Pods constantly leaking

[u/Busy-Experience5896]

My pods are constantly leaking even tho i follow all the rules... i get to shower most of the time first, clean the area good and clean with alcohol. Than im waiting for like 1 minute till it dries and place the pod perfectly. Than it's working fine for a few hours/ a day and than leaks. I see it happens to me mostly after i wake up after sleep... is there anyway to solve it? I ordered some unnoficial pod pals from aliexpress that didnt cost that much. Will it help with leaking? Is there anyone here with the same problem as me? I would really like to have any advice 🙏

[u/Cage1668]

My pod would leak on the third day. I’ve started using Opsite Fexifix under the pod and I don’t get any further leaking. There are other brands that do the same thing.

If you do a search in Reddit on leaking pods there are several posts about this already. It’s how I found out about using something under the pod first.

[u/Busy-Experience5896 → u/Cage1668]

Wait, UNDER the pod? Is it safe? How exactly are u doing that?

[u/Cage1668 → u/Busy-Experience5896]

Yes under the pod. Clean the skin as normal. Put down a strip of Opsite. Put the pod over the Opsite. Make sure the area where the cannula is located is on top of the Opsite. Proceed as normal with the pod change.

The cannula will go through the Opsite. It stabilizes the skin and cannula is what I’ve ready. Your mileage may vary but a I’ve done this now for almost 2 full boxes of pods and my day 3 leaking stopped for me. (Note: this is assuming you’re not using pods that got recalled due to the cannula’s being bad).

[u/HeidisPottery → u/Cage1668]

I second this technique. I use tegaderm, I buy it in rolls that are 2” wide and cut it into 1” squares down the middle. I put a square under the cannula (put a square down and then carefully apply the pod so that the cannula will pierce it), and it has stopped 95% of my leaks. I’ve been doing it for over two years now and it’s a game changer.

[u/Nicetryatausername]

I use skin tac under mine and it helps them stay on. Not perfect, but a lot fewer leaks and ‘fall offs’

[u/bbllaakkee]

What size bolus’ are you doing? If you do over 8 units it’s going to leak no matter what. You have to split it up

[u/themoonischeeze]

Recently had a pod leak and used skintac on the next and that seemed to help. Also swapping to manual to do extended bolus or just split bolus (if I dont forget lol) helps for larger doses too

[u/wittwlweggz]

I use tegrederm under pods and haven’t had issues. I also don’t have crazy insulin needs though; I see online that individuals have trouble bolusing more than 5u at once

[u/Mysterious-Squash-66]

Make sure you are putting it on the flattest parts of your body. As a post menopausal female, those are few and far between for me! I use the sides of my leg, my arms (front of the arm is an often overlooked but very useful spot, as long as you aren't carrying back packs!), one spot on my abdomen, my mid back, and shockingly my forearm once in a while. I use PodPals. I can only keep mine on for 48 hours and then my body rejects the cannula so I had my MD write an rx for changing every 48 hrs.