Lately I've had more issues with my OmniPodseither being defective or my PDM having an error. I've probably had to discard 4, almost full, pods. Two have just defected, one was deemed unusable by a PDM error, and I had a pod tonight that I filled and just never responded.
Has anyone else experienced issues like this with their OmniPods?
Last winter, my daughter had almost the exact same issues. Omnipod replaced most of the pods for us, and I quickly learned how to pull the insulin back OUT of the pod to use in another one.
Several tips that OmniPod offered, and they work, are:
Make sure you have a humidifier. Static electricity can cause issues with both the PDM and the pods. Static Electricity can zap any pump, so that is not just an OmniPod issue. I have noticed this winter we have not had as many issues, since I got a good humidifier, and keep it running.
2nd, put a dryer sheet (Bounce, etc) in your PDM case. This helps eliminate the static buildup, also.
Also, if you are getting your pods shipped monthly, ask that they put on the package to set inside the garage, or between the doors, because the cold seems to affect the pods even though they say they can handle down to 15 degrees. They can put that on the shipping order, regardless of where you get your pods from.
If where you work is dry, and you have the capability of doing so, put a coffee cup of water on a candle warmer plate. This helps keep the area you work moist. If you can't afford a humidifier, try that at home, or put a big pan of water on the stove and let it simmer for a bit (just don't let the pan boil dry!)
I have never had any defective pods so far, but my endo told me if I ever have that problem contact Insulet and they will replace them for free. Endo told me they are normally very, very polite about defective pods. I have had to contact Insulet before (when I first started pump therapy and wasn't so good at it) and the people I talked to were very nice and walked me thru everything. I had better luck contacting Insulet (and getting a hold of them over the phone) than I did contacting the doctors on call at my hospital!
If your pods are not working, do you think it's possible your PDM is messed up? After all, PDM has to prime the pods and send all the signals for a bolus, etc. Maybe it's your PDM?
Goodluck, sorry I couldn't be of more help!
I don't think there is a specific problem with my PDM. I've just noticed several issues with some of my pumps. As you guys have noted, Insulet has always been helpful in resolving these issues. I was just wondering if this was widespread issue, or if I should try to be more careful about something I'm doing.
*I do thank you for the idea to extract the insulin from the pump. I'm not sure why that's never crossed my mind before but most of my defective pumps have had issues within the first 24hrs of use, therefore it wastes a somewhat substantial amount of insulin.
We had a similiar problem with my sons pods last year. Insulet did send us replacement pods & refunded me my cost for the insulin (I did have to give them a receipt). I was told they are not allowed to give us insulin but can refund the cost. Turns out the pods might have been going bad because he was changing his pod in the same room that we store is stuff so during priming the PDM didn't know which pod to "talk" to.... ;-)