Well after all the drama with Animas we decided that Omnipod was how we wanted to go and yesterday my 13 year old daughter was officially trained and is podding with insulin. Here is my question for those of you experienced podder parents, do you have any trouble with it sticking after a shower? Yesterday she put on her first pod and all was well, but then early evening she took a shower and when she got out the only thing that was still sticking was right around the edge of the actual pod. I put some Skintac under the pod all the way around and most of it stuck, but there is still peeling up around the edges. I am just wondering if this is a common thing and if anyone has any ideas that might help.
We don’t typically have an adherence problem. However, if Caleb gets the Pod wet right after applying it, the Pod will come off. We also had some adherence issues in the beginning when using skin prep, as we were trained. When we eliminated that step, adherence was much better.
1 Like
Lorraine, did you mean LITERALLY, S&N “Skin Prep” or did you mean generically, any skin prep such as Skin Prep or Skin Tac, etc?
I am guessing maybe it was too soon to shower, but we did not use any Skintac or other skin prep products prior to putting on the Pod because we were not using any on the infusion sets, I only put Skintac on after it started coming off. We do use it on her Dexcom however, but that stays on for two weeks. What was interesting was that it literally had no stick to it once it came up it was just like cloth, that’s what made me wonder if anyone here had any experience with the same thing.
Literally S&N “Skin Prep.” Caleb cleans the site with alcohol and applies the Pod and gets good adhesion.
Hm. That seems really strange. Almost sounds like a bum Pod.
The only other time Caleb has an issue is if he’s really sweaty - I’ve seen Pods slide right off of him.
I used to use skin tac, as I do with dexcom, but I have found that the adhesive easily lasts for 3 days. I am a football coach and during the hottest part of two a day practices, and I rarely lose a pod.
1 Like
I tried Skin Tac, and then went to Skin Prep, but found the Pod stays on well for the 3 days without it. I just plaster it on myself now.
Where I have seen adhesion issues is doing things like taking off clothes and snagging it, or catching it on a doorframe, etc. If that is the case, she will get used to it.
Cal support and tell them it fell off - they will send you a new Pod.
I used the pod for years and found the only true solution to this issue for me was to
- only do a pod change immediately after a shower (or immediately after thoroughly scrubbing the placement area with soap and warm water)
- using kinesiology tape (more commonly known as KT tape) to thoroughly tape down the pod both vertically and horizontally.
I always found the adherence problem to be less of an issue in the fall and winter months, but I never had a pod come off if I followed those two steps. I used the pre cut strips of KT tape and I would cut those in half and make a cross over the pod. It’s not the prettiest thing in the world, but it sure beats losing pods as I did countless times before my sister recommended this simple trick. Good luck!!!
I rarely have adherence issues; however, I have learned to never change a pod right before a shower/swimming or before a workout. I’ve used Omnipod for 5+ years and most of my pod failures come from me running into a doorframe!
1 Like
Thanks everyone for your input. We changed out that Pod on day three, but then only got 24 hours out of the next one before it started leaking and customer service decided to replace it. No shower right afterwards with that one, it just wasn’t sticking well. The current one we put on with Skin Tac and is on day 3, but she thinks it is leaking again…I’m at work so her dad called and told me there is not a bunch of liquid in the window, but there is condensation.
Is that normal? I noticed it with her last one as well. Also we were putting IV 3000 under her infusion sets when she was on the Ping to keep the cannula from wiggling and irritating her injection site, does anyone on here do that?
I regularly get condensation in the window from sweat. Also, just after the pod change, there can be some insulin left from priming that causes a bit of “condensation”. To test for leaking, I run my finger over the adhesive on the cannula end. If it smells like insulin it is a leak, if not it is probably just sweat.
I had a couple of boxes of pods about 9 months ago where the adhesive was not very good. I ended up with some leaks (caused by cannula movement) and pods not sticking for all three days. I have not had adhesive problems since I finished those boxes off. In fact the PODs now stick really really really well. I just clean the site with alcohol, wait for the alcohol to dry, and stick the POD on. Some PODs are so sticky that I have to use alcohol (or something stronger) to remove the adhesive.