Hey! I'm only on day 3 of my Omnipod and I am still adjusting to having something constantly stuck to me. There has been a few times where I'm hit it by accident and although it hurt a little, nothing bad came from it. Have you ever hit it so hard that the cannula came out, or it caused it to malfunction in some other way?
Hi! My daughter is on the Omnipod, she's 4, and she has actually knocked it out. She was playing in the yard and caught it just right and out the cannula came. It didn't seem to hurt her, we just went ahead and deactivated and put a new one on. We have had a few malfunction, but so far my experience with their Customer Service has been good, they replaced the 2 that did go down. I am glad we moved to the Omnipod, it really has made a difference in the day to day for her. Good luck!
I don't use an Omnipod, but know with my pump that the adhesive is strong and it takes a lot to knock it out. When I'm hot and sweaty, I've been more prone to losing an infusion site. It's uncommon though.
If you don't use them, get some IV skin prep pads. They look like alcohol swabs, but help the adhesive work better.
Knocked mine a few weeks ago while walking out of a bathroom stall. Pod was on my arm and hit the door, didn't even tear the pod off jut tore the cannula out.
I’ve been on OmniPod for about 8 months now and love not having the tubing! I have knocked the cannula out several times though, mainly when I wear it on my back. If I sit down quickly in a car seat or a metal chair it can catch and before you know it it’s jostled. Sometimes you won’t know the cannula is out so I suggest if you think it might be keep close watch on your sugars and change the site if you start going up. Wearing on your tummy or butt is easier, agree with gatormguy567 that arm can be issue too. I’ve found the customer service people at OmniPod to be great - if I got a bad site I’ve called them and they’ll mail me a new pod. That seems over the top, but welcome considering my insurance will ONLY send me exactly the quantity I need for one month.
I’ve knocked mine out when I first got it. I was wearing it in my stomach and it used to fall out A LOT. I found that when I stood up and sat down, it moved too much on my muscle and it would just pop out. I found the wearing it on my lower back causes a lot less of a problem, for me, at least. Hitting it too hard could pop it out, too. But my biggest problem was where I was wearing it.
I’ve been on the Omnipod for about 1.5 years and I love it for the most part, but I have also knocked it out before. Talk about hurting!!!
I’ve been on the OmniPod for the past 5 years and this is a constant occurrence. I was an athlete (fencer) in college and we wore hot, sweaty, full-bodied gear and hit each other with sabres. If I wasn’t hit in the pump by the sword (which hurt), I’d inevitably get so sweaty that the pump would just plain fall off. I wish the OmniPod adhesive was A LOT stronger, but this pump therapy is better than most. I’m generally a very sweaty person when I workout, and I tend to workout 4-7 days a week. When I was training for my half marathon in the soupy spring humidity in Austin last year, I switched my pump to my arm and then taped it there with medical tape. With all the bouncing and sweating and then showering after the runs, the adhesives on my pump would peel away from my body and become useless and non-sticky. Before taping my arms, my pumps wouldn’t last for more than a day. I also used to love diving and water sports like water skiing and tubing. Any time I wore a bikini and the pump was on my stomach, arm, or back, the pump would always come off. When I wore a one-piece, there was a better chance it would stay on, but I always found myself holding one hand on my pump right before I’d fall into the water. It’s not a perfect system - it is an adhesive pump. It has its quirks and its difficulties, but it has given me a better, healthier life.
So did you come up with any ideas for keeping the pump on?
I’m planning on doing some water sports with friends and I’m worried about my pump falling off (and my dexcom transmitter).
Hey @shawn96 yes indeed! Things that really really helped with this were covers. You can make your own with the Kendall - Covidien - transparent film dressing off Amazon. I get the 4" x 4-3/4" size ‘moisture vapor permeable’ ones, cut out the shape of the pump or transmitter before putting it on, then once on, cover it with a dressing. It keeps them on in all kinds of activities and extended the life of my sensors to about 10-14 days.
Thanks!
Will that be strong enough to keep the pod and sensor on my body if I fall off a jet ski?
If I crash against the water I’m afraid that it will be ripped off…
On a jet ski? Well…if you’re wearing it on your stomach and your life jacket covers your stomach, then yes it should stay. But if it’s on your arm or leg that’s risky.
Have you ever tried it before?
Way back when, maybe 8 years ago. There are heavier duty covers on the market too, mostly made by folks who have diabetes and wanted stronger support like you, and not ones just for decoration. Pumppeelz comes to mind. I’m sure there are others!