New user help and tips

Hello so I am so excited I start my omnipod to tommow. I finily got approved after a long hard battle. With insurance... If been a T1 for about 10yrs and a pumper 8or9 with animas till now,,,, I was wondering what kind of tips and hint you could shear with me thanks

Don't forget to keep track of Blood Sugar Levels and adjust as necessary. I know, I know, you have been a diabetic for a long time, but I believe most of us tend to forget or deliberately choose not to test occasionally. Almost always leading to higher A1C levels that we or our Dr's would like to see.

The Omnipod is a pretty darned good machine, and unless you have issues with a bad box of pods, you should likely have no issues. My biggest problem is that it is almost too convenient and I will forget to bring the actual PDM with me since you really don't need it except when changing pods and/or requiring an extra bolus... meaning I tend to leave it at my desk, and will leave home without it (bad memory due to age I suspect, or maybe that is just an excuse for being lazy?)

Even though I'm on the Omnipod, I'm curious as to why you're switching from the animas to the omnipod. Were you unhappy with the animas?

welcome to the omnipod family. Advice, not much different then other pumps except for the freedom of no tubes. so I don't really have any advice but enjoy.

One thing a colleague of mine who was a traditional pumper and tried a couple of my old pods said was his basal went down. With the ability to put the pod in places that the traditional pump couldn't go, bypassing the scar tissue, allowed his ratios to change and use less insulin. I would definitely go back to basics, basal test, and get new figures.

If needed, shave the areas where you place the pod. A rotary electric shaver works great. This will improve adhesion to the site.

Don't use antibacterial soap unless indicated by physician. You want your skin to maintain healthy, noninvasive flora. Of course swabbing the area with alcohol to clean the skin surface is fine.

Invert the filling syringe after filling with insulin (needle down) and tap-tap bubbles up to the plunger. Wait 30 seconds or longer for all the slow small "champagne" bubbles to rise up, then fill pod. After pod is filled and before priming you can hold it with the fill port down and the long axis of the pod parallel to the ground and tap-tap bubbles again so they collect to the exit of the reservoir. I know this after disassembling the new pods. I used to do it routinely with the old pods (a different plumbing configuration though). I don't know if it actually helps reduce bubbles in the reservoir or pod problems, but it does not seem to affect my experience- no pod failures for four months now. Also no priming failures with the old generation of pods for over a year, and only two occlusions.

If the pod is on the back of the upper arms it can get knocked loose by banging into door frames, etc. I use Hypafix 2" rolls and secure the pod with 1"x2" strips cut from the roll. Hypafix seems better than other varieties I have tried.

The "post pod change highs" that have been reported here and elsewhere seem to be much reduced with the new generation pods. I have inspected the reservoirs of the new pods when removed and the residual gas bubble volume is much less. That is likely the problem with the old pods as I have documented here.

When exercising or reducing basals drastically to avoid hypoglycemia, do not "suspend" delivery; rather reduce to -90%, for example, so as to maintain positive pressure at the delivery site and reduce the chance for occlusions to form.

Well as of this afternoon I am now a podder all is going well and man dose it feel strange having both my pockets free and am looking forward sleeping cord free to
Any and all tips are handy thianks

Awesome, enjoy

I wear mine 90% on the side of my butt cheek and hip. Great lace, you will rarely notice it's there.

Well I am now 5 days in of wairing the pod if tried both arms and looks it there and also my side and its fine there.... And I'm realy am loving it its so much more freedom... Expecely at night I can now not wire paints.. Any other tips you can shear??? Any parts of the body that tend to be bad???? How do you remember witch way to place the pod on different parts of your body thanks

arms and legs is vertical stomach, back, hip etc. is horizontal so glad you are enjoying it. in your manual that came with the pod you should of gotten a picture of the places you can put your pod and the position if not here is the site that shows you.

http://myomnipod.ca/content/en/the-omnipod/how-it-works.html

Or what do you use to help taking the pod off easier?????

Taking it off after a shower helps. People also use lotions or adhesive remover. The one I have is from smith & nephew.