I like the OmniPod in general, but I am having a hard time figuring out a good place to put it. I am not a heavy person, but I’m not super thin, either - sort of medium. The trainer told me I could not put it on my upper-stomach (not enough fat). But if I put it at the same level of my belly button, or lower, then it’s rubbing against my pants. I tried my side, but that seems to interfere with my seatbelt and sitting in chairs. Now I am trying my upper-arm today. Seems OK except I can only sleep on 1 side and it’s very noticeable even through a winter sweater. Also, when it’s on my stomach, I worry I will dis-lodge it even when I’m doing things like tying my shoes. Do other people have problems with this? The leg option seems crazy…all my pants rub against it and I don’t think that could work at all.
Also, I plan to become pregnant soon. Is there anyone using this who is pregnant? My Endocrinologist said I could not wear it on my protruding belly (when the time comes). So, I guess my side and my arm would be the only options when pregnant. Any thoughts?
I really like the back of my upper arm. Are you wearing it on the back part, like in the area of the tricepts muscle? In that position, I hardly notice it during the day or in sleep. Maybe you’ve got it too far towards the outside part of your arm…?
I wear mine on the belly just above the belly button (the adhesive actually extends to even with the belly button) and about4-5 inches away from the belly button. I don’t mind it there too much except during sleep - it is really noticeable to me when I try to sleep on my side or stomach and when I roll over (which I do a lot).
For the legs, I put it only on the inner part of my upper thigh. I find that in that location only one pair of jeans I have will rub and even then not very much.
I started the Pod 3 weeks ago and am still looking for that “great” spot. I do like it on the abdomen, and upper arm. I think it’s just a matter of trying different spots untill you go " AHHHHHHHHH thats it".
I’ve only been on it for a couple of weeks, but it seems to work best on my butt. Right now my shoulder’s frozen, so it’s hard for me to reach my left arm- and I have to do PT on the right- so I haven’t used them yet.
I’ve found that I like it on my upper arm the best. You can kind of see it but I really dont’ care about that. I’m more concerned w/the comfort of it and the arm is the best fit for me. My lower back to the side was pretty good too but not so comfy when driving.
Hey there
I’ve been on the pod for about a year and half and yeah, sometimes it is a pain to find a place to wear them. I will tell you that I do wear mine mostly on my arms and lower abdomen and have never had any issues. In the summer I usually wear it on the abdomen due to bikini lines and in the winter I am more of an arm girl. As far as the pregnant belly is concerned: today I am 8.5 months pregnant and yes, you can wear it on the belly. It doesn’t go in far enough to cause any issues with the placenta. I would rely on your baby doc for those type of questions. I have a fabulous team with an endo, a cde and a high risk ob and I haven’t had any issues at all. My A1C is 5.7 and I really haven’t had to make many crazy adjustments to my regular lifestyle. I am also medium build and very active. The only time my pod falls off is when I knock it against the wall when I come around a corner too close. Good luck!
I wear my pod on the lower back, stomach, I tried the arm and I almost knocked it off. My favorite spot is the inner thigh.
I am not prego but my Endo said wearing the Omnipod and carrying is ok.
I am on the pod almost 2 years (not thrilled). I am 7 months pregnant. My belly is huge & I am still wearing it there. I still find it to be the most comfortable. I didn’t like my arm either - for the same reasons.
I have been on the Omnipod for 13 months now. I like wearing it on my upper arm the best. My problem is that I get a reaction to the adhesive once it gets wet. Anyone else have the pod leave a mark on you?
I haven’t read all of the posts yet. So, I’m not sure how many people have mentioned wearing it on the back. Not really the back… but, kind of at the top of your lovehandle, and closer towards your spine. This is probably the only good place to put it on your back, because other parts of your back don’t have as much fat. But, at least on me, I can pinch a good section of fat a good few inches into my back near my lovehandles. This is actually an area wear I prefer to wear mine. I’ve only been wearing them for about 3 weeks.
Places where I’ve had a lot of luck: Lower back, Hips, back of arms.
Areas where I don’t like it: the stomach. Today is the first day where I’ve placed it on my stomach… and for some off reason… i’m in a lot pain! It’s about a good 4 inches away from my belly button, and up a little. It’s just really sore. I probably won’t try this area again for a while.
Also, this is something I’ve noticed with pods. I don’t place them on an area that already protrudes a bit. Like… on my arm, when I flex it up… I can see the “shoulder muscle” protruding. I like to place it just a bit further down from that. Not more than an inch or so. But… I never place it overlapping the muscle. I usually can’t even tell it’s there. Also, on my side: I have pretty defined “lovehandles”. So… I place the pod on the top curve of the lovehandle. This way, not only is it more comfortable… it’s also less noticeable. So… anywhere on my hips and back… I place it basically in an area that’s more “sunk in”. If that makes any sense. I’ve just noticed that it’s comfortable… and the pods don’t stick on at all.
I hope this helps you! I’ve only been on the pod 3 weeks or so… but these are some things I’ve noticed. Good luck!
What do you mean on the top curve of the love handle. My first pod was placed a little above that area on the back and i felt it was awkward to bend and flex. I’m new to the omnipod probably on my fourth pod and i’ve tried very different spots. Some of these spots do not seem to absorb the insulin as well as others is this normal???
I really liked it on my thigh but my blood sugars were crazy when I had it there. I put one on my back again today and the insertion didn’t hurt but the first insulin bolus stung like crazy. I’m a little disheartened cause I thought I’d find more places than this to put the pod. I’m staying away from my stomach because of scare tissue build up from my last pump.
yes. the difference in placement does mean absorption will vary. For me, my arm absorbs better than anywhere else…but like everything else…it differs for each person! I have yet to try my back…am going to try on my next pod change!
okay. when I mean “top curve of love handle…” I mean where your hands rest when you “put your hands on your hips”. So, I place my pod along that curve… instead of on the side of the love handle.
I haven’t had any real problems with absorbtion yet. Would that mean that I would notice higher BGs when I have my pods in that spot? Because… right now… it’s on my stomach for the first time. And, I’ve noticed that my BG for the day has been averaging around 120… and that’s very uncommon for me. I’m normally 90ish. So… maybe my stomach isn’t a place to keep my pod. That, or… I’m not guessing carbs exactly (I have relatives over… and I’m eating meals I’m not used to eating…).
Having my pod on my stomach has been VERY painful today. Especially when bouncing (down the stairs, for example). I’m wondering if this is because the tissue on my stomach is much softer than that of the fat/tissue everywhere else on my body. So… it seems like it’s not staying as close to me as normal… and pulling away from me. I just put duct-tape all over it to keep it from pulling… lol. I know that there are other ways of fixing this problem… but i really don’t want to bother with that right now. I’ve never had to take a pod off early… but I may do it this time… bummer…
Emily,
The pain or soreness you’re experiencing might just be that the cannula is rubbing against a muscle or nerve. I would not give up on the belly location just yet; it might just be bad luck. Try again sometime and see if it is any better before giving up a valuable placement spot - I consider them worth saving because I only have a limited supply
I never realized how close to the edge of a doorway I walk, until I started putting the pod on my arms about 2 weeks ago. I have bumped the pod pretty hard and it has stayed on until last night. On my way to bed I caught it and ripped most of it off and I had just put it on 4 hours earlier. I told my wife that I was going to start wearing “curb finders”, some may remember the springy wire things attached to the wheel area of cars back in the 70’s and early 80’s. They help people parrell park and make a faint noise when they hit the curb of the sidewalk??
Anyway I got most of the insulin out and put on a new one. It’s on my back love handle. I’m not sure I like it there. I do like it on my leg but I do not get good absorption there on day one. Usually day 2 and 3 are OK but that first day is usually full of corrections.
Has anyone else had a similar problem with day one placements?
Has anyone else had a similar problem with day one placements?
Yes, and mostly on my inner thigh. The arms, lower-back, and abdomen don’t seem to have it, at least not as drastic. I’ve found that giving a bolus of 1 unit right after placing a pod on my thigh tends to help, but even that is not enough sometimes. So when I use the thigh locations I just test every hour or two for the first 8-12 hours (I always change pods in the morning).
