# Omnipod questions: managing temp basal, and insulin tank reserve **URL:** \ **Category:** Pump\ **Tags:** omnipod\ **Created:** [November 6, 2018, 1:47pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/omnipod-questions-managing-temp-basal-and-insulin-tank-reserve/5421 "2018-11-06T13:47:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nickyghaleb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Nickyghaleb](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Nickyghaleb)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 1:47pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/omnipod-questions-managing-temp-basal-and-insulin-tank-reserve/5421/1 "2018-11-06T13:47:44Z")
Forgot to put up my Omnipod questions… 1. How do I end a temp basal if I want to get out? 2. Will suspending the Omnipod clear a temp basal? 3. If the Omnipod has alerted me I have a low reservoir, is that a true amount? (On my Medtronic pumps, an alert that your reservoir has reached an estimated amount of 0.0 units can actually mean you have as much as 10 units left). I have .5 units left but was due for a change this afternoon anyway. Does this mean I’m locked into an earlier change?? I love the Omnipod. It’s going really well. I am struggling something awful with my late night numbers, but it’s not the Omnipod’s fault. I’m also struggling with my numbers around exercise—again, not the Omnipod’s fault— but don’t know how to fix it. At current, exercise is a spontaneous act with no plan of start time, activity, duration, or intensity! Annoying, but I’m trying to grab it when I can. It makes for some crappy control before and afterwards. That’s it. Off to have a coffee. ---
**Author:** ![kpanda01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbe5ce/32.png) [@kpanda01](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/kpanda01)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 2:11pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/omnipod-questions-managing-temp-basal-and-insulin-tank-reserve/5421/2 "2018-11-06T14:11:13Z")
Good morning! 1. suspend/cancel will give you an option to cancel a temp basal 2. yep - suspending insulin completely and/or changing a pod ends a temp basal (at least in my experience) - when you start back up it’ll put you back on your regular basal profile. 3. I recently ran across an old post where @Eric had figured out that it’s got about 5 units more than it claims. I think it was 5? ---
**Author:** ![Nickyghaleb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Nickyghaleb](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Nickyghaleb)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 2:16pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/omnipod-questions-managing-temp-basal-and-insulin-tank-reserve/5421/3 "2018-11-06T14:16:49Z")
Thank you, @kpanda01! ❤ ---
**Author:** ![kpanda01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbe5ce/32.png) [@kpanda01](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/kpanda01)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 2:18pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/omnipod-questions-managing-temp-basal-and-insulin-tank-reserve/5421/4 "2018-11-06T14:18:02Z")
Now we just have to hope I wasn’t wrong on any of that. I’m not usually the one dishing out info around here! Haha. Enjoy your coffee! ☕ ---
**Author:** ![Beacher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a6a055/32.png) [@Beacher](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Beacher)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 2:49pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/omnipod-questions-managing-temp-basal-and-insulin-tank-reserve/5421/5 "2018-11-06T14:49:13Z")
> [@Omnipod Musings](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/omnipod-musings/5387/31): > > Forgot to put up my Omnipod questions… Not trying to shut up the conversation, because we all learn from questions and answers, but you can [download the User Guide](https://www.myomnipod.com/sites/default/files/inline-files/17845-5A%20Guide%2C%20Eros%20US%20User%20Guide%20Rev%20B.pdf). I keep a PDF version on the computer and it’s helpful when I forget things. > [@Omnipod Musings](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/omnipod-musings/5387/31): > > I have .5 units left but was due for a change this afternoon anyway. Yikes, doesn’t leave you much leeway. But in your Settings \> System Setup \> Alerts/reminders (US terminology may differ), you can adjust how low the reservoir goes before you’re alerted, and also how much time before the pod expires you get alerted, both of which are helpful for avoiding situations like having just half a unit left. > [@Omnipod Musings](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/omnipod-musings/5387/32): > > I recently ran across an old post where @Eric had figured out that it’s got about 5 units more than it claims. I think it was 5? Yes, it was 5. [The OmniPod's "reserve tank"](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/the-omnipods-reserve-tank/1957) ---
**Author:** ![Beacher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a6a055/32.png) [@Beacher](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Beacher)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 2:51pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/omnipod-questions-managing-temp-basal-and-insulin-tank-reserve/5421/6 "2018-11-06T14:51:24Z")
> [@Omnipod Musings](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/omnipod-musings/5387/31): > > I have .5 units left but was due for a change this afternoon anyway. Does this mean I’m locked into an earlier change?? You could just do it now and have peace of mind all day, instead of stressing about pushing it to the very last second. That’s what I would do, anyway. Then again, 0.5 units wouldn’t last me past half an hour. ---
**Author:** ![Eric](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/eric/32/9209_2.png) [@Eric](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Eric)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 3:58pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/omnipod-questions-managing-temp-basal-and-insulin-tank-reserve/5421/7 "2018-11-06T15:58:45Z")
Yeah, that was a difficult one to figure out. The pod display when you get below 5.0 says “low”. But I tested it several times and it was actually _about_ 4.5 units more than displayed. Insulet is using the plunger position to calculate insulin remaining, so it is a rough estimate! It is not exact. > [@The OmniPod's "reserve tank"](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/the-omnipods-reserve-tank/1957/1): > > But for amounts remaining between 5 and 50, you can add roughly 4.5 units, which is kind of like the pod’s safety reserve tank. ---
**Author:** ![Eric](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/eric/32/9209_2.png) [@Eric](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Eric)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 4:01pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/omnipod-questions-managing-temp-basal-and-insulin-tank-reserve/5421/8 "2018-11-06T16:01:56Z")
> [@Omnipod Musings](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/omnipod-musings/5387/31): > > I have .5 units left but was due for a change this afternoon anyway. Does this mean I’m locked into an earlier change?? Where are you getting that number? The pod shows insulin remaining in amounts from 50 units down to 5 units. Once it gets below 5 units, it says “Low”. So the PDM would never display 0.5 units remaining. Do you mean 5 units? If you are ever in a jam for the pod running out before the expiration, just let the pod do basal, and bolus with a syringe. And that will make it last longer. ---
**Author:** ![Nickyghaleb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Nickyghaleb](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Nickyghaleb)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 4:03pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/omnipod-questions-managing-temp-basal-and-insulin-tank-reserve/5421/9 "2018-11-06T16:03:44Z")
> [@Omnipod Musings](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/omnipod-musings/5387/36): > > You could just do it now and have peace of mind all day, instead of stressing about pushing it to the very last second Beacher… _you_ know I know this. Of _course_ that’s what I should do. I’m just checking out my options for when I _don’t_ do that. 😃 I think it was actually _5 units_ and not .5. This occurred before I had coffee, and it honestly could’ve said anything between .5 and 50, and it wouldn’t have meant anything different. 😃 And just so you get a feeling for what kind of person you’re working with (I’m talking about me), I asked this question at least 2 hours ago— and still haven’t changed it. It’s annoying even to me. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Nickyghaleb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Nickyghaleb](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Nickyghaleb)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 4:04pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/omnipod-questions-managing-temp-basal-and-insulin-tank-reserve/5421/10 "2018-11-06T16:04:39Z")
> [@Omnipod Musings](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/omnipod-musings/5387/35): > > Not trying to shut up the conversation, because we all learn from questions and answers, but you can [download the User Guide](https://www.myomnipod.com/sites/default/files/inline-files/17845-5A%20Guide%2C%20Eros%20US%20User%20Guide%20Rev%20B.pdf). I keep a PDF version on the computer and it’s helpful when I forget things. Even if you _were_ hoping to shut it down, that’s a great resource. Thank you! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Nickyghaleb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Nickyghaleb](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Nickyghaleb)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 9:45pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/omnipod-questions-managing-temp-basal-and-insulin-tank-reserve/5421/11 "2018-11-06T21:45:15Z")
> [@Eric](#): > > If you are ever in a jam for the pod running out before the expiration, just let the pod do basal, and bolus with a syringe. And that will make it last longer. So I was plugging in along today doing just that— and forgot to change my pod. 🙇‍♀️ I got to my son’s conference, and right as we atarte, my pod began to beep. Up in my ear because it’s on my shoulder. 🤨 I tried to just muffle the sound for 20 minutes while the teacher spoke, but I can’t remember anything she said. I’m not worried about that part at all. I have a good relationship with her, and my son is doing fine. The bigger problem is that my pod is still beeping even after changing it. I think there was something on this lately, and I’ll go look for it now, but if there’s a quick solution, I’d love to hear it?? Before this thing makes me lose my mind? ---
**Author:** ![Eric](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/eric/32/9209_2.png) [@Eric](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Eric)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 10:05pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/omnipod-questions-managing-temp-basal-and-insulin-tank-reserve/5421/12 "2018-11-06T22:05:08Z")
> [@Nickyghaleb](#): > > The bigger problem is that my pod is still beeping even after changing it. I think there was something on this lately, and I’ll go look for it now, but if there’s a quick solution, I’d love to hear it?? Before this thing makes me lose my mind? First of all, you have to deactivate it to get it to stop beeping. Just like when you do a pod change - More actions ==\> Change pod Second, I set the reminder to tell you 1 hour before the pod expires. You can make it anything from 1 to 24 hours… Maybe being notified 2 or 3 hours before expiration would help you? ---
**Author:** ![Nickyghaleb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Nickyghaleb](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Nickyghaleb)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 10:18pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/omnipod-questions-managing-temp-basal-and-insulin-tank-reserve/5421/13 "2018-11-06T22:18:09Z")
> [@Eric](#): > > Maybe being notified 2 or 3 hours before expiration would help you? Not being a procrastinator would help me. I had a couple of opportunities today, but there are kids here… and then mothers… and no time felt right. Then I forgot and left… which you have warned me about 62 times. > [@Eric](#): > > First of all, you have to deactivate it to get it to stop beeping. Just like when you do a pod change - More actions ==\> Change pod There was no place to do that! At least not once I declined the first offer. I had just sat down with his teacher when it started beeping. It did ask me if I wanted to deactivate, but I didn’t _know_ if I wanted to deactivate yet because I wasn’t ready to start up a new one. So I said _no_. By the time I got home, the message was just that I. P longer had any active pod. I went through the menu to “change pod”, but there was nothing in there about deactivating anything. Anyway, I’ve started up a new one, and that other one, which still hasn’t stopped beeping, is now double-bagged in an old sock in the trash. I really did develop good habits with my 670G and never let me reservoir drop below 10 so that I wouldn’t have this happen. I need to plan on changing the pod before it’s expired rather than shooting for the 80 hour mark. ---
**Author:** ![Beacher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a6a055/32.png) [@Beacher](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Beacher)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 10:37pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/omnipod-questions-managing-temp-basal-and-insulin-tank-reserve/5421/14 "2018-11-06T22:37:38Z")
> [@Nickyghaleb](#): > > I’ve started up a new one, and that other one, which still hasn’t stopped beeping, is now double-bagged in an old sock in the trash. Is it even _possible_ to activate a new pod without deactivating the old pod? I would have thought not, to eliminate the danger of having two pods going at the same time and getting double the insulin. Or at least the Canadian PDM won’t let you. > [@Nickyghaleb](#): > > I had a couple of opportunities today… and no time felt right. That’s understandable, but once you get proficient with it, you’ll find it takes very little time. I can swap out a pod in less time than it takes me to brush my teeth. (Not that I can do both at once.) ---
**Author:** ![Eric](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/eric/32/9209_2.png) [@Eric](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Eric)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 10:42pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/omnipod-questions-managing-temp-basal-and-insulin-tank-reserve/5421/15 "2018-11-06T22:42:35Z")
> [@Nickyghaleb](#): > > There was no place to do that! At least not once I declined the first offer. I had just sat down with his teacher when it started beeping. It did ask me if I wanted to deactivate, but I didn’t _know_ if I wanted to deactivate yet because I wasn’t ready to start up a new one. So I said _no_ . By the time I got home, the message was just that I. P longer had any active pod. All good. No harm and a useful learning experience for the whole thing. But…did you get to 80 hours for the real drop-dead time? If there is still insulin in it, the pod will still work between 72 and 80 hours. It will just beep every once-in-a-while to remind you that you are living on borrowed time with that pod… Yours was set to beep at 71 hours, 1 hour before the “expiration” which is in quotes. The **real** expiration is at 80 hours. Did you go all the way to 80 hours?! I mean, did it beep at 71 hours to warn you, and you still went to 80 hours and the pod died? ---
**Author:** ![Eric](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/eric/32/9209_2.png) [@Eric](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Eric)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 10:43pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/omnipod-questions-managing-temp-basal-and-insulin-tank-reserve/5421/16 "2018-11-06T22:43:31Z")
> [@Beacher](#): > > Is it even _possible_ to activate a new pod without deactivating the old pod? I would have thought not, to eliminate the danger of having two pods going at the same time and getting double the insulin. Or at least the Canadian PDM won’t let you. Yes there is a way of doing that. I posted about it before. I can try to find it. ---
**Author:** ![Beacher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a6a055/32.png) [@Beacher](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Beacher)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 10:44pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/omnipod-questions-managing-temp-basal-and-insulin-tank-reserve/5421/17 "2018-11-06T22:44:54Z")
Oh right, I remember. Have one going as just basal and use the other for boluses, or something. Can’t remember why, though. Thankful, sometimes, I lead such a simple life! 😄 Found it: > [@Having 2 active pods with only 1 PDM](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/having-2-active-pods-with-only-1-pdm/4225): > > I wanted to post how to do this, but first I wanted to describe some possible scenarios why someone might actually want to do this. I would not consider this a standard daily treatment idea. If you do this all the time, you would probably run out of pods. But I want to share it as an idea and also just give an example of thinking outside of the box, which can be very useful for diabetes in general. There are some situations where it might be useful. For example, if you are taking a lot of ins… ---
**Author:** ![Millz](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/millz/32/12204_2.png) [@Millz](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Millz)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 4:02am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/omnipod-questions-managing-temp-basal-and-insulin-tank-reserve/5421/18 "2018-11-07T04:02:23Z")
> [@Beacher](#): > > Is it even _possible_ to activate a new pod without deactivating the old pod? I had an unusual situation this week. My POD had completely expired and was blaring the death scream. As I tried to deactivate it, my PDM flashed a “Communication Error”. It went directly to the screen asking if I wanted to activate a new POD. I had no choice, so I selected “Yes” and started the activation process. All the while the old POD alarm continued because it never let me deactivate it before starting the new one. Once the new POD was setup and running I used a pin and was able to get the screaming to stop! ---
**Author:** ![Nickyghaleb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Nickyghaleb](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Nickyghaleb)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 5:56am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/omnipod-questions-managing-temp-basal-and-insulin-tank-reserve/5421/19 "2018-11-07T05:56:55Z")
> [@Millz](#): > > All the while the old POD alarm continued because it never let me deactivate it before starting the new one. This was me tonight. I have no idea how I managed to bypass the deactivation, but it certainly couldn’t be that hard to do. I declined the request to deactivate once or twice (only because I was away from home and unable to put in a new one) and then the option to deactivate disappeared. And I had me a screamer. 😁 The best part was I had placed the pod on top of my shoulder, so it screamed into my ear for the entire conference—_right into_ my ear. 😁 ---
**Author:** ![Michel](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/forum.fudiabetes.org/michel/32/387_2.png) [@Michel](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Michel)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 9:25am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/omnipod-questions-managing-temp-basal-and-insulin-tank-reserve/5421/20 "2018-11-07T09:25:35Z")
> [@Eric](#): > > just let the pod do basal, and bolus with a syringe. And that will make it last longer. We do that often when we need to make a pod last. It works nicely. In fact, we systematically use pens for large boluses because we don’t want to saturate the site. [Next page](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/omnipod-questions-managing-temp-basal-and-insulin-tank-reserve/5421.md?page=2)