We just started 2 days ago on the pod. My daughter uses less than 200 units in 3 days (but we filled our first pod anyhow.) We put the pod on Saturday about 10 AM. Today is Monday night.
Will the pod deactive itself after a certain number of hours or when the pod is getting low?
I will change it every 3 days (same as we did when she was using an Animas pump) but need to know if we start counting down hours as soon as it is activated. Will it keep giving basals or does everything just turn off?
Also, I did the saline test and found it to hurt a lot when the cannula inserted - a lot more than her old infusion sets. My daughter cried when it went it (on her tummy.) We did squeeze the skin as the instructions indicate and used numbing cream for her.
I take shots and honestly, shots hurt me a lot less than when the pod cannula inserted. So, what are we doing wrong and any tips on how to make them hurt less? She is already dreading a site change tomorrow.
Thanks so much!
The Pod will continue to deliver insulin according to the basal program and you can bolus up to 80 hours. Somewhere before 72 (based upon your settings), it will beep to remind you when it will expire. At 72 hours, it will register as “expired” but will continue to work up until 80 hours. At that point, it will deactivate and you will know it bc there will be a long, steady “BEEEEEP”.
As far as insertion pain, sometimes Caleb says it hurts, sometimes he says it didn’t hurt at all, sometimes he says it only hurts a little bit. It varies. We do not pinch up, although I know a lot of people have success with that. We were trained to push it in a little while inserting. The pinch up resulted in a couple bleeders for us - but I don’t think we are the norm.
Here’s Caleb talking about the pain, if it helps at all preparing for the change: Does the Pod Hurt?
It runs to 72 hrs. Then the pod “expires”. However it will actually continue to deliver (with occasional ‘reminder’ alarms about the expired pod) until 80 hrs. At this point it will have a continuous alarm (which is really annoying) and will stop all insulin delivery. There should be an area on the bottom of the ‘home’ screen that tells you when the pod expires (which is again the 72 hr mark…so you have longer than what it says, if you don’t mind the reminder alarms that will beep during that 8 hr period).
There is a setting which you designate that will alarm you by units or time when the pod nears expiration. For example, I have mine set for 1 hr before the 72 mark, in addition to 15 units left before empty. If I run low before the time, this will alarm. If not, the 1 hr marker will beep at me.
I have a total daily dose of about 50 units, so I fill mine with about 150 (plus a little), so that I don’t waste much at all. You should base your filling on how much your daughter will use (no need to max it out if you’re not using it).
I don’t find the cannula insertion any more or less painful than previous infusion sets on other types of tubed pumps. I know on occasion I hit (or nearly hit) a nerve, and I end up ripping the pod off right after insertion (only happened once or twice maybe). I would recommend continuing to squeezing the skin up during the insertion process–try as many different sites as you can (outside of her tummy) to see if there are any areas that hurt less…just make sure you’ve got a little adipose tissue to work with.
Good luck as you adjust to the pump! I would say to stick with it and it will get better as you learn the tricks of getting it inserted and delivering successfully!
Deactivation:
The pod will expire after 72 hours. I predict it will start letting you know this around 8 AM tomorrow morning (letting you know that it will expire in two hours, etc). Even when it is about to expire, your basal rates will be going, you can bolus, etc. Even once it has expired, it will have an 8 hour grace period where it will alarm to let you know it’s expired, but you can still bolus and your basal rate will continue (as long as you have insulin in there). After 80 hours, a high-pitched annoying beep will let you know it’s dead-dead (turn this off by acknowledging that it’s done on the PDM).
This beep will also happen when it runs out of insulin (which you can set to let you know when it should warn you the reservoir is low) or when it malfunctions.
I’ve never had much pain with the cannula, but there are the details I do know fairly well. Good luck with it - hope your daughter does well!
Thank you for such wonderful advice and your encouragement. We will keep trying!
The biggest reason we switched from Animas (a company we love) was so my daughter now could do her own site changes and set up the pod for herself (something she was not able to master on her old pump.) The only drawback so far is getting used to toting a PDM around. We made a special place for it where it ALWAYS goes when we are done using it. Still, I am going to buy a backup because we live in the kind of chaotic household where a PDM could go missing…
Again, thank you so much!
My daughter was so impressed to hear from you! Caleb is somewhat of a celebrity and she knew exactly who he was. In fact, she was very encouraged to try the pod after seeing his video (thank you for that.)
We will try some no pinching and see if that helps. Maybe part of my daughter’s pain was the loud pop startled her. I told her it was coming (it had startled me!) but she still jumped.
Again, thank you. Tell Caleb he has fans in Southern California and it was very brave of him to share his experience. At least one little girl is now using a pod because he made it seem less scary.
Thank you! It is a relief to know we won’t get stuck somewhere (we live in a fire and earthquake zone) and be totally out of luck at the 72 hour mark. 
Oh that is so cool! Thank you for letting me know and I will tell Caleb!
I have to say it did take a few Pod changes for him to get used to it. Everyone in the house needs to be perfectly still and silent when it’s insertion time. He knows there is a click, click and then the POP. I think knowing when to expect helps. It also helps when he is relaxed. Every once in a while he tenses up in anticipation and I remind him to just relax (so hard to do, I know), but I definitely notice his reaction is greater if he tenses up.
Good luck!
I will always try to last out the extra 8 hours if feasible, but occasionally, my numbers start to rise and I know it is time to change the Pod. All that is made pretty easy to figure out…you’ll have it down, shortly. I use less than the maximun as well, but fill a bit extra as I have better coverage for insulin than I do the Pods.
I have only had discomfort worth noting during insertion once in a year of using the Pod. As Bradford experienced, I must have hit a nerve and I changed the site. Normally, I would describe it as a sharp, but brief, sting.
Good luck. I hope your daughter is able to enjoy the OPod.
Congratulations to your daughter and you for being such troopers! I use about 25 units of insulin a day, so I only fill my pod with 90 - 100 units, and continue to wear it close to the 80 hour mark, or change it earlier, depending on what is the most convenient for the day. I agree that the cannula hurts more than shots, but a once every three days pain instead of 6 times a day? I especially notice the pain on my arm and back. My biscuits are pain free, so I think the trick is to hit the fat = ).
You do not need to worry about counting down hours, if the pod goes beyond it’s time, it lets you know. Loud and clear = ).
I don’t know how much the infusion set for the Animas pump stuck, but the pod REALLY sticks. For a less stressful site change, time it for after a shower or bath, or use some type of adhesive remover.
I will post what works for my daughter. We don’t use Emla. We use ice. I use almost a whole piece of ice to make sure she is good and numb, rubbing for 3-5 minutes. She does not feel the insertion at all. My daughter almost passed out the first time she put on a Pod because she was soooo scared. I am not joking and it took her at least 15 minutes to recover. She scared me. A Pod change is nothing to her now.
We ALWAYS leave the old Pod on for a minimum of one hour because it takes the body time to absorb the insulin around the canula. A couple of minutes before I am ready to put on the new Pod I will deactivate the old Pod. I always mark the old Pod with a Sharpie so that there is no mistake as to which one to remove. We also use baby oil to remove the old Pod. I saturate the adhesive several times and let it sit. The adhesive will start peeling up on it’s on. You have to be patient as this takes time. When we don’t let the baby oil set long enough my daughter’s skin she will get red from the removal. After I remove the old Pod, I take a tiny bandaid with a drop of antibotic ointment and cover the old site.
I do not do site changes with showers. I think really warm water can elevate blood sugar (not sure) and I always want to make sure the Pod is working. I don’t want to question if a high number could be from a shower.
I do always gently pinch up at the canula end and put my other finger on the Pod to keep it from kicking back when the needle pops back into the Pod. I think this helps to get the canula properly inserted. We always do a Pod changed before a meal. The thinking there is to blow it out and get the insulin flowing good.
My daughter has Skype, email, and facebook if your daughter needs anyone to talk to.
Lorraine, my daughter was also very encouraged by Caleb and watched all of his videos who knows how many times. Thank you for all your hard work!!!
All your questions seem to have been answered, so I will just say hi and welcome.
@daisycolors-the ice thing sounds like a great trick! Quick question though. Does putting the ice on the skin make it more difficult for the pod adhesive to stay on the skin?
Just a comment on the shower comment: I’ve never heard or read of any evidence that warm water on the skin will elevate BG; you might say that I’m more read than the average diabetic, having been trained in the medical field and having a doctor for a father and a nurse/PA for a mother 
Seriously, I almost always change after a shower and have never noticed any correlation between that and my BG levels. And I find the shower to be the most effective aid to pod removal, and the least messy.
Hope this helps.
We have the same experience as Eric with showering. No difference in BGs at all.
What awesome tips - we will try the ice and baby oil. I have noticed her skin was very red when we pulled of the first pod.
Tonight she filled her own pod all by herself - she was so proud and so was I! Thanks to all the great tips people have shared with me I would say things are going well. Except… tonight we went out to a restaurant to celebrate my son’s birthday. Just before we were seated I reached into my purse for the PDM only to realize I had left it at home! Fortunately, the restaurant was only 15 minutes away so I was able to go home and get it and got back before the food was served.
I think we will be getting a back up PDM!
I will ask Elizabeth is she would like to talk with your daughter. Thank you so much for offering her such kind support.
Thanks Elaine. I love your doggie picture! We are dog lovers here - my daughter has a diabetes service dog who is fabulous. Works better than a CGMS but sheds more.
There are a few people here that have diabetes service dogs. That just sounds so wonderful to me. I’d love to hear more about these sweet creatures. Aren’t you lucky…like an angel on earth helping you watch over your precious child!
I’m glad your Pod experience is improving. Keep us posted.
We do not have any problems keeping the pod on. When I finish with the ice I wipe the skin dry really good.
Thanks Eric for the great info.