I have been using the omnipod for a little over 2 years (I had a minimed for many years before that). I love the pod but have been having problems lately with insulin absorption in my regular sites (abdomen and lower back). Especially having problems with highs the first 12 hours or so after changing sites. Where else should I try placing my pod? I know a lot of people use their arms- I have never tried this mostly because I prefer that it is not visible and also seems like it could get in the way at the gym. Has anyone tried higher up on the back? What about legs? I haven't tried my legs because it seems like it will be a weird visible lump under jeans and tighter pants, but I am open to suggestions. I am a very active mother of 3 - I work out pretty much everyday mostly at the gym and run outside about once a week.
I love wearing it on my thighs. Works really well for me. I also wear mine on my arms as well. I know of people who wear them on their calves too. I don’t because i have young kids who would try to climb on it or pull at it to get my attention especially my 13 month old.
Cherise, Your outer thighs on the side or more on the top or bottom? Or i guess inner thighs could work too? where exactly do you place it? Thanks :)
My DD is 6, not an adult, but we have great success with arm sites. The site is high up enough on the back of her arm, that when she is wearing short sleeved shirts you can't see it. You can tell she is wearing it when she wears long sleeves since the sleeves are tighter, but we don't mind. She is very active (of course, she's 6) and plays soccer and softball and we've never lost an arm pod during any activity. Soccer can get pretty rough as well but we haven't had a problem.
My favorite site is on my front upper thighs. It doesn’t get in the way when I work out or am running errands. The back of the arm is also a great site. I have triedy upper back (right under the shoulder) and I found it falls off when I’m sleeping. Good luck.
I have found that I can wear my pods in lots of different places. I can't use my stomach (due to too many years injecting/pump) and I get pain/failures regularly when I use my thighs. I too have used the back of my arms (place in the area highest on back of arm right at armpit). Out of the way and easy to use tape/arm band to keep it in place if needed. Another area that works for me is my upper chest/breast. I would advise women to check with their Dr to check if using breast is ok, but it works for me. Everyone's mileage may vary, so you have to see what works for you. Good luck, Hank.
I mainly use the back of my arms with a elastic sleeve to keep from bumping it when I wear short sleeves. On occasion I'll switch to my stomach area.
I actually use the back of my calf, seems a bit odd but it works! Absorpion was an issue at first but I run a few times a week and this site was the least aggravating when I finally got the absorption issues out of the way!
I use my arms a lot, sometimes legs. But I do still use my abs about 1/2 the time.
Something I've started to notice is that I think that the insulin delivery may be affected by a pressure difference in the filling of the pump. I noticed some high/low issues after a few recent pump replacements, and tried an experiment. It seems that if I do not put air into the insulin vial before pulling out insulin into the syringe, therefore creating a vacuum that "pulls" on the insulin, I create a "low pressure" situation inside the pump after transferring the insulin to it. During the first few hours, I was higher than normal due to the inslin not delivering from the vacuum or "pull". So, to test more I then created a "high pressure" situation where I put in more air than needed in the vial, creating a "push", before getting insulin into the syringe and putting it in the pump. After that the first few hours I was lower than normal. So I believe I've found that I need to be very careful to put the exact amount of air into the insulin vial before pulling insulin for a new pump.
My hips work fairly well for me tho you have to be careful when pulling down pants that your fingers don't hook it.
Inner thighs and the backs of my upper arms are favorites for me. On my arms, I go high enough that the pod will be covered easily by a T-shirt. I rarely use my abdomen anymore. The inner thigh area is well protected. That's what I use for basketball. I've only had a pod knocked off of my upper arm a couple of times in two years. Door frames are usually the culprit when they get hit there. Of course, folks who give me a friendly shoulder hug are sometimes surprised by grabbing a pod.
Try your upper front thigh-about 1-2 inches under the panty line. I had fabulous absorption. I am also a distance runner-this site (along with the upper arms) has proven the most durable for me. I also like the outer thigh/saddlebag area but it is less durable on long runs. If you ever want to do low intensity yoga/swimming/walking exercise for 3 days I would suggest trying out the upper tush. I had great absorption but couldn’t run due to feeling the cannula with each stride.
Thanks! I am planning to try my thigh area tomorrow when I change. Thanks for your specific location- I will try that first but I'm sure it will take some trial and error to find the best thigh location for me. I'm still worried about being able to see it bulging out with jeans and other tighter pants on though. Do you have any problem with that?
My favorite spot is the back of my arms. The only time it ever bothers me is when I walk to close to a door frame or occasionally snag it while playing around with my daughter. You never realize how close you are to things you walk past until you have something sticking out an extra inch. lol. Recently I thought I was having absorption issues but it turned out my insulin was bad. It stated it was good for two more years but something was wrong with all three vials from my last refill.
If you do use your arm this is where I got my armbands from
I've only been on the Omnipod for a few weeks now, but I struggle finding a location that doesn't bother me while sleeping? I am usually a side sleeper or stomach, so if I put it on my arm, I can't sleep on my side... if I put it on my leg (front or side) I can't sleep either on my stomach or that side. Is this something you get used to?
How far around to the back of your arm are you putting it? When you stand in front of the mirror and look forward, do you see the pod at all? I usually place mine far enough posterior (to the back) that I can't see it in the mirror.
I'm a big side sleeper as well, and with it being far enough around to the back then it seems to "fit" in between the downside arm and my side/chest (with my arm out in front of me a bit b/c of course no one sleeps directly on their downside arm ;) ). If you put it on your arm, that's also a great time to sleep on your stomach (it'd be facing "up" then with either arm no matter if you sleep w/ your arms at your side or your arms up wrapped around your pillow.
I also like to use my flanks (love handle area? right on top of the kidneys on the posterior side?). Put it far enough medially (towards the spine) that I don't roll on it during side sleep, but also low enough that when sitting at my chair at work, I am not constantly getting "poked" by the pod when I lean back into my chair.
Good luck with finding spots that work for you so you can get some sleep!
As fate would have it, two days after this post, I knocked a pod off on a square column inside our beach house. I was reaching across a table next to the column and caught the pod on my upper arm pretty hard. I had just put it on that morning (sigh).
I also am a side sleeper which is why I have always used my front abdomen and also my lower back (right below where my pants waistband hits). Have you tried those areas? I never had any problems with sleeping with it in those two areas. I generally would rotate around my body in a clockwise direction using all four areas (Right front, right back, left back, left front).
My doctor thinks I have scar tissue around my abdomen so it limits things for me :) I was wearing them on my upper butt/lower back, but I seemed to hit my most recent one too much when getting into the car b/c I saw blood and had a steady stream of high bloodsugars I couldn't account for... I'll keep trying- I also like to rotate in four different areas, so I'm just trying to better identify the four!