Question for all of you who use the Omnipod -- how can you shut off the alerts for low resevoir and change pod? It's annoying to me because I always change my pod first thing in the morning so the alarms go off when I'm sleeping and they tend to wake me up. I really want to figure out how to shut them off because I am aware of when I need to change my pod and generally don't need a reminder (plus I'd like to try to get an extra day out of the pod by wearing it for 4 straight day but the beeping always gets to me).
Of course, the woman who trained me told me there was no way to shut off the alarms, but I figure there has to be, right? I've only been using the Omnipod for less than a month, so any advice is appreciated!!
I use an Animas 2020, not an Omnipod, but if yours is like mine, you can go in and change the minimum amount of insulin left in the reservoir before the alarm sounds. Mine is presently set at 20 units, but I also am thinking of lowering it to 10 units.
I think when I first got it we set it do that it was like part of the activation process. I dont know if you can still change, you may try looking through your settings to see if you can though.
lol i know it's really annoying. i don't think you can shut off the alerts for pod change. if someone figures it out, let me know! in the meantime, i had to change the time i change my pods to avoid that issue...
The beeping also wakes me up in the middle of the night. When I first started using it I had it on a 12 hour notice for the pod change but that was ridiculous because it just beeped the whole night. But I changed the settings so that it only alerts me for the pod change an hour before the expiration of the pod. And I always change mine at 7:00 AM so the earliest it beeps at me is 6:00 and that's actually kind of nice because it kind of slowly gets me out of my deep sleep and by the time 7:00 rolls around it's easy for me to get up and change the pod right away.
I really don't think there is any way to completely shut off the alarms, but that would be nice. If anyone out there knows of a way to do it I'd appreciate the tips very much!
The only thing that annoys me the most is after a couple hours of it beeping at you is when it goes beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee and it doesnt stop until you have changed it.
My daughter wears the OmniPod and I don't think there is a way to shut off the alarms. They are there for safety reasons. If you shut the alarms/alerts off you wouldn't know if something went wrong with the pod. The alarms/alerts are there also for malfunctions. If they are off and the pod had an occlusion you wouldnt be aware of it. That can cause high BG's.
I don't think you can wear the pod for 4 days. It expirers after 3 days. Even if you figure out a way to shut the alarms off the pod stops working on the third day.
It doesn't stop working after 3 days exactly. You have an 8 hour grace period. The alarms are just to tell you to change the pod. It doesn't actually deactivate itself until 3 days + 8 hours.
I didn't know that. Thanks for the info. I usually change my daughters pod when I hear the alarm. I have it set for an hour before it expirers. Having that extra 8 hours is good to know. I was out one day with her and didn't realize that it was the third day. It alarmed and I paniced. I raced home to change it.
I set the alarm to be more time then the time I have left for the pod to expire before I go to bed. Same with units left. It’ll alarm and then not go off till the pod expires. I can clear that alarm and then have the eight hours to change as long as I have enough insulin. You can also set the PDM to vibrate only. However, although it doesn’t beep then, I still hear the vibration and it’ll wake me up. Maybe if you are a sound sleeper it won’t. Vibration is a good option to quite the one and a half hour BG reminder.
Ahh @sneathbupp pumps are wonderful and as far as I know the pod is the only one with that feature, mine only gives a beep which is easily turned off. I resisted pumps for years, the first pump offered me was a backpack model.
A pump changed my outlook on living with diabetes.
from the Omnipod guide:
Low reservoir volume indicator
10 to 50 units in 5-unit increments
Default is 10.0 units
Pod expiration alert 1 to 24 hours in 1-hour increments
Default is 4 hours
so it looks like you get an alarm for low res and for expiry, the best you can do it so set low res for 10 units and expiry for 1 hour. cheers and good luck.
Setting>System Setup>alerts/reminders: BG reminder (off), Bolus reminders (off), program reminders (off), Confidence reminders (off)
Your PDM should make minimal noises now
The pods:
Fill your pod up
Follow the normal pod setup sequence
Before removing the plastic cannula cover and adhesive, pierce the beeper with the same needle you used to fill the pod.
You might be surprised as to how much the alarms can help. Without alarms, you have to be more conscious of when your reservoir is low and when it’s about to expire.
Waterproofness: I have yet to have an issue in a pool or showering. I have only had an issue with swimming in the ocean. Salt water got in the hole and destroyed the pod.
You can change the settings, check the manual for specific page of step by step instructions. As you continue to wear the pod you will start to see trends of when you will predict to change your pod, so you can adjust the alerts accordingly. It is not hard. You cannot turn them off completely, but there are many options to reduce being woken in the night.
Message me directly if you have any questions and good luck.
zach - does your method actually work? have you tried it? we would be very happy to hear feedback from people who have successfully and permanently disabled their alarm (for privacy reasons- so that it doesn’t go off in public). thanks so much
Yes, it absolutely works. I do it for almost every pod. However, this will ruin the water resistance of the pod. I have never had an issue with showering, only bathing in a hot tub, pool, ocean etc.
So, if i foresee any extensive bathing over the next three days, I do not pierce the pod.
i have 3 questions about the omnipod, which my daughter just put on for the first time today.
any feedback would be appreciated! thanks
#1. we shut off all of the alerts and reminders in the pdm settings, but the pdm volume is still on, and when she presses certain buttons it beeps.
for example, when she turns it on, they ask if it is her. if she doesn’t press “confirm”, then it beeps. is there a way to shut the volume of the pdm?
#2. every once in a while, when the pdm isn’t even in the room, we hear a beep. and then we go check the screen to see what it was, and there is no message. does anyone know what this could be? why is it beeping???
#3 she inserted the pod in her stomach area. it didn’t hurt, but now every few hours (not when she takes a bolus) she suddenly feels a slight burning sensation. does anyone know what this is??? any tips for preventing it?
