I haven’t had any luck either. Now I am trying out the Medtronic pump. I’m having a slight irritation to that adhesive also. So I guess I have to face facts that it is my body that is reacting to the adhesive…its not a problem with the pod. I’ve tried a couple of different barriers with the medtronic pump and seems like I’ll find something to work…one of the wipes seemed ok with only a slight redness when I removed the attachment. I was really hopeful that the coloplast would work with the pod too. I tried it the last couple of days. It was much better than the other options, but I still ended up with a itchy red spot after only 1 day. I’m hopeful that I"ll find something that will work. I have to get my numbers under control!
I received one of the Solo pods and I tried it on my lower back and actually didn’t react at all. I kept it on for 4 days just to see how it reacted and nothing. I took it off and had a little itch, but nothing like the Omnipod. My cozmo pump is still working, don’t have much itching until I take it off then it itches and a get a mark. I am using a cream and by the time I’m ready to come back to that location it is all healed. I’m not sure what the answer is, but boy I wish one of these companies could figure it out. I’m thinking it is really just our skin is reacting to using a pump/pod for so many years. My sugars are back in control since being on the Cozmo, so for right now I am going to put up with the little irritation that I am getting. And maybe once the Solo comes out that will work!
I have really bad alergies to all adhesives, even bandaids. I, also am on the POD and I use Coloplast Shield Skin ( it is a small pad i just wipe the area before applying the pod) and have not had any reactions! It is pretty cheap but it works great! You can buy it online.
Gail - Wondering if you use the wipes, paste or the skin barrier itself?
I use the wipes. It works for me even in the hot sun, I live in AZ & have horses so I am always in the extreme heat. So far, no allergic reactions and the Pod remains in place ( even with sweating) I use my outer arm.
I tried the coloplast wipes and still had a reaction. My newest attempt at a solution is through a holistic doctor. He’s given me some supplements that are meant to help your skin protect itself against irritation, and a supplement that is an antihistime. I’ll take them for 2 weeks and then try the pod again. Its a long shot, I think, but worth a try!
I’ve used the Omnipod system since fall 2005 - I’ve had two occasions when my skin has become “irritated” by the adhesive. The first time I wondered if it might be an allergic reaction but came to conclude that it was my dry skin getting pulled away with the adhesive leaving me with an almost rug burn like reaction. Both times the problem has popped up at the end of the winter when my skin is driest. It fades with the coming of warmer weather and humidity. Here is what I’ve done to try and manage it:
- I thoroughly scrub the area I’m going to use for the next pod the day before I put it on (I wear them on the backs of my arms mostly - sometimes the back of my lower leg);
- I take pure coco butter and rub it into the area after the scrub;
- Next day I place the pod and wear it for three days;
- to remove the pod I use PAM cooking spray - I have a Christmas tree farm and often have to remove sticky sap and Pam cuts through it so using it on the pads was an easy leap of logic. Spraying Pam on the pad is interesting - it takes a minute or two but the adhesive becomes very elastic…almost like rubber cement…once the Pam has penetrated I carefully curl off the pad trying not to pull or force it. Once its off I wash the whole thing with warm soapy water and the Pam and adhesive is gone.
- I generally rub in more coco butter on the spot I just removed the pod to keep it moisturized.
This little protocol has really worked surprisingly well for me although there are still times when I rush and the skin gets angry. This is where rotating from arm to leg to arm to leg means I give any area at least 9 days to heal and rest.
Once warm weather arrives back I generally have no problems - this is a February to April problem for me.
Hope this is helpful for some folks - clearly it won’t help those who react to all adhesives.
Tom Cat