I have a nice pod placement on the back-side of my stomach (flank?) where I can grab an area of subQ fat. On this rotation, though, the cannula seems to have grazed a nerve and if I move the pod at all, it causes pain. Not enough that I want to pull the site, but enough that it is frustrating me. Any tips for easing this discomfort? I haven’t tried moving the pod around from the outside (ouch!) to try to get the cannula moved a little bit, but will try it if it’s worked for anyone. Thanks! Jessica
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@JessicaD Sorry you “hit a nerve”! I’ve had a few similar events over the years. One hurt like @#$ on insertion like a strong electric shock from arm to fingers of my left hand (don’t ask how I know), didn’t get a lot better, and I ended up removing it later that day. The other few had various levels of “ache”, short of what I’d call “pain”, that didn’t warrant removal. On the good side, most became more “tolerable” with time as the body adapts and at least one resolved completely. I’ve sometimes used ibuprofen, depends on how bad it is; acetamenaphen (sp?) is not recommended due to possible CGM effects per Dexcom/others, though I’ve never encountered an issue. Sorry I can’t be of more help!
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@JessicaD I don’t use pods but I have experienced the electric shock sensation down my left arm to my fingers from a sensor I placed in a bicep.
Early on when I was only using Lantus I learned to avoid a spot on my abdomen that was extremely painful.
I’ve had pain from infusion sites on my thighs. That is probably the cannula on muscle. Usually I could relieve that by pinching a blob of skin either side of the site, lifting it. I’m not sure if that would work with a pod as they are wider than a site.
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I had one of those. It hurt like the dickens for the remainder of that day, was milder the next morning, and no pain after 24 hours. I think I could have called the podder’s helpline (before removing it) and maybe they would have told me to pull it out and they’ll send a free replacement, but I didn’t try that. They may even have been willing to send a free replacement pod if I said I had already pulled it out because it hurt intensely for a couple hours and I couldn’t stand it any more so I removed/replaced it.
And I generally use a syringe to suck the remaining insulin back out of the old pod for reuse instead of throwing that insulin away. That’s not approved, but it works for me.
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I love it. As my mother a musician/ mathematician like to say, " You have to know the rules first. Then you can break them."
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You are swimming in pods, Jess! Yank it out and re do it!
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My son K also does it if the pod is up to a day old.
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@Eric is responsible for me carrying a syringe always. I had a site come loose after a bike ride. His advice allowed me to bolus for post ride lunch instead of driving home.
Those post ride street tacos are a treat.
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Thanks all for the advice and guidance! I had a long drive today, which is what I was worried about … I forgot to do anything about the damn pod before getting into the car and brushed it a few times early on (ouch!), but then it seemed to calm down, like @bkh noticed. I worry more, @Eric, about putting a cannula in more often than necessary and building scar tissue than blowing through pods! My stomach is a war zone from 33 years of insulin injections only there and it hasn’t improved now that I’m pumping and not using my stomach at all 
. Thank you again, my wonderful D people!
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I assume that D is for darling, delightful and only occasionally demented 
I’m glad you pod pain eased up.
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I do this too (use a syringe to get the insulin in a dead pod out), though its rare these days and depends on the amount left! I don’t have to, but it seems the right thing to do. Read about here on FUD and did it when I started on pods!
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That sounds like the cannula may be irritating a nerve 
don’t try pushing or moving the Pod around from the outside. If the pain continues or gets worse, I’d change the site and put the next one somewhere different.
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I spent most of my life, since 1972, on MDI and once in every thousand injections (or maybe 10,000) I’d get a pain like that. It didn’t persist because it was an injection. Based on my very very basic knowledge gained from school biology I figured I’d hit a pacinian corpuscle; our skin pressure sensors. They’re quite big but not very frequent on the skin that we use; they detect pressure over quite a wide area.
I don’t think I’ve hit one with a 'pod but I suspect I’ve got pretty close. Sometimes the pod can persist in an entirely irrational response to slight motion. I suspect if I were to hit one (one of the corpuscles) it would kill it and getting really close would wear it out, eventually.
I don’t think it will kill you if you don’t replace it. If I’m wrong you already know, or not. A lot of 'pod things hurt but I’ve never replaced one because of it. It’s probably good advice to replace it if it hurts, but it’s a PITA to try to get it replaced and if I don’t I’m down one on my reserve. I prefer to run every 'pod I can to 80 hours and not seek a replacement when, most likely, I should.
I’ve never had a continuous pain from a 'pod, in the sense of a pain that didn’t go away and that I couldn’t get used to. I have had 'pods that hurt if I bend over, etc.
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