When insulin pumps fail, it sucks. It really, really sucks.
The other day, shortly after getting off my Peloton bike, my insulin pump spontaneously broke. Like, broke broke. It started flashing a whole bunch of error codes and then repeatedly flashed the home screen on and off.
I was still relatively calm at this point, though. I’ve got a backup PDM for just this kind of situation.
I grabbed some batteries, put them in, and… oh freaking frick, flashing screen there too.
Bloody hell.
I tried a hard reset for both, but to no avail – they were already well on their way to insulin pump heaven.
Cue the panic.
I called Omnipod customer service, knowing in the back of my head nothing could be done. My pump, the original Omnipod Eros, was well past it’s best before warranty date. They essentially told me “Good luck, we can’t help you.”
I knew that I was in a situation that I didn’t want to be in. The insulin pump fail was:
- Forcing me to go back to multiple daily injections (MDI) for a short period with long-acting insulin
- Forcing me to make an upgrade decision that I wasn’t yet ready to make
Back to MDI
I haven’t been on multiple daily injections for probably 15 or so years. The last long-acting insulin I was on was Lantus; Basaglar wasn’t even a thing back then. My pens are long gone, so it was old-school syringe style for the Novorapid meal-time dosing.
I contacted the local pharmacy and got an emergency supply of Basaglar.
While on hold with the pharmacist, I was also texting my sister in law (my nephew has type-1 and is a pod user) with fingers crossed that they had a backup PDM that, unlike mine, actually worked. Within the hour, I had a response – “Yep, we do, come on over.”
By this time it was late in the evening, my nerves were already cracked, and my brother’s family lives about an hour’s drive away. The pickup would have to wait another day.
Panic at the pump continues
The story doesn’t end here friends.
I also realized that I didn’t have any of my basal settings documented outside of my pump.
I recall taking pictures in the past, and I thought for sure that I’d documented them at some point prior to both my Paris and Chicago trips this year. But, after a full search of all photos in my iPhone, and a search of more than 600 notes in my notes app, and various key terms in my email – I couldn’t find a single thing documented.
Are you freaking kidding me?
I had a vague idea of my insulin to carb ratios and my insulin sensitivity factor, but basal rates, nope, couldn’t recall those for the life of me 🙁
I emailed my endocrinologist’s office, again fingers crossed, that they had something documented from my last visit. They did, which I received the following morning.
Phew.
Insulin pump upgrades
I’ve spent the last several months, and I mean several, researching the various automated insulin delivery (AID) systems available in Canada. I am ready to transition to AID from standard insulin pump therapy, but I’m still unsure of what choice I want to make.
- I like Tandem Control IQ for the style, and when Tandem Mobi finally makes its way to Canada, I’ll love it even more
- I like Medtronic 780G for the low target levels – 5.5 mmol/L is a great target for me.
- I like Omnipod 5 for the tubeless lifestyle – I’ve gotten used to this lifestyle; it would be hard to go back to the tubed life
But when insulin pumps fail, you no longer have choice. You have to make a decision, and you have to make a decision pretty quick, not necessarily on your own terms. And that sucks. I like making decisions fully on my terms – especially when they’re $6000+ decisions!
Lessons learned
Obviously the main lesson is to always document your basal rates when on insulin pump therapy, even if you’re on an AID system, you want the manual rates recorded somewhere other than your pump. I also recommend giving a copy to person you trust just in case you neglect to find your copy. Don’t be a Katie and don’t become complacent.
Don’t jinx yourself. That day, no word of a lie, I told a couple of Omnipod colleagues that I had boxes of pods and a backup PDM – plenty of time to make a decision on a pump upgrade. Three hours later, I was in panic mode.
And finally, be thankful that we have the great advances in diabetes therapy that we have. Whether we’re an MDI person or a pump person, we are so much better off than we were back in the ‘80s with our prehistoric syringes!
Honestly, friends, I have no idea how my mom used to draw up correct doses. The lines on these syringes are so tiny, my aging eyes could barely decipher from one to the other – even with my prescription readers on! And no quarter units, no half units. One unit dosing increments only. I’ve got some pretty small doses, those one unit doses had significant impacts on my blood sugars!!
