I am a week out from total knee replacement surgery and doing reasonably well. However, I am finding that I need to replace insulin pumps more frequently—I use Omnipod Dash—because I don’t seem to be absorbing boluses very well after Day 2. (Luckily I have a few pumps stockpiled and I am also hoping Insulet will send replacements when I call them about this.) I have also noticed that even when I am absorbing insulin well, my insulin needs seem to be all over the place but I am guessing this is pretty typical post-op? Any thoughts or suggestions greatly appreciated!
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Sorry to hear you needed surgery. Hoping the recovery will go well for you!
Are you taking any steroids?
Are you using NovoLog or Humalog?
During times like this, it might help to use injections for the boluses, and just let pods handle your basal for you.
Or at least let the injections handle the bulk of the bolus, and use the pods for the fractional amount. Like if it is 5.35 units, let the pod do the 0.35 part and inject the 5 yourself.
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Thanks for responding so quickly, @Eric . 
No steroids or heavy-duty pain meds, for that matter. I use Humalog and generally do okay with it.
I was considering doing this but think I may need to replace my old Luxura HD pen with a Kwikpen Junior. Something seems to be off with the dosing mechanism.
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@CatLady,
I am not sure it is related to your surgery, this might be totally unrelated, but have you seen my posts on the differences between Humalog and NovoLog in a pump? I can hunt for the posts if you are not familiar with them.
I hypothesize that under normal conditions for you, it might not be very noticeable. But when exacerbated by the surgery, you might be seeing the “Day 3” effect with Humalog!
The “Day 3” effect is a big deal with Humalog. There are many studies that were done with it, and I have found a lot of them and posted them before.
Pens always seem so sketchy to me! I am not very trusting with them. And the needles can get clogged too.
To me, syringes are so reliable!
I have a million 1/2 unit syringes. Good stuff, the BD brand. I can send you some if you would like.
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Thanks for reminding me about that!
I also think I am just underestimating how much extra insulin I actually need while I am recovering. This is the first time I’ve had to deal with an extended illness since my diagnosis (yah, I know, weird)
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Everything is amplified! 
Highs are higher, what is normally 1 unit suddenly needs to be 2 units. Stuff like that.
It was like that for me when I had Covid.
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Inflammation will cause the release of cortisol which will make one more insulin resistant. Best course is to increase insulin, basal and bolus.
If really high consider doing an intramuscular injection in the deltoids, works faster.
This is what they did for my nondiabetic wife after an open heart surgery. Her nurse explained to me that BG will spike after r major surgery.
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Once I started putting down tegaderm (or generic version) under the Dash I’ve had no problems with absorption through 3d8h. The pod inserts right through the tegaderm and it helps hold the cannula in place, which apparently reduces inflammation. The spot where the cannula was is much less “angry” after I remove the pod as well.
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@Talkstr8t I agree with the use of Tagaderm/equivalent. I’ve been using the Tagaderm 2.3”x2.75” 8 piece boxed version by cutting about ≈1” squares (getting about 4-5 per patch) and putting them under where the needles penetrate for both my pods and G7s. No more Dash pod bumps, only one has leaked at all (very little). The G7 wires and pod cannulas seem much more stable as well. Haven’t experienced any peeling issues. I just ordered a roll of the 2”x11yard Opsite Flexifix from Amazon to try (Marion Barker of Loop fame recommended it in a post); it’s supposed to be very similar to Tagaderm at much lower price point…we’ll see. I looked around for small round patch about 1” across, but found nothing. I’m sure some will comment It’s just another step and cost for us T1s/T2s, but its been worth it for me!
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@Talkstr8t and @TomH, I will give this a try when I change my pump today. I still have some OpSite leftover from the days of making my own overpatches for the G5 sensor.
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Does anyone know if there are pre-cut pod patches?
When I received the intro kit for Omnipod 5 they threw in 3 of these. I have not tried them yet.
I usually just cover the whole pod with athletic tape but I’ve had a few sites still go bad after swimming. I might try these instead.
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@CatLady Here’s how I do it: 1) Cut a piece of the Tagaderm/similar; 2) Pick a site for the pod/CGM and apply the Tagaderm/similar to cover the insertion point (pods are offset, G7 is fairly centered, not sure about others); 3) Apply the pod/CGM per normal. I try not to have the Tagaderm/similar extend past the normal adhesive of the pod/CGM, but I don’t fret about it if it does; I assume it may impact the adhesive of the pod/CGM, but I don’t know that it makes a difference. I do know that some people with allergic reactions to pod/CGM adhesive use the Tagaderm/similar as a protective barrier if they don’t also have a reaction to it. One note: the Tagaderm is rather “flimsy” after the first peel off and can easily get wrinkled or stuck to unintended objects; if this happens I have NOT been successful in fixing it, just cut another piece; The Tagaderm only has one layer that completely covers the material and needs to be peeled off, the paper “ribbing” second peel layer is only around the edges; I understand the Opsite Flexifix has two layers that completely cover the material and may be easier to negotiate.
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@Eric There are all sorts of pod patches available online and precut for pods, CGMs, etc. You can get about any color or design you like including holiday festive. Just do a search for the product name and the words “adhesive patch” or similar. Some are kind of pricey, others are very inexpensive. I’m sure the adhesive used needs to be tested if you have allergic issues.
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Tegaderm is more difficult to mange than Saran Wrap! Even if you just look at it wrong, it wrinkles up!
I wonder if this would work. Peel off one side of the Tegaderm covering layer. Then stick the pod to it. And finally, peel off the other side of the Tegaderm cover and attach it to your body.
Maybe the hard pod surface would make the Tegaderm behave a little bit better.
I will try this on my next pod change.
Well…not the next pod change. The one after next. Because my next pod change is Thanksgiving night, and I am not gonna feel like messing with Tegaderm! 
Thanks @TomH!
I found these on Amazon. For me it is worth giving it a try, since the pods bug me so much! I just ordered some.
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@CatLady congratulations on your knee replacement, hope the recovery is doing well. I suspect many here have been down that road as well. My personal experience (x2) I had significantly increased insulin needs for the first 3 or 4 weeks post surgery which rapidly tapered off as my mobility changed from walker to crutches and my pain meds tapered off to much lighter stuff.
I hope your recovery is speedy, as painless as possible, and you get as much or more range of motion than you had 30 years ago.
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Update on the under-patches I got from Amazon and tried out.
DON’T GET THEM!!!
I tried one. It definitely did prevent the pod from itching. But that’s because the pod only stayed on for 12 hours. It fell off!
The under-patch sticks to the skin okay. But the pod does not stick to the under-patch! That’s kind of important!
Anyway, steer clear of the one I referenced. One-and-done for me.
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