The story of the Zombie Podcolalypse

Diabetes Technology Insulin Pumps
1

Holy cow. Last week when my pod was priming I got a screamer. It would not stop. I stuck it in the freezer.
Last night, I took it out of the freezer, stuck it in my purse to remember to call Insulet when I got to work today.

I changed my pod last night about 8:00 PM.

At 4AM, I was jerked awake by the sound of an alarm. I stumbled into the bathroom and checked the pod. It looked fine. Looked at my PDM and there was a "?" at the top.

The alarm was blaring. I deactivated the pod and removed it. Put it to my ear and swore it did not sound like that was where the alarm was coming from but it would not shut up and I was still 1/2 asleep.

I walked to the kitchen and put the pod in the freezer.

Back in my bedroom, and there it was! The freaking alarm! I picked up the PDM, listened for an alarm, nope nothing. Picked up the box of old pods, nope nothing. Picked up the box of new pods??? Nope nothing.

Took the skin off my PDM. found the 1-800 # and called Insulet. Spoke to a very nice woman who instructed me to read her the "error code" on the PDM.

"What error code? There is no code, just an alarm screaming and a "?" mark at the top."

"Well, there is nothing wrong with your PDM then."

"Well what is screaming at me then?"

"I don't know ma'am. Look around the area and see if there is another pod that may have gone off."

I looked, we talked, I looked, she was being supportive.

In a final act of desperation, I moved my purse... and it got louder. I opened my bag, and there it was, the screamer had come back to life! It was the Zombie pod from hell come back to haunt me.

I put a paper clip in it, I moved it, shoved it down as far as I could and forced it around some more.

The voice at the other end of the phone said, "Ma'am just put it back in the freezer." So I did.

She is sending me 2 new pods. One to replace the one I removed in my sleepy stupor and one for the screamer.

I am buying a hammer to keep by me bed. The Zombies will not win the next round.

2

Funny story, although I'm sure you weren't laughing in the middle of the night! I have a couple of points:

  • Please post this whenever people start b**ching and moaning about how Insulet customer service sucks because they don't replace pods that occlude.
  • I used to disassemble pods to recycle the batteries, and I found the best device for doing so was a pair of channel-lock pliers, applied at the right location on the pod sideways, pops the plastic halves apart. That should make easy work to shut them up.
3

Yep, I had a pod alarming after 3 days in the freezer. Persistent little ...
Once the insulin was too cold when I filled the pod, and this triggered the alarm. The other time I have no idea. I had a problem with alarming pod in high security area. No freezer around and poking the tiny whole with the paper clip was not effective.

Every pump has its own flaws. I still like Omnipod very much :-)

4

Actually it is the hammer that does the trick the best. I've tried the paper clip to no avail, the freezer only works while in the freezer and until it defrosts after you take it out....I simply take the hammer in the junk drawer, go outside and place the pod on some concrete, hit it with the hammer with just a medium tap one time and wala...silence

5

It gives so much satisfaction to hammer a screaming pod.... :-)

6

LOL I leave mine in ther freezer for 2 days and it is good and dead. it sounds like the screamer I had when I first started I couldn`t figure out where the heck it was coming from.

7

Oh the way I feel mentally and physically is so much better with Zombie pods is so much better than life before the Zombies, that I am not ready to e angry at Insulet just yet.

Will try channel locks, hammers, and a blow torch if need be to silence the Zombies. A week in the freezer was obviously not enough!

8

LOL! We had a screamer mixed in a huge bag of used pods. We finally found it and threw it in the freezer...why does the freezer work so well? My DH thought I was crazy when I told him to put it in the freezer (it was our first screamer), but I told him that is what everyone does with the screamers.

9

Kudos to you, CS, for not smashing the pod in the middle of this entire frenzy!! It is frustrating, but I do understand that this thing is a "new" treatment method (certainly NOT perfected yet!) and it is discussions like this one that should provide the engineers at Insulet info which they can use to make the pod better!

10

We pod people gotta stick together I tell ya!

11

YUP!!! HALLELUJAH!!!