This autumn I got the greatest news about Omnipod insulin pump coming to Sweden.
But before I get it I would like to here some views about it.
Can anyone here, using the Omnipod insulin pump tell me both advantages and disadvantages about it?
I would be very glad :).
I’ve been on the Omnipod for a few months, after 3+ years on MDI I am Lada, and this hit me when I was already over 50. I love the POD !! I would never wear a conventional pump, with the tubing and pump hanging attached to me. i move around way too much, and hate to ear anything, even clothes and jewelry. The best thing about pumping is that you can interrupt the basal, if you need to bring up your BG, rather than have to eat up to the insulin. AND, it seems to help level out the eating cycle, keeping me from spiking after each meal, as I would do on MDI… I am still figuring out how to dose for that. The other major advantage over the other pumps, is that it is self priming, and self inserting, so really easy to change out, every 3 1/3 days. The major disadvantage it that you must change it out a minimum of the 80 hour max, where a conventional pump can be used longer, although not recommended, due to both infection risk, and the insulin deteriorating in the reservoir after the 3 days. Also pump problem requires a new pod, but insulet has been very fair about replacing the pods when it is a pump error, so far.
Tina I would check out the Omnipod group. I think they are a great resource in the TuD community.
Here’s a recent discussion from that group comparing the MiniMed and the Omnipod.
There will be pros and cons with any pumping system, but I think the Omnipod is great. For me the menus within the pump for bolusing and adjusting basals are really user friendly. The pods are waterproof, which is great to me. And I love the fact that there is a BG meter built right into the PDM. It’s great!
I would try to find out through your physician if you could run a trial of the Omnipod and/or other pumps to see which one you like the most.
Thanks for your viewpoints!
Bradford - I have already tried MiniMed and I really didnt like that a tube was stuck between my body and the pump. And the pump was quite big as well I think, always lying in my pocket. I felt like a walking robot…and neither do I like to expose my disease.
So I do really hope I will like this one better. As I think, the one thing you have to have stuck on your body isnt that small either…but I heard you can put it on different parts…like on your leg etc. Have you tried that?
You heard correct that the pod may have more potential site locations. I have tried it on my legs before, but never with overwhelming success. However, several others in the group have had great success. So I would definitely check out some of the past discussions in the omnipod users group.
I pumped a MM before as well. I thought the pump did a great job, but the tubing was definitely annoying. Once I switched over to the pod, I loved it. It takes some adjustment of getting used to it, but now I would never go back to a tubed pump.
No tubing is the best feature. The pods will be made even smaller in the near future. To me, the remote control is disappointingly large. The software features and ergonomic efficiency of its menus are the gold standard. You do have to be more patient and tolerant of occasional priming and occlusion failures because Omnipod’s overall reliability is not on par with tubed pumps. For me, cost is also a disadvantage versus tubed pumps.
You can put any pump site on the legs, flanks etc.
One drawback fromt he Omnipod, that deterred me away from it, is that in order to bolus, you have to have the PDM with you. I frequently walk out of the house without my wallet or cell phone only to discover it an nour later when I am an hour away. Without the PDM, you can’t bolus for a meal, or to correct, so if you don’t carry insulin in a vial or pen with you, you would be in trouble. Thaat is why I went with a traditional tubed pump.
Yeah, you have to keep that in mind, just like your mobile or wallet ;).
Yes - I get get awa y with not having my cell phone or wallet for a bit - but not without the insulin. If it isn’t attached to me, it is history. 
Tina. I have been on the OmniPod for about 3 months now and love it. My only regret is that I waited so long to try a pump period (have had type 1 for 35 years). Once I started looking at pumps my mind was made up when I saw the Omnipod due to the tubeless design. From what I read you have tried a traditional pump so you know what that is like. I have had essentially no problems and wear mine on my thighs, arms and abdomen. It took me a while to get used to sleeong with it only because I was afraid of laying on it, but that is no longer on issue. Good luck in your decision.
Pete
Thanks Pete! You gave me more hope and made me looking forward to it more! I guess it is something to get used to as like anything else… Like when you got diabetic, if you manage to live with that, I think you should manage to live with Omnipod
My 6 year old son wear the pod and we love it. We liked the idea of no tubing to catch on things, but with an active 6 year old he does occasionally knock the pump off. I generally tape around it especially if he’s swimming to ensure it stays of for the 3 days. You can interupt the basal for up to 2 hours if needed. I use this sometimes in the early morning hours if Will is a little low and it’s going to be a while before he wakes and eats, rather than wake him at 4:00 to eat something. You do have to carry the pdm with you at all times to bolus, but not an extra meter as it is your meter as well . It comes with a little case that I don’t think is that big of a deal to keep up with. You do go through batteries in the pdm rather quick (every 3-4 weeks) and it has a built in food library that I think is worthless. Over all we are happy with our Omnipod. It’s the only pump we’ve had and we got it in March. We’ve always had good customer service. I did just speak with our sales rep the other day at the diabetes walk and he said the new smaller pods are coming out in April hopefully. They are 40% smaller. I’m excited about that. I think it just and adjustment period and learning curve as with everything else. Hope that helps.
Stacy
I can imagine the pod suits children better than other pumps…
Wow 40% smaller pod!? Well, I guess that one wont come to Sweden until a couple of years (decades) :X…but still, Im happy, and Im looking forward to try the Omnipod!
Tina,
I have been an Omnipod user for 2 1/2 years, my 9 year old son has used Omnipod for 1 1/2 years. I have not used any other pump so I am unable to draw any comparisons to other pumps. For us, we both enjoy living with the pod. I wear mine on my upper thigh, my son alternates his between the back of his arm and his lower back. The biggest issue I’ve had is occasionally knocking the pod off my leg while working in the yard or around the house. My son has the same issue so we use an adhesive tape over the pod to provide greater adherence. We were both having issues with occlusions but have been able to reduce those occurrences by pinching our skin when the cannula is being inserted. My son also has some skin irritation caused by the Omnipod adhesive.
We love the mobility we enjoy – the tubes on a standard pump are what kept me from going on the pump originally. We live in Florida and are outside in the heat and humidity quite a bit. Going to the beach, swimming in the pool, or sweating while working in the yard do not adversely affect the pod. The customer service provided by Insulet has always been exceptional. In the few cases where we’ve had pods malfunction they have quickly shipped replacement pods. I can’t really comment on the software as I’ve not spent any significant time using it.
We were at Friends for Life (conference for families with Type 1 kids) this year and spoke with the Omnipod reps that were there. They indicate the new pod will be much slimmer with the same 200 unit reservoir. They expect it on the market within the next year. We have also read that an Omnipod PDM will soon be released to include an interface with Dexcom’s CGM (which we both use).
Yes, having to keep the PDM with you can be troublesome – we once forgot our son’s PDM and didn’t realize it until we got to our destination an hour later, so turned back around to go get it – but you quickly get in the habit of taking it everywhere, as you said like your phone and wallet.
Hope this helps, all the best!
I LOVE MY POD! I can’t believe I was so hooked on MDI for so many years (about 18.) I haven’t owned any other pumps to compare with, but have worn traditional pumps with saline etc, and I think I’m just one of those people that couldn’t get over the tubes. I love that I often forget I have my Pod on, and when I wear it on my lower back (fave spot) it’s barely noticeable. As with any other “machine” or device, it has it’s hiccups, but really, once I got used to it, those have seemed to smooth themselves out for the most part. I mean, it isn’t a fine tuned healthy pancreas, so that is to be expected, but I have achieved much tighter control since starting the Pod. As someone mentioned, you do have to have the PDM at all times, but I think this is probably easier for women than men, as a lot of tend to always have our purses with us, and the PDM is right there! Best of luck to you!
My 5 year old son has been on the pod now for a year. We love it. He knocks it off sometimes when he is wrestling with his sister, but we use foam tape to hold it on when we know that he is going to be playing. The pods are a little expensive. We pay around $40.00 per pod and each one lasts 3 days. The PDM costs $1700.00 for the initial set up. It is much easier to manage without the tubing that other pumps have.
The PDM is $500, and the first 3 months of pods (the “start up kit”)–which should be 30 pods @ $40 a piece–would account for the other $1200.
Hmm…
Lucky me our health system here in Sweden will have the Omnipod in their procurement, which mean I don’t have to pay for it. So I understand you think that is expensive =X
Very nice. I’d be podding already if not for the cost!
How long do you think when Omni will be available for you?
I love my OmniPod and would hate to have to go back to shots (reactions to long-lasting insulin ruin it for me). As others have said, the only downside is forgetting the PDM, but you only do that once or twice before you take it with you everywhere.
I’m very active doing mountain biking, working out, hiking, car racing and have never had issues with the pod once I learned to wear an undershirt when doing anything active. The undershirt does a great job of giving a little extra protection from accidentally hitting it on something.
The only big issue I have is I can only wear it around my abdomen. So I’ve always placed the pod around my abdomen on 18 different sites. Imagine a 3 x 3 grid on each side of your belly button with each site being an 1" apart and the closest to the belly button being 2" away. I just rotate between all the sites. The only time it really bothers me is when the CGM and Pod are on different sides because then you just feel lopsided.