Omnipod-Can you preload insulin in a new pod?

I just started on Omnipod and I was wondering if I could preload a pod with insulin and keep it in the fridge in preparation for my next change? In addition, I thought it would be nice to have one ready in case I was going on an overnight trip and my current pod happened to fail while I was away from the house.

Does anyone have experience with preloading they can share?

Thanks!

 

You can't pre load it with insulin. I think you have less than 1 hour after it does the 2 beeps to start using it. You can get pen cartridges which have 300 units of insulin in them and easily keep in your meter case for any failures that occur away from home. I just keep a normal vial of insulin and a few syringes with my meter and I bring extra pods if I will be away from home over night.

 

I can't imagine preloading a pod, only because when you prepare a new pod, it is done along side with the pdm, following the PDM's cue. It will ask if you want to initiate a new pod, and after the insulin is in the pod, you will get the 2 beeps, then the pdm will want to prime it, and then you follow through to insert.

So, if you preload a pod, and try to initiate it, I would think the PDM will be confused...??

By the way, I don't think it is necessary to preload the pod. The pod have failed on us when we were away from home, but it only takes a few minutes to get a new one going.

We do always carry a couple of new pods in its original individual casing with us wherever we go.

 

I see little advantage to pre-loading a Pod (if that is even possible in light of needing to activate said Pod in relatively short order.) An unopened "Pod package" contains everything you need, minus insulin, an EtOH wipe, and an adhesive wipe and is not all that very much larger than a Pod alone. An insulin vial is also relatively small (even in a small Frio wallet), so all together, that's not a whole lot of extra bulk or weight to schlep. And loading and priming a new Pod is so darned quick and easy. How much time would pre-loading a Pod save? Two to three minutes?