Hi everyone! This is my first post to TuDiabetes! So bear with the newbie for just a moment :)
My 6 year old (excuse me, 6 1/2, as he loves to point out) was diagnosed with Type 1 July of last year. We were doing fairly well with his A1C and logging, so the docs decided to let us try out a pump. Since Dad had disasters trying to get a morphine pump trial going by yanking the tubing out not once, but twice, we figured our klutzy son would follow in his footsteps! So we decided on the OmniPod
We got it on the 8th. We had two pods stay on the full 3 days (or close to it) but no luck ever since!! It seems like nothing we're doing is helping keep the darned things on!
To be fair, our boy is a hugely rough and tumble boy. To add to it, attention to detail isn't his strong suit, so we can remind him every 2 minutes to watch the Pod, to be aware of it, etc, but it goes in one ear and out the other
I also have to confirm with the hospital today if they want him changing out every 2 days or every 3; there seems to be some disagreement between CDEs and the practitioners and the Insulet staff on that. But the fact of the matter remains....how in the world can we keep them on and in for the full length of time???
They ARE right; it seems getting a pump IS like being diagnosed all over again...we were just sort of kind of getting the hang of this
Hi Ali…welcome. There has been a lot of discussion about this in this group…look back through the library. For me sticking was an issue in the heat until I started using Skin Tac wipes. I am not an active 61/2, but I have not bumped off any pods. The extra sticking power might help. For young skin, you might need to soak the pods off with baby oil after using the Skin Tac.
Active people have had luck wearing bandage type wraps around their arms, legs or torsos…not sure how feasible that is for a child everyday.
I wear my pod for the full 3 days, plus 8 hours if it still has insulin. Occasionally, the infusion site gets a bit inflamed and Isee my #'s start to creep up telling me I can’t extend the wear that time.
Good luck.
I use Hypafix 'Dressing retention sheet", a roll of 4"X 2 yds (about $13) gives great flexibility in cutting strips to keep your pod and CGM sensor stabilized. It is breathable so dries quickly after shower or sweating, and I have had no dermatitis reaction to it.
Also, I used to use socks with the foot cut off, just the elastic ankle/calf bit, to protect pods on my arm when sleeping or knocking about.
Scott, yes, faithfully. Then prepping with IV Prep for the tackiness. Have also tried with and without skin protectant after that (per the Omnipod trainer’s advice)
We added the skin protectant after the IV prep. We’ve taken the IV Prep and rubbed the outside edge of the adhesive panel (that was from the CDE at the hospital).
We’ve added spraying the skin down with New Skin before sticking it on.
We’ve taken liquid bandage and tried “gluing” the outside edge to his skin. It seems to kind of help, but it doesn’t stay on the full 3 days.
We’ve wrapped his arm with Vet Wrap (that was one of the two that stayed the full 3 days).
We’ve had him wear athletic boxers (the modern day version of the jock strap - left over from his karate days pre-dx) when it was on his thigh. That somewhat worked but he complained it was too tight.
We wrapped his lower torso with an Ace bandage last night (it’s currently on his back).
We’ve begged and pleaded with him to be careful, but again, in one ear out the other.
The first was on his stomach, and that got ripped out within an hour of the Omnipod educator leaving the house.
The first long term one was on his left arm. It stayed on, but we had to nearly glue it on, and add tape everywhere. The vet tape kept it on the first night, but rolled in his sleep. Between the bunched up vet wrap and the adhesives galore we used, his little arm was bright red and sore.
The second long term one was on his lower back, off to the right. Didn’t do anything magical to that one, it just stuck on and didn’t move.
We went yesterday and got him some Under Armour knockoff shirts and bike shorts. He went to school today with a shirt on. We’ll see if I get a call from the nurse saying the pod came off, or that his numbers are sky high
Spooky, I went and got some Suresite Windows. I had to do the same thing, one on each half of the pod, but so far knock on wood it’s holding. Do you rememember where you found them in larger sizes or quantities? I want to search online for them, but don’t know what they might be the generic for to be able to do so?
