hey! I am new to this site, but excited to be apart of it, I have used the omni pod now for over 3 years and I love it!!! Just about 2 1/2 months ago my skin started itching a lot under the pumps and it has gotten so bad I basically pulled it off. I have asked all my doctors, my CDE and a nurse that works for omni pod and they all suggested changing the prep wipes I was using I thought I was maybe allergic to latex but I have now been to a dermatologist and she says no more skin preps and thinks it is the adhesive the omni pod uses. She is working with me so I will not have to change pumps because that is the last thing I want to do. I was just wanting to see if anyone else has had this problem and if so any ideas on fixing the problem! thanks!
Hi Laurian,
My son, Caleb, has been using OmniPod for more than 3 years too and knock wood no skin issues to date. He is also a DexCom user and after 6 months of using that, all of a sudden his skin had reacted horrifically. We’ve tried many, many things. It sounds like you have too. Here’s some of the suggestions that I got:
- use anti-bacterial soap
- clean the spot really, really, really good with alcohol, to the point that it’s red to get rid of the oils on your skin before applying
- blow dry with a hair dryer after it gets wet (this one has helped a lot)
- Bards barrier wipes before applying - lots of ppl have had success with this - it helped Caleb but did not eliminate the problem
- a slew of other barrier wipes and prep wipes though Bards tends to be what I hear most of
- Place IV3000 or Flexifix on the skin (with a hole cut out for insertion) under the adhesive
Insulet has a tip sheet - you may have already tried many of these things:
Tip Sheet
Recently we have tried applying a piece of IV3000 to the sticky side of the DexCom adhesive - sticky side to sticky side, then taping around the sensor to keep it on. I don’t think that would work as well with the Pod though because it’s larger and heavier. I need to hone that technique though. Maybe if I add Skin Tak to the mix it will be more secure.
Looking forward to hear other tips and tricks!
Lorraine
PS - I should have mentioned this one first! Caleb actually did have a short period of itchiness with the Pod. We identified that his skin had dried over time where the adhesive was placed. Since we’ve started to treat each area with Eucerin cream after removing the Pods, his skin has become soft and smooth and the itchiness is gone.
Thank you! My dermatologist had said something about placing something in-between my skin and the pod. I tried skin barrier wipes but each one I have tried (it feels like I have almost every brand) does not make a difference, I am trying a skin test right now because my dermatologist thinks its the adhesive right now but says the what makes up the skin barrier wipes a lot of people are allergic too as well. I will have to try the IV3000 or flexifix next! or something like those that can hold the heaviness of the pod! I have heard the Omnipod is coming out with a smaller pod!!! My CDE told me this she said it was suppose to come out in June of course it is Oct. now so hopefully soon! I am going to also have to look into the CGM it sounds really cool! I hope it works! thanks again for your comment!
Tegaderm is another alternative too. Those alone do not bother Caleb. When I place them first, then apply the DexCom on top, it helps, though it does seem like whatever is in the DexCom adhesive still “burns” through because there is a dry spot on his arm the exact shape of the Dexcom adhesive, yet nothing where the other adhesive extended beyond that shape.
Yes, we’ve been looking forward to those smaller Pods for quite some time now. Hopefully soon…
My CDE told me to use Benedryl gel before and let it dry well. It seems to help for the most part.
i first pod I used caused an ugly reaction that ended up infected a few weeks later. Had to take antibiotics…this has not happened again. Good luck!
thanks I was using benedryl spray on the itchy spots the dermatologist said that I needed to stop that, you can become allergic to benadryl she said haha they have my on a cream right now for the previous spots that is helping, but it is of course still itchy under the current pod I have on! thanks!!!
I like this suggestion! Cal’s CDE made it seem like the Benedryl spray/gels were only to help the itching subside, not prevent it. I’m willing to give this a go! Thanks!
Laurian,
I have been using the Pod for 6 months and have a bad alergy to the adhesive, including bandaids! I had to try several types of wipes before I found one that worked. I use a very inexpensive wipe called, " Coloplast Shield Skin" by Memcor. I wipe the area before applying the Pod and I have NO reaction whatsover! I pay $8.00 for 50 wipes . You can order them on line at Allegro. Good luck!
My son has also had really bad reactions to the adhesives. It keeps his pod wrapped a lot for athletics which I would think would increase the warmth and moisture.
I seems to itch some with it on but really itches after the pod is removed. We have just ordered UniSolve pads because some people warned us about “skin stripping” when removing the pod which really dries out the skin and makes it itch. We are now trying to put various cremes on the site every day until we need to use it again. We also have the red patch where the pod has been in contact with the skin.
We also ordered the Bard Barrier. That seems to be the one most people had the most success with. We had also heard from a man in another forum about spraying benadryl on the site before applying the pod. He had not had any problems since he had started that.
I hope you find some relief.
Caleb’s skin always does better when we use Unisolve. I just find it difficult to get the goopy residue off when we use it, but it’s definitely better for the skin.
I started a thread about this same topic last November. I had been using the Omnipod for a year with excellent results and then started having the same kind of skin reactions that you’re talking about. I tried EVERYTHING possible to remedy it. I tried all of the skin preps, tegaderm, dermatologist, numerous calls to Omnipod, even accupuncture! I couldn’t find a solution. I’ve had to change to a Medtronic minimed. I’ve been using it for a couple of weeks now and actually, I’m still having a skin reaction, although much less because the adhesive is smaller. I really hope you are able to find a solution. I had thought that there was a change in the adhesive too, but many people have told me that you can develop an allergy to something after repeated exposure. And since I’m having a slight reaction to other adhesives also, I guess I can’t blame Omnipod. I hope things work out better for you!!!
I am so glad I am not the only one experiencing this problem. Ive been using the Omnipod for about 3 years and this started happening to me last year. It got so bad that I would scratch my skin to the point it bled. Ive even talked to my CDE about this issue and she called insulet to find out if they changed their formula for the adhesive. Im definitely going to have to try this Benadryl gel and putting Eucerin cream on my skin after removing the pod and see how it works.
I came across this today. One of the reviews specifically mentions OmniPod. Has anyone tried this as a barrier?
It sounds like you have gone thru what I have, You changed from OmniPod to MiniMed and I changed from MiniMed to OmniPod. I was on the the 508 for 4 years then starting having bad reactions to the adhesive. I actually went back to shots for 5 years until I found the Pod. Prior to starting the Pod I sampled different skin barriers until I found one that worked for me. As I mentioned earlier, it was the " Coloplast Shiled Skin" made by Memcor. Very inexpensive and it worked for me! Of course, as we all know everyone is different. I hope you find something that works for you!!