Has anyone had the problem with OmniPods that I'm having? I put on a pod & it works fine for a day or so; then my blood sugars start escalating within a 6-hour timeframe to the point that I realize no insulin is being delivered. I get no alarms & a visual inspection shows no problems. I report to OmniPod; go through the same set of questions each time; they FedEx me a replacement pod & I ship the bad pod back, but I never get any explanation of what might be wrong or if they are aware of a problem & are working on it. Aside from the negative effects of high blood sugars, I'm discarding a lot of expensive insulin! Any feedback would be appreciated!
The only time I've had issues like this is when I've had a long day at the lake and/or in the water when the adhesive starts coming up around the front part of the pod, and the canula comes out of my skin. Can't say I've had any failures without an alarm like you describe though.
As for wasting insulin, I haven't had any issues removing the insulin out of the old pod and reusing it in the next one. There's still a little waste but you can get most of it out.
Thanks for feedback. I've had no adhesive problems & canula appears to still be inserted properly. I've had limited success in withdrawing insulin from old pod.
My daughter has a similar issue occasionally. She often runs higher on her 3rd day (change day) on the pod. I have just chalked it up to the insulin breaking down and becoming less effective. I've noticed it especially in the summer when it is to hot outside. The times we have taken it off and I sent a bolus to see if it was working, the insulin has continued to come out just fine.
Thanks for your feedback also. The weather has no effect--it's happened in both cold, warm & hot temps. I never thought about trying what you describe--taking the pod off & sending a bolus to see if it gets delivered! I will try that next time it happens.
I used the OmniPod for almost 3 years and had a lot of issues, so changed from the Pod to Medtronic Revel. In your case, does your PDM give a history where you can check to see if the bolus was delivered? That might be one way you could check why your blood sugars start going up. This happened to me also when I used the Pod, but I almost always got an alarm.
I also had very limited success in removing insulin from one pod and using it in the new pod. Keep track of when you buy insulin and each and every time you have a pod failure because in my case at least, I did get reimbursed for my insulin expense. This doesn't happen very often (being reimbursed) and I had to keep meticulous records plus provide a bunch of other paper work.
Marybee
I am in the UK were they pay for our insulin. However I have had this issue a few times and have had to switch back to pens. But i also have a CGM (Navigator) which is great at giving me the heads up when the Omni does not alert. So yes is the answer, it turned out to be a bad bacth of 30 pods, 2 out of ten had an issue that did not register on the PDM - i havent had an issue since.
Gos
The PDM shows that the bolus was delivered & I get no alarm--that is what's confusing to me.
I have been reimbursed for one vial of insulin so far so that helps a bit.
Thanks for your comments!
Thanks for your feedback. You are fortunate that your insulin is paid for. My insurance covers only $500 annually for prescriptions so I blow through that in the first quarter of each year. Thanks for replying to my question.
this last week i was on vacation and went thru that problem with eight pods in a row it was so frustrating that im switching pumps, i have never been reimbursed for any of my insulin and with going thru two vials last week and no replacement of pods or insulin my insurance says they will cover a new pump and they will be monitoring OmniPod for faulty production of product and contacting the FDA about the problem and they may have to do extra testing on the new pod before insurance will cover them again.
good luck.
Sorry to hear of your problems. I had to write a letter & follow up to get the reimbursement for insulin. I once went through several bad pods in a row & when I pressed OmniPod about the possibility that they had shipped me boxes of all the same (possibly bad)lot nuber, they actually replaced several boxes. Although I have needed to be persistent a few times, their Customer Service has always ultimately come through. With the insurance coverage that I have, switching to, for instance, a Medtronic pump would cost me about $4,000 (compared to about $400 that the OmniPod cost, so I can't afford to switch, but glad that you can. Good luck to you too!
Out of 100 pods I have used so far, only about 2 have had to be replaced.
One just failed and started alarming, another had the issue you describe of no alarm and escalating blood sugar. Both were replaced.
Nose downward on the arm seems to be potentially problematic for me. I haven't had problems on the abdomen. I am very careful to get all bubbles out of the syringe when filling and to pinch up during insertion. I also fill the pod slowly and smoothly. I don't know if any of these things make a difference.
Thanks for your feedback. Interesting that "nose downward on the arm" is a problem for you because the OmniPod customer service agents have recommended that positioning to me. I usually use upper thighs & abdomen. I too make sure to get all the bubbles out of the syringe & pinch up during insertion--makes no difference as most Pods are fine, but with some I have the problem I described.
I was on the OmniPod for only 6 months because of many issues and I did have this problem like you are having. My Endo said it was an absorption issue b/c the canula might not be in far enough (it appeared fine when I checked). Anyway, my A1C shot up .6 while on the OmniPod so I went back to injections and my A1C is better than ever. Good luck!
So "nose down" does not work for me. In a strange way I kinda understand that. If I have issues it has been the batch - not the placement. At this time of year guys need to be aware of suncream - the creams and after sun can cause issues. Thats my thought. However - once you have dealt with a "bad pack" you can just get on with things.
Sorry to hear you had to go back to injections. Why wouldn't you have the same absorption issues with injections? I'm going to keep trying with the OmniPod since I have a problem about 15% of the time so that means it's fine 85% of the time.
I agree--I believe the problems stem from a bad batch or lot of Pods, not from where I position it. Good point about sunscreen creams, but not a factor for me.
I think the absorption is different because I didn't have much space for the pod to go; my legs and flanks worked OK until I had too much scar tissue (causing occlusion after occlusion), and the back of my arms never worked. I take injections in my stomach and side arm, which has better absorption. I'm glad you're doing well 85% of the time - that is awesome! It's great to have this kind of technology, isn't it? :-)
It certainly is good to have the tech on our side for once !!