Steps to Safely Go Off an Insulin Pump

Here is the protocol to stop using your pump and start using your daily basal shots instead.

This is how Kara has been taught to pause using her Omnipod and restart taking her Basaglar shots at night instead.

Knowing how to safely switch between the two options can offer a needed change or break from one method or the other. 

STEPS TO SAFELY GETTING OFF OMNIPOD PUMP AND RESTARTING BASAGLAR DOSING

1. Remove POD.

2. Look up Basal Dose found on PDM. Log the TOTAL BASAL per day.

3. Take BASAL dose (Basaglar Pen) and log time of day (typically at bedtime).

4. Confirm your night CGM Alarms are set to wake you up for lows. In addition, you can set an alarm and wake up for a 2-4 am blood glucose check. (The diabetes nurse told me if the basal dose is correct, then it will show as the early morning blood sugar reading. Therefore, the first night of the switch, I would recommend being extra cautious to make sure the dose is not too much at once. She also said if it causes morning lows, to back off only 1 unit at a time until you find the correct dose. Remember illness, menstrual cycles, and other factors can impact this as well.)

5. Set your phone alarms to repeatedly remind you every 24 hours to take your basal shot. This may be helpful since you are starting a new habit. 

For help logging, keeping track, and calculating your Carbs and Insulin throughout the day, here is Kara's Food Log Chart template.

STEPS TO RESTARTING USING OMNIPOD INSULIN PUMP

When you are ready to put your pod back on, INSTEAD of taking the nightly Basaglar Shot, this is when you would put on the pump. It will immediately start giving the basal dosing per the PDM settings.

Here are some other resources we found online if you need further help.