How-To Insert the Medtronic Minimed Mio Insertion Set!

Hi everyone! I know I haven’t done a “How-To” since my Minimed Continuous Glucose Monitor/Sensor and Sir Pod, Sir Omnipod..but since I ordered some new diabetic pump supplies recently, I wanted to do a how-to blog on the Minimed Mio Insertion Set.

Now, at first I had a little trouble figuring out how to use this new set, since there IS NO EXTRA INSERTER!  I have been using the Medtronic Minimed Quick-Serter and Quick-Set since I started using my pump in 2000. I’m a little scared of change. So going from the blue inserter [and hoping not to ever lose that] and attaching the insertion set to it, definitely was different…The Mio all ready for me to just connect, prime, and insert! I am in LOVE with this set. It’s much easily to travel with…all I need is the Set, Reservoir, a bottle of Insulin, and of course, my Insulin Pump! 

Onto the how-to Insert the Medtronic Minimed Mio Insertion Set!

After washing my hands and my new insertion area…
Pull the red tape plastic wrap and remove from around the Mio.  

While holding the Mio from the bottom, press the three raised dots on each side of the lid, and lift the top off.

Twist the tubing out, and pull out gently by unwinding the tubing carefully upwards. Make sure the insertion needle set is not loose…that would hurt when you insert the site. I always press the site down after I unwind the tubing.  

Next, connect the tubing to the filled reservoir.   

While “rewinding” the pump, I manually prime the insulin through the tubing, then insert the reservoir into the pump, secure tightly, and use the pump to “prime” just a couple units.  

After priming the insulin pump, remove the adhesive backing paper. 

Place fingers on the three lined indentations and pull the center of the inserter up until you hear a click. Pull more than you think…After removing the needle guard, place the tubing in the slot on the side of the inserter…see the first picture below.

It’s time to insert the the site! yay!  Place the inserter over your future new “site.” Press the smooth round indentations that are on both sides of the Mio to insert your set. Push gently on the center after your site is inserted to secure the adhesive.

Remove the inserter by holding the center of the inserter and pulling it out. 

Press the sides of the tape to make sure the tape sticks to the skin. 

Introducing Sir Pod…Sir Omnipod to you!!

On Wednesday, May 14, 2008 at 4:30 in the afternoon, I was taught how to use theOmnipod!!!

Ever since then, I’ve been wearing it and smiling every time I test because the delivery is the same and I have been in much better control.
This is pretty exciting, knowing that there is no tubing, no door handles or something for the tubing to get caught on, a pump no longer clipped to my pocket bulging out from under my shirt - just a little “pod” anywhere I feel like putting it.  “Pod,” sounds British doesn’t it? Every time I look at it, I have the urge to call it “Sir Pod.” As a matter, I think I will call him Sir Pod from now on. Any way, “Sir pod” my new best friend constantly delivers its basal rate and insulin dose wirelessly through the Omnipod Personal Diabetes Manager a.k.a. PDM. It makes these high pitched clicking noises when its delivering, and I barely know it’s there. The Omnipod is amazing.

Let me explain what it was like to insert the omnipod…and just so you know, it normally takes about 2 or 3 minutes for me to change it from start to finish, but I wanted to be detailed in the pictures…here goes!!

Once the Omnipod “Personal Diabetes Manager” (PDM) was setup, this is what I started with…The PDM, a sealed “Omnipod” package, a bottle of Insulin, and an alchohal pad…thats it. No inserters! :]

The PDM screen showed me that there was “No active pod” and politely asked if I would like to start a new one…I excitedly pressed the “Yes” button!

Now…after telling the PDM “Yes,” I would love to activate a new Sir pod…
I swiped the top of my insulin bottle with an alcohol pad and twisted the needle cap into the syringe.

After figuring out the average of how many units of insulin I would need for the next 72 hours, I drew air into the bottle equal to the amount of insulin I would be drawing.

Then, I drew insulin from the insulin vial and filled the syringe with the amount of insulin I needed and I checked for air bubbles. :]

Then, I inserted the needle straight down to what is called the “fill port” (the hole just beneath the needle) of the Omnipod.

I emptied the syringe into the Fill Port and heard Sir Pod beep twice, informing me that it was ready to go onto the next step and that everything was working the way it is supposed to! :)

After I filled Sir Pod, I pressed “next” and waited for the Omnipod to finish priming.

It’s cool that the Omnipod makes these little clicking noises…I found that helpful and fascinating.

Jackie helped me prepare the site on my arm by using the alchohol pad and we let the site air dry…naturally. :]

Here, I am removing the needle cap, which peels back exactly like the top on a can of soda…Jackie loves this part!

After removing the needle cap, we are now ready to remove the adhesive!!!Jackie carefully removed the backing that was protecting the adhesive.

Once the adhesive was removed, the Omnipod was ready to be placed…on me!!!

To apply the Omnipod, Jackie just placed the pod on my skin (I’m trying my arm today, this is a first!). And then Jackie ran her fingers around the tape to secure it and make sure there were no creases in the tape. Jackie is very good at this. Once “Sir”pod” was stuck, Jackie pinched my arm in preparation for the insertion of the cannula.
At this point, Sir Pod is on my skin and waiting for me to follow the instructions on the screen to begin the insertion. This is when I press “Start!” (I have to admit, I was nervous!)Now, the PDM is telling me to be patient, and says “Please Wait” (about a couple of seconds) as it readied itself to insert the cannula…I have to say, it doesn’t hurt. But I did jump when I heard the loud clicking noise and felt a little tiny pinch…similar to a shot, but a little less painful.YES! As you can see on the PDM, I did everything correctly and Sir Pod is “Active!” and delivering its basal!!! 
I am on THE pod! This is me, quite relieved and excited that it works, it works so well, and it doesn’t hurt!
Now, I can wear anything I want, when I want, and put the pod where I want.
Thank you Insulet!
This is the crew that trained Jackie and me how to use the Omnipod. (Jackie always learns everything I learn) They were extremely helpful and knowledgeable, and pleasant!

Thanks guys!

Always Praying for a Cure,
Me and Sir Pod

All feedback would be greatly appreciated, send in your comments! :]

The Minimed Continuous Glucose Monitor

I have been meaning to update my blog since last Thursday, obviously I’ve been too busy to sit here and type all of this and update, so here goes! (while i have a couple minutes at least) Last thursday, I went back on the Sensor. I was using the inserter wrong so that is what caused the bleeding around the site! The inserter has to be on its “toes” and when the needle goes in and its still stuck to the inserter, its like this little dip motion, not straight out or straight over. My mom took this pictures, and thought I’d put them up here to see the process.

There is the inserter, and my stomach, where i’m trying to press the button

I was scared and hesitant, so heres another angle, while i was thinking that i really needed to press that white button or i’d just be standing there all afternoon. hehe

theres the site! with the needle still in!


and this is me taking the needle out while holding the two sides of the site, and then making sure the tape was down.


So that worked well, and then i gave it 5 minutes for the skin to get used to having something there. I then attached the transmitter, the white thing, which is actually pretty small.

And then i waited the two-hour period where the sensor starts‚ and entered my BG, which was low again, it was like 80! So yeah, that red dot you see is the mark from the last sensor i had in last week. (it’s still healing).

I had a couple problems with the sensor over the weekend, however. About 1 day and 18 hours later, its giving me a “Cal Error” or calibration error after i had entered my BG (you do that every 12 hours) or up to 4 times a day. I was like, this thing is only almost 2 days old, it shouldn’t be bad! phshhhh sure enough, after another Cal Error, it says “Bad Sensor” I thought to myself, “No! Not now!!!!” So i called the Minimed 24 hour helpline, (they are really nice!) and talked to someone for like a half hour trying to fix my sensor and see what was going on, if the sensor was really bad, if i had to replace it, or if i could restart it, and find the old one, and not have to change the whole sensor. I didn’t change the sensor and about 2 hours later, it asked me for my BG. So i put it in, and all was good for about 4 hours‚ after dinner, while we were all watching a movie on the couch, it starts beeping again! “Call Error, Cal Error, Bad Sensor!!!!” i was starting to get really frustrated at this point. I called Minimed, yet again, and they said to take the sensor out, since there was barely any signal, and it was the 2nd time i had to tried this. So to re-use it would pretty much be pointless. I took it out, (yay!) and went to sleep at 1am. and was sooo tired on Sunday! ughhh.

I just changed my insulin pump site and may put the sensor on my hip or lower back this time, and see if that gives the sensor more than a day to work. So we’ll see! My numbers were great on Friday and Saturday though, i’ll tell you that, the graph was almost a straight line, it was so cool to look at!