OmniLifeSaver

The OmniPod has flatly made Arden’s life better.  Honestly, it’s made all of our lives better.  Easy to use, reliable, accurate and best of all - no more injections!  I can’t say enough good things or suggest more strongly that you look into the product if you or someone you love is currently injecting their insulin.

PDM Error

The good news is that the Insulet CSR was helpful and the issue was resolved as quickly as possible.  The not so good news can be read about over at ‘Daddy’s Blog’.  The following is what happened when the handheld device that controls Arden’s OmniPod suddenly stopped working.

We aren’t normally the kind of family that splits up to do things.  If we go to a movie we all go, when one of the kids has a sporting event or a performance we again, all attend.  We do things together almost always.  But on this day the boys went one way (to a batting cage) and the girls went another (to the Hannah Montana movie).  Now when I say that I went one way and Kelly went the other, I mean it.  The theater is 15 minutes away from our home in one direction and the batting cage was 30 minute away in the completely opposite direction.  Couple that with the fact the Arden wasn’t with me and what we have is a situation that Murphy’s Law just couldn’t pass up.

It seems that Arden’s PDM (personal diabetes manager) experienced an error that left it inoperable, in need of a reset and incapable of reconnecting to the pump that it was currently attached to Arden.  Kelly had just settled in to her movie seat, she tested Arden’s BG and delivered a bolus to correct a slight elevation.  She estimated what movie snacks Arden would eat, called me and we agreed on an amount of insulin to give Arden for the food we thought that she would eat during the movie. Kelly set the PDM to the desired insulin amount and when she pressed the button to deliver the insulin, bang, the PDM just died.  What transpired next is chronicled in a separate blog (link at the end of this blog).  

Fast-forward to after the movie. We contacted Insulet, they walked us through reseting the PDM, which we did at the theater because we needed to test Arden’s BG as soon as possible and then we rushed home to change the pump.

The error was annoying, disruptive and concerning but in the end it never made me reconsider our decision to go with the OmniPod because it really is that freeing for Arden.  When you’re dealing with technology sometimes things don’t work quite as expected.

To read about how a diabetes issue like this effects us personally click here.

Location, Location, Location

 

There are a few suggested locations to wear the OmniPod; back of the arm, abdomen, thigh, bottom of the back and buttock.  So far we’ve only been able to use Arden’s abdomen and thighs.  Her arm isn’t wide enough to support the pod and well she doesn’t have a butt yet.  

We haven’t had any real issues with placement and I’ve begun a rotation schedule that should allow the sites to rejuvenate in between uses; left abdomen, left thigh, right thigh, right abdomen, repeat.  This schedule will allow each site a nine day break before it gets used again.  Additionally, I’m doing a smaller circular rotation at each site to avoid the cannula entering at the same place over and over.  I think this will work out well until Arden gets bigger and other “real estate” becomes available.

We’ve had two delivery failures so far, one was a bent cannula (because the pod wasn’t on a fatty enough site) and the other is a bit of a mystery to me.  I’m not sure if the second issue was because the cannula was to close to the muscle or if the pump just failed.  Every day is a learning experience and we are definitely making great progress.

Next thing we need to do is some fasting based testing of Arden’s BG... These test are tough because they include Arden not eating for hours and hours at a stretch but the results are very helpful in adjusting the pump.  More on that soon...

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The following are archived comments from this post. You can post new comments below.

A Arden's Day Reader

Hello-

I would just like to say that people do read your blog entries and I am always checking back for new blog entries. Thank you for this website, it is a great tool for learning about diabetes and how it effects daily life. So once again Thank You.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009 - 08:37 PM

Scott

Thank you for posting and of course for reading!  Getting feedback like yours makes this all worthwhile!

45 Day Trial Period has Ended

It has been 45 days since we received Arden’s first shipmentof OmniPods and things are going fantastic!  Arden has her quarterly endo appointment on Monday the 23rd and even though she has only been needle free for a little over a month I am expecting to see a decrease in her hemoglobin A1C level...  Seeing a decrease in that number is maybe the most exciting thing that I can imagine; second only to a cure being found.  Check out Daddy’s blog the morning of the 24th to find out her results.

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The following are archived comments from this post. You can post new comments below.

Scott

Arden had a great visit today.  Her blood pressure and heart rate were both perfect.  She grew over two inches and gained more then two pounds!  She gained those two pounds over the last few weeks which indicates that we have better control of her BG since she started the OmniPod.  Her A1C level held steady from the last test, her doc expects that we will see it decrease at the next visit.

Monday, March 23, 2009 - 09:31 PM

Much, Much Better

Arden and I went to the aquarium yesterday and having the OmniPod made the day better!  These outing have been trying in the past.  Between extended car travel and often less then healthy foods at the venues, Arden has suffered with higher then normal or safe blood glucose levels so that we could get through the day without a low blood glucose incident.  These high levels effect her mood and make her feel sluggish and sick.

Yesterday I am happy to report that no such high or low levels were experienced, I was much more relaxed and able to enjoy myself and Arden and I had a wonderful time at the aquarium, perhaps the first such time in many years... and I’m thanking the OmniPod for it.  Until a cure is found, research and technology is clearly going to be Arden’s saving grace.

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The following are archived comments from this post. You can post new comments below.

Mark

Hey Scott,

I just wanted to drop you a quick note.  I really enjoy your and Arden’s blog.  It is nice to see things work out once in awhile.  Best of luck with the Omnipod.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009 - 11:07 AM