Thanks Eric and Bradford for the information. I will let you know what happens when I contact Insulet. My husband and I agree that either they need to rewrite the manual to say do not turn off the PDM or replace my PDM; we believe that my PDM is defective.
Natasha, I to use the lithium batteries and it showed a full battery for about two months, maybe a little longer, then went to 1/2 battery life and then died in two days. I was expecting a little longer life than two days after PDM shows 1/2 battery life. It’s good to know that has happen to others.
This happens because lithium batteries have very different discharge characteristics than traditional (alkaline) batteries and the battery-life meter in the PDM was built with the characteristics of alkalines in mind. The same thing is true (to a lesser extent, in my experience) when using rechargeable batteries in the PDM. If you’re going to use non-alkaline batteries, I’d recommend always having an extra set with you.
Also, for people using lithiums, you should educate yourself about storing/transporting them. For example, transporting them during air travel.