās Norm?
I tried various things to counteract my pod-change highs. Sometimes I would deliver a bolus with the old pod before I removed it. Sometimes Iād give an extra bolus with the new pod and other times I tried using a syringe. I donāt remember which worked best but it puzzled me why I even needed this dose. It was as if the new site took a few hours to re-establish the basal.
I was never able to get the pod right. When I went back to the Ping I experimented with new infusion sets. Before the pod trial I used the Inset 30s (angled cannula). Back on the Ping I tried the Contact Detach (metal sets) and the Insets (90 degree 6 and 8 mm). I settled on the 6mm Inset and still use that model. The Omnipod uses an angled cannula and I wonder if for some reason my body was worn out with that set since I used the Inset 30s for many years. The whole thing is still unanswered in my mind.
Thanks, Terry. Yeah, I think it may be the infusion sets for me too. I changed again today and now, after not eating for 8 hours since this AM and same with a bolus Iām dropping all morning and afternoon. . Iāve already lowered my basal rate to .30. Iām so afraid to do this on my own, canāt even think straight. I donāt know. I may wait again until I can see my pump nurse. When I start to get to 80s and still dropping I get so nervous because Iāve had some lows in the 30ās which were terrible. This has to be, obviously, the delivery of the insulin, thusā¦the way the PODS are delivering it (or not) and where Iām able (and not able) to put them. I have such little real estate already. ugh! Glad norm is well. I need a norm, still looking into that, too. My fear over this overwhelms me.
I have my duration set to 2 hours, primarily because of the non linear quality of insulin, as @Lorraine described. I donāt believe I have any issues with stacking but then Iām pretty new, have only been using the pod since June. My cde prescribed duration of 3 hours but I found that to be too long. She also prescribed a basal of .25 / hour which I find to be too little, most of the time. So for me, it has been trial and error over the last few months. Fortunately, I do see improvement but I do monitor my bg constantly with the Dexcom cgm. It is all very mentally and time consuming. My problem initially was that I would jump the gun as soon as I saw an arrow up or down on the cgm and react too soon. Instead, Iāve learned to wait a bit to be sure there really is a trend happening before I attempt to rectify the bg. Jfyi. Iām a bit like you, petite and thin and like to exercise so the pump really is the way to go esp for using temp basal rates. I have fewer lows, and fewer severe hypos since starting the pump. I wish I had started it way before. I hope you can figure out why you are getting the highs. Could your basal be too low? Can you try to increase it while carefully monitoring your bg? I guess you probably did a basal test? I know my basal drastically decreased when I went from mdi to the pod, something like a 60% decrease. But it has changed since then and now I even have multiple rates, which is something you canāt do with lantus. Maybe you need to have different rates as well?
Thanks for your reply. What is your basal rate now, what do you have your target set at. I only have one basal rate right now but yes, weāll be adjusting that. Iām trying to stay on this but I just get scared and frustrated. How much lantus were you taking? I also test and wear a CGM. I never treat anything off my CGM, always test first. IDK, this just takes work. Also, where are your wearing your PODS? THANKS!
I have multiple basal rates. They very from .25 during the day to .75 in the evening when I have sudden increase in bg. Overnight I also have a few rates, from .35 to .50. Iām still working on the overnight ones though. My lantas was 13 units which I took at 9pm. I wear the pod on the back of my arms and on each side of my back waiste line. I try to rotate 3 times on each arm and once on each back waist side. The pod is actually less invasive for me than the dexcom.
Oh, my target range is 60-140. This week Iāve been 87% in target per cgm. But the cgm can be off by as much as 30% for me so that range will be off too! Yes, I agree, I use a fingerstick, too. Whenever I have not, I paid a price. Sometimes I get too anxious though and will go ahead and treat a low without confirming. That has caused problems so I try to force myself to do a fingerstick first. Last night was actually the first time I had a problem with a pod. I had the same issue you are experiencing. My bg started to go high about 10pm. The cgm said 107 but my fingerstick showed 207! I took a correction and nothing happened. I ended up removing the pod, two days early, at 2am. And immediately my bg began to go down on the new pod. I donāt know what happened.
I just found the following link on Google while I was searching for Omnipodās customer support telephone number to call about my failing pod last night.
This site is hosted by the attorney of the class action lawsuit, so it is biased. In any case, apparently the FDA did issue a warning to Insulet for releasing known faulty omnipods. Maybe one of us are using them:(
Wow, your target is 60? I have my CGM set at 80ā¦if Iām buzzing and going down at 80, Iām already, probably in the 60sā. I could never be stable on a 60 or even 70. Iām done with the PODS. I saw my Endo Tuesday and she said her experience is that at least one pod will go bad within the monthly supplies, and probably more. It makes no sense. I could not get my blood sugars down with both PODS and I was using a ton of insulin, even increased my basal to .45. I take a shot and it goes down. Iām back on 8 units total levemir and shots. I know the transition from MDI to Pump can be arduous but that was ridiculous. Maybe the cannula just didnāt work well with my body and little fat? IDK. Weāre working together for the next two weeks to get a better MDI basal and bolus rates and then Iāll start on my Revel - Medtronic with the pump nurse. I wonāt try the PODS again.
A lot of people love the pods and swear by themā¦ Sorry to hear they werenāt for you. Iāve talked to people whoāve used them for years without a failureā¦
[quote=āSarah66, post:32, topic:48029ā]
I saw my Endo Tuesday and she said her experience is that at least one pod will go bad within the monthly supplies, and probably more.[/quote]
That was my experience. I was surprised since I had used insulin pumps for 25 years at the time and fully expected a successful run with the pods.
Good luck with the MedT pump! I know it felt like going home when I went back to my Animas Ping after my failed pod trial.
Iām a newbie compared to you, @Terry4, but my experience with Omnipod was not too positive. Though I did manage fairly good control with the Pod, I needed quite a bit more insulin to do so. In addition, I had one or another Pod fail every 3-4 weeks. I had a MUCH better experience with the Asante Snap (tubed), so when Animas called me to tell me that I still qualified for their Asante trade-in deal, I jumped at it. And yes, I felt and feel more āAt homeā with the Vibe than I ever did with the Pod (even in my limited experience).
Sorry to hear the pods did not work for you but glad you will be trying the Medtronic pump. The pods make a huge, positive, difference in my life. Iāve only had 2 bad pods since June. But each of us are different and better to learn what works and what doesnāt right away! Good luck with the mdi, too.
I am sorry to hear the PODS didnāt work for you, but glad to hear that you are moving forward and MDI is having some positive effects for you.
I know that when I started pumping, one of the desirable features was the ability to have different basal rates @ different times of the day. This was not only helpful with the Darn Phenomenon, but also with different times of the day when my metabolism seems to speed up/down.
I think I have 5 or 6 different basal rates, depending on the time of day. It certainly makes a big difference, as Iām very insulin resistant in the mornings (DP) and I need very little overnight.
Howās Norm?
I need a norm, still looking into that, too. My fear over this overwhelms me.