Omnipod Musings

10 posts were split to a new topic: Omnipod questions: managing temp basal, and insulin rtank eserve

Quick question… Is there a place in the menu where I can pull up information about how much insulin I have left in my pod? I feel like the information is always at the top of the screen, but I would like to check it now as I thought it should be empty… but it’s not.

At the very top, on the left, on the home screen, it shows either “>50U”, or the exact number of units (when it is less than 50) until a very low number (I don’t remember exactly what, but I think 5—Eric told me once), or, if you are really close to empty, it shows nothing.

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Thank you, @Michel! I was down to nothing, but there was no indication it had run out. Turns out it was because it hadn’t run out. :grin:

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I’m down to my last 2 pods… and am all sorts of sad at the idea of moving on. I keep telling myself I’m just pump-tasting, and goodbye is not forever… and then still feel sad. :grin:

Regardless. There’s been a lot to tend to over the last few days, but I wanted to put this in here before it all fades from memory…

  1. Butt pods. You guys really, really seem to like your butt pods. So I tried one, and I’m not sold. My main problem is that I bumped everything with it, and I wonder if I didn’t actually knock it a little loose. I also had difficulty with my pants as I usually roll over the top of mine, and it seemed to rest up against my pod, possibly making the whole thing worse. So on the next round, if there is one, I’ll have to ask for placement ideas first to see if I can’t get better results.

  2. I’m not sure why I’m numbering these. Everything seemed to fit in number one. :grin:

Today my blood sugar began to rise around 2 or 3:00 in the afternoon. Prior to the rise, I had come home, eaten some chips, bolused generously with an IM shot, and then proceeded to have a coffee. I even did a second IM bolus for that (and to cover the chips I didn’t cover in the first). My blood sugar started at around a 130 and continued to rise all the way to almost 400 by about 5:30 pm. I did an additional IM shot as a correction around 4:30 but didn’t see any improvement. I am not positive I was getting insulin either way though—- through pump it injections— as I may have been losing insulin through a leak? And may have been filling my syringe with air. I was at the end of my vial, tired, and filling my syringe without my glasses. I filled it 3 or 4 times under those conditions for a total of maybe 10 units of insulin and can’t believe I could’ve gotten any of it with the way I continued that steady, uninterrupted rise.

Anyway. Theories, theories, theories. Lesson: next time just put on the glasses and eliminate one possible cause.

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@Nickyghaleb, these problems must be some of the more frustrating. You never really get to their root and so you can remain eternally dissatisfied :slight_smile:

I have come to accept them though! I have finally figured out that we just need to deal with them matter of factly and move on. I keep the latest ones in the back of my mind in case we get to an eventual explanation (I actually write them down now in a D diary, so I can find their BG environment again if I need to) but, somehow, I am miraculously able to let them go, thanks to the many hints I have gotten here that it is the only way you can deal with such events in the long run :slight_smile:

My son never had a problem letting them go!

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If your BG is too high you need more insulin. All those thoughts about what went wrong just confuse the issue. Sure it’s a good practice to try to understand what happened and extract some lessons learned, but in any case what to do is simple and it always works: just keep taking more and more insulin (through diverse routes) until the BG turns down, and then keep watching to see if you’ll need more insulin or glucose to land at a good level.

Over Thanksgiving I was watching the CGM to surf on top of LOOP (by adjusting my estimate of how much carb I ate) and as the BG went from 160 up and up I kept taking insulin via pump, IM here, IM there, IM somewhere else. I finally turned down after an hour and a half plateau at 400, and got back to 100 about 3 hours later with the assistance of a couple more boluses and some final glucose. Between half pumped insulin and half IM insulin I ended up taking about 4x as much as I think I should have needed. I’m pretty sure the underlying problem was a failed site; after all the correction insulin wore off and I think the digestion was all done (i.e., fat and protein) I started rising steadily again, smelled insulin when I wiped the site, and changing the site fixed it.

It’s frustrating, but what to do is straightforward. Take more insulin. Just like you did.

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Usually mine are more on the back than the side, so they don’t get bumped, though my last one was more on the side, I guess what’s called the hip, and it did get brushed a couple of times. And I put them higher up, just under where a guy’s briefs waistband is. I have some vague notion that women’s underwear is or can be differently shaped, so you may have to go above the waistband, depends. And no, I am not posting photos, but this pic is pretty spot-on with my preferred butt pod area.

insulin%20injection%20sites

Why move on?

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I know you said other more important things, but… why does that guy look awkward and like he’s busted?? :rofl::rofl:

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funny @Nickyghaleb … I saw the picture and immediately thought of the game “pin the tail on the donkey” I always was the weird one…sigh

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Heh-heh. I also noticed his index fingers have blue dots. Does he pod there? OMG, is it @Eric?

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You just revived the Eric joke… I’m outta here, @Beacher. Good luck to you. :grin:

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Not exactly proud of the fact I can’t look at a diabetic device diagram without laughing at the butt. I get you, @elver. You’re not the only weird one. :grin:

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You are absolutely right, and although I was doing that yesterday, I really don’t always do that well. It’s still a fear thing— fear of hypoglycemia. No matter what the facts are, my brain is offering up the possibility of my overdosing insulin and keeling over. It’s almost a ridiculous fear. It’s not that insulin isn’t a serious thing and all of that, but the chances of my bottoming out before realizing what’s happening (as I have a number everywhere I look) is pretty unlikely. So I like your advice. Keep it simple, stupid.

You’re me! :smiley: Honestly, I can’t tell you how much I like hearing another diabetic, and respectable one at that, talk about IMing here, there, and somewhere else. I’ve just started IMing very recently and have found I prefer it over other delivery options. I haven’t given up bolusing through the pump, but that just seems so slow in comparison. So I’m doing that— IMing here, there and everywhere, and it’s comforting to hear I’m not alone.

I hope that’s what you meant. :smiley:

I did find the whole incident a little comical after that debate about whether pumping or MDI was better. There was discussion over the dangers of each, and I think I managed to demonstrate both sides at the same time. Because having a leaky site (as a result of bumping everything around you for 2 days) is a very real issue—- As is injecting air because you’re too lazy to find your glasses.

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@Nickyghaleb I have/had that same fear before I started using a pump/cgm. The fear is still there, just not as loud in my head unless I’m below 50 with IOB. Then it’s all out freak out with not enough rational thinking. Fear can be paralyzing or empowering. I’m still working on the empowering part - hope it kicks in soon. Part of the reason I read this blog, I learn something new everyday.

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So about the more important things you said—- My pod was exactly where this guy’s would be. If he were wearing anything. :smiley: I still managed to bump it against everything. Not sure how.

And not below?? Bad idea to go lower?? I’m being very serious right now. I have no problems doing my back, but then it’s a back pod, and I think that’s different. Anything wrong with going lower down on the cheek??

Thank you for that. Because once that happens, there’s no turning back. :smiley:

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Being here and reading what you all have to say has helped me, too. Yes, I do also still operate under that fear from time to time, but it used to rule my every decision. I’m a crazy woman with my insulin now. My family is having to get used to it… which means their having to get over their own fear.

I’m glad you’re fighting yours, and I hope the empowering part kicks in soon for you, too. :smiley: It’s kind of nice, you know, strolling along knowing you’re out there somewhere doing the same thing. And knowing we’re both going to be alright. :wink:

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Not a bad idea. I put my butt pods below my waistband, but above the peak curve of the butt (the midpoint, the equator, whatever you want to call it). I usually bump it, sleep on it, etc. sometimes that leads to leaks and sometimes it doesn’t. I just need to be more careful getting in and out of my vehicle bc that’s when I usually catch it kind of hard.

I, too, am working on fear of hypos. Work in progress.

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I also place my “butt” or hip PODs lower rather than higher (below the waist line).

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This has got me thinking…how do people do it alone? To all those who do it alone…much respect. I just don’t know how it’s possible to NOT become immune to every noise, vibration, etc., after some time of having alarms and vibrations occur regularly. Just a depressing thought as I go to bed, for my Liam, when he’s a man one day. I feel like we’re doing good for him, but we only have to do this for x number of years until he can manage this on his own…then he has a whole lifetime of this. :frowning: Just in a depressed mood tonight, I guess.

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