Try more arm spots and aim for further away from the muscles. The first arm spot EH tried - he raised his arm to show it off and insulin shot out everywhere. Oooops. But since then he’s got the hang of it and he loves it. And the Dex works there too.
Also the shoulder spot is good.
And don’t forget the option of rotating the Dex or the Omnipod top to bottom and side to side. @ClaudnDaye pointed that out somewhere a long time ago and it was good advice!
Don’t be afraid. Once I started branching out, I was amazed how comfortable all kinds of different places were. Try the back of the arm rather than the side – the same area you’d inject in. Same goes for thighs and sides/back. Anywhere you’d inject, you can put a pod. I’ve also seen pictures of pods on pecs and calves, and the upper trapezius is suddenly popular with a certain group of people.
I’ve gone as close as 1.5 inches to my Dexcom with no noticeable effect, but I try to keep the pod at least 2 inches away.
Like @Chris says, the area around the navel is essentially fibrous scar tissue, not good for absorption. Also, some blood vessels there connect directly to the portal vein, so inject too close and you’re basically delivering IV insulin.
Now that sounds like something that could be put to good use. Getting insulin indirectly into the portal vein to correct a stubborn high could be quite helpful.
I agree. Also @bpollina I had a few problems with Pods in the first 2 months of use. Mostly it was insulin leaking out from where the cannula when into the skin or pods not sticking well. I was almost at the point of thinking I would switch back to MDI, but then I finally got over the learning curve and figured out how to do things and it is rare to have any POD issues these days. I am also adventurous in trying new places. Basically if there is some skin there and not a lot of muscle movement I put a pod on it.
What did you change that helped improve it? Something that individuals just need to figure out for themselves?
I think it was 40% getting better by practicing and 60% improving my technique
This thread has a lot of gems hidden it it - but basically for me it was improving the pod sticking to the skin makes all the difference.
I could swear I wrote a list of technique stuff somewhere, but I can’t find it. But here were a few things…