So, the OmniPods I use are listed to have an IPX8 water tight rating which means the pods will work flawlessly in eight feet of water for up to thirty minutes. This is a great feature to have during shower times, sunny-day pool ventures, and splashing around carefree in the ocean. It is one of the reasons I chose to use it, because it limits the time I need to be disconnected from an insulin source. But, since I started surfing last year, three pods have met their fate in the waters of the Pacific Ocean. I was able to keep one from polluting the ocean floor, but the other two are on their way to a rusty end. Sad.
The first loss came during a warm, late afternoon surf session on the northern San Diego County shoreline. A fast setting wave crashed down on my leg where the pod was, stripping it completely off my thigh. It happened so fast, I barely realized it was gone. It didn't stand much of a chance since I had been in the water nearly an hour, with only board shorts on, and the adhesive was well water logged, I'm sure.
The next pod got all bent out of shape, finding itself awkwardly wedged under my wetsuit. Pressure on my thighs and pod while paddling out into the lineup left an unusual pressure point of twisted neoprene resting against the pod. The cannula apparently got crimped shut and soon sent out an occlusion alarm. Wanting to continue surfing, I pulled it off and stuffed it under the suit around my ankle to be disposed of later. I wonder if little sea creatures were perplexed by the continued squeal of the pod, under water with them, while I sat on my board waiting for the next wave.
The last pod, months later, was plunked off my thigh after being scraped off by the wood loading deck at the back of a boat. A day of inner tubing at high speed in San Diego Bay left me tired and lazy. Not careful of my positioning, I dragged my leg onto the boat while climbing in and the pod popped off and bounced into the water from under my board shorts.
I think I will hunt down some SkinTac and see if it helps my water logged issues. Because it seems like the thirty minute soak limit on the IPX8 rated adhesive falls short of my water sport needs.
Scott Marvel,
Can you answer a question about OmniPods? I have seen them advertised but have not paid much attention since I am still using a different kind of pump.
Your blog states you have lost a few -- I am therefore assuming that each one is either disposable and replaced with a new one each time, or else the manufacturer of OmniPods generously replaces lost or damaged ones.
Are either of my assumptions correct?
Dantony C.
The pods have a three day life cycle and are disposable when that 72 hrs has passed. I have a three month supply delivered at a time to me so I have a healthy back-up supply if I need to replace one unexpectedly.
Omnipod is a two part system. One being the PDM (Personal Diabetes Manager) that is separate from your body. It's the part that you test your BG with, change basal rates, do boluses, etc. The second is the Pod that is attached to your body. It holds a 200 unit cartridge and receives signals from the PDM on what to do. The Pods are replaced after emptying (usually about every 3-4 days for me).
If you're interested in Omnipod, you really should visit their website for more information.(http://www.myomnipod.com/) You can even get a sample pod to wear for awhile to see how it feels.
Hope this was helpful!
Hi! New to this blogging, however; I have had my Omnipod since the end of June and I am in the water quite abit. I too,have had small problems with the adhesive tape. I just use extra skin tac when I notice the pod tape coming loose due to water activities. Seems to help. I do however LOVE my POD!!! Kim
Oh, great to hear. I didn't realize the Skin Tac could be used to apply as a spot patch. That will come in handy. It is not a perfect system, nothing is it seems, but I too love what the OmniPod does for me.
Scott, I am the mom of an eight year old boy with T1 who has been podding for 3 years. We love it but, yes it does some times fall off.
My son is very lean and can only where pod on stomach and upper arm. He is very athletic playing baseball, soccer, tackle football kayaking. We used to lose a lot of pods in these sports. Now we take a tube sock, cut of the foot and pull the stretchy part over his upper arm with the pod. This technique has survived a 6 hour beach day full of boogie boarding as well. It stops the jiggle that, for us, leads to the ultimate loss. We dont have a good solution for belly placement yet. Also, if the pod is just a bit jiggly we have found that using transpore tape(the kind they use at blood mobiles when you donate blood) works great.
We did try the extra skin-tac but in my opinion it isnt so much the adhesive on the pod that fails, rather it is the jiggling of the pod on the cloth adhesive that causes the failure.
Nevertheless, we will continue to use the omnipod, we absolutely love it and the occasional loss is something we try to minimize and just deal with when it happens.
Oh the jiggling, I know what you mean. If it's not the adhesive, it is the connection from the adhesive to the plastic. When I feel it get a little loose, I throw some tape over the whole works until I put a new one on. It gives it that last bit of life until it's replacement time.
Scott Marvel,
Thanks for posting your blog about OmniPods and your reply to my original question -- and thanks also to the other people who replied.
I went online to research OmniPods and ordered the free trial (dummy) OmniPod to see how I will like it. I've already recieved both email and telephone replies, they are really taking care of me and answering my questions about insurance, they are working with me very well! And I like the idea that OmniPods are "disposable" after they are used, my Medtronic Minimed pump is a one-time sale, and if it gets broken, I pay another $6000 for a new one. Plus, OmniPods are tubeless and remote-controlled! I really like that!
Again, thanks for your blog -- it may have made my life and diabetic management a little easier.
Dantony C.