"New" to Omnipod and Pumping: 4 years in and I feel like I'm missing something

Tips, Tech & Gear Pump
2

Hi Allison.
There is a lot of difference in pump use. It has benefits and disadvantages. We can discuss that sometime if you think it is worth looking at.

BTW, I don’t think letting pens sit outside the fridge is an issue. (see ==> my car-baked insulin experiment)

A few of the big advantages of pumps are ease of bolusing, records of all the boluses, and adjustable basal rates. One of the big disadvantages are quirks in absorption from sites.

  1. Let’s start with absorption issues. I found that sometimes on day 3, my site didn’t work as well as the first few days. Nobody told me that was a possibility. Just tough learning. So perhaps one of the first thiungs to examine is if you have issues as the site as been in use for a few days. Works great first day, not as well the second day, worse the third day. Just see if that is an issue. Take notes and try to look at that.

  2. Next - what insulin are you using? You may hear from an endo that they all work the same. The reason they say that is because…most endos have never actually used insulin. :smiley: I think Humalog is great for MDI, but I won’t use it in my pump anymore. It wasn’t as stable as NovoLog. But that’s just me. Some people have issues with stability with Apidra. Just something to consider - the type of insulin. (I think @TravelingOn tried Novolog recently for that reason. Testify, Kim!)

  3. Third - the pump trainers always start your basal lower than you should be. Safety concerns and all of that. If you are running higher - 2% is pretty significant - than perhaps your basal numbers need to be figured out. Is your BG higher in the day or night? Are your basal rates the same all of the time? Let’s fix your basal.

  4. Fourth - different sites with the pump. You need enough real estate to be able to rotate. Back? Upper back between neck and shoulder? Chest? Upper thighs (like near your pant pocket? Calves? All over your arm, like near your arm pit, your forearms, etc. 1) You have to be creative. 2) And since different sites may absorb differently, you need to take notes on sites.

Initial things to focus on would be making sure your basal is set correctly, and seeing if you have a “day 3” issue, and possibly trying a different insulin to fix that.

Questions? Fire away.

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