Saw a picture on this website where a girl put a pod on her calf. Has anyone else done this? Just curious...
I haven't tried. I pretty much don't have any body fat on my legs and it'd go straight into the muscle. I may try it, but I'm just unsure about jiggling without a sleeve on it or knocking it off when I sleep or chill on the couch.
Yep, I've done it. It feels great to have the pod out of the way! I found that I have a small site on my calf, below where the muscle connect with the mid leg (if that makes any sense!) where there is a little extra cushion. I insert there. It doesn't always work (50% success rate). I also had the WORST gusher in that location. If you give it a try, just watch your absorption rate to make sure it's working for you :) Let us know if you try it!
Yes, and it has bercome my favorite (I usually had put them on the back of my bicep, then I tried the calf, and it worked so well I have been including doing it on the calf as a regular location).
I did a pod change today, but chickened out on trying that spot...ha! I think I will next time. I'm still new to this, so I would like to try a new spot each time. Although today, I just used my other arm. I really can't wait until the smaller ones are approved! That will be so nice!
Tried it once and it was one out of the two times I got an occlusion so I haven't tried it again.
http://www.tudiabetes.org/group/omnipodusers/forum/topics/weirdest-place-you-placed-the
http://www.tudiabetes.org/group/omnipodusers/forum/topics/pod-on-calf
Here are a couple of places with some earlier discussion. I use my calf, it does get in the way sometimes when crossing my legs, or sitting on the ground. The biggest hindrance seems to be the yoga moves I feel I am doing as I get the PDM to communicate (it would be too easy to move the PDM off the counter and hold it by my calf - much easier to twist and lift my calf towards the PDM = ).
Thanks for the links...very interesting. I think I will try my calf tomorrow when I change pods.
Well, it's on my calf now....pod alarmed and quit at lunch time during bolus. No explanation - plenty of insulin left. I never had any problems with my Animas pump.....we'll see how long this one lasts. I had 24 hours left on the bad one.
Ugh - I hate that! Call insulet with the information - if a pod quits because of an occlusion, it is just bad luck. But any other pod I have had quit they have replaced. (I hate the loss of insulin, but really am able to save much of it by just inserting the needle and sucking it out the same way I put it in.) Good Luck!
Well, absorption stinks when I have the pod on my calf. Back on my thigh it is....
Rats! I was really hoping it would work out for you! Maybe the silver lining is "now you know" and you don't have to wonder? lol! Plus, I think telling people you wore a "needle" in your calf makes you sound like a total bad a$$ :)
LOL! Yeah, I really wish it would have worked. On my thigh just looks like I have a tumor or something. At least on the calf, it was out of sight. I did try both calves (ended up having to change out early because I used more insulin for corrections from being high the whole time) - ended up sucking the insulin out of the second one because I just kept hanging around the 200 mark - figured, I better not do that for another 3 days again. Woke up at 71 this morning with it being in my thigh. Huge difference. I'm still not sold on this system. I do like the lack of tubing, but it's getting real hard to get used to the size of this thing. We'll see - I'll give it more time before going back to my Ping. I wish this whole diabetes crap would just disappear.....
Either a tumor, or a new place to carry a cell phone! I can't stand it on my thigh, knock it off way more than my arm. I think it took me a year to figure out favorite placements, and absorption sites, and the "right" way for me to pinch up so I didn't feel pain with each click of insulin going in. My favorite place is still the small of my back, but I put up with arms and occasional calf to give my back a break. Good luck!