Comparing the Omnipod to the Animas Ping

FHS, I'm talking about the bubbles in my tubing from my pump to my infusion site. That would be less of a problem with the Omnipod since there is no tubing.

But there's still an issue of bubbles in the syringe when drawing insulin from the vial.

Thanks for your feedback!

Yeah, my attempt at sarcastic humor. There are some bubbles in the syringe but they are trivial to deal with for diabetics accustomed to dealing with bubbles in syringes. I've never had problems with bubbles once the pod is loaded. I may have had trouble with bubbles in the pod but I honestly do not know how such a problem would manifest itself.

There is the post pod change BG spike that is a pain to deal with and I've heard discussion about it being an inherent issue with pod priming and not having enough insulin loaded into the cannula once the pod is attached.

Anyway, best of luck with your decision!!

Oh, ha ha! Sorry I didn't recognize your sarcasm. :-)

It's funny, I thought that I was a diabetic accustomed to dealing with bubbles in syringes. But somehow, someway, bubbles always end up in my tube. Argh.

Have never heard of the "post pod change spike." Why does a pod user spike after a change? Can't you just bolus a bit beforehand?

With regard to #5, the only time I have had a pod come off because of loss of adhesion was when I was out for a 10 mile run in the rain. The combination of wet skin and the increased weight of my shirt and the fact that it was plastered to me meant that the pod was getting pulled up and down steadily with every step I ran. I swapped it out when I got home, and it really wasn't a huge issue in terms of blood sugar because I was in the middle of a long run. I consider this a very unusual situation, though. I've had other runs in the rain where the pod stayed stuck on just fine.

Customer service has been great for me. They used to, however, replace pods as soon as one failed, but now they seem to want 3 to fail before they send out replacements. I have been stuck at two failed ones sitting in a drawer for months now :-)

Everyone has answered all the other questions - customer service is very good, especially if you ever have to escalate (not because of unhelpful service, just they don't know the answer) - have been blown away by the great support at the upper levels. Pod never gets in the way of clothing, and it never seems to bug my three year old son (he's had the Pod since 18 months).

However, we do have problems with the pods falling off, but I am the only one I know who does. My kid is super super super sweaty in addition we would find pumps floating around in his bath. I now have to skin tac plus tegaderm every pod, and use uni-solve to get off, and all that kinda pisses him off. If he is swimming or running around a lot, I also have to put vetrap around the pod too - same as coban wrap - it's just cheaper because it's a wrap used for animals.

Our biggest frustration is that the pump seems to fail a little more than I would like - but at the end of the day, it is disposable and to be expected. I don't even blame insulet half the time, because I think it probably gets knocked around in shipping. However, if it fails then you just pop another one on and move on. Plus the food bolus is not calculated as IOB - but that is getting fixed in the next release out soon.

Every pump has it issues but we love love love the Omnipod - just when we have an issue have had to find a way to make it work, like anything else. It's all totally do-able.

Thanks, DEA, good feedback.

So you're saying that now, if you call and say one failed, they won't replace it? Three have to fail? Wow.

How many do you get in a shipment?

Thanks, Jack's Mom. Curious what you mean when you say it "fails."

Does it stop injecting insulin? Which part of it fails?

I get 30 in a single shipment. I have not run into a problem because I always wear a pod for 80 hours (when they actually stop working) instead of 72 hours (when they "expire").

And, really, they don't fail all that often. As I said, I have had two fail since November of last year. Oh, also, I go through a third-party medical supply store to get pods (due to insurance). If I were getting them directly from Insulet, they would just add one or two onto my next order.

Ohhh, I see. You weren't talking about Insulet when you mentioned that. I got it.

By the way, DEA, what exactly do you mean when you say a pod "fails"?

Thanks for the info!

If a pod "fails", it means it stops working. Typically it will sound an alarm (a screeching noise that is a constant tone and will not stop until it is 'deactivated' by the PDM). This can happen due to occlusion, kinked canula, electrical shock (for example in the winter time when there is more static electricity there is an increased possibility of causing an electrical disturbance that messes up the pod...rare but it can happen), or for other reasons.

As DEA mentioned, the pod "expires" at 72 hours (reminds you with periodic beeps that it has "expired" but continues pumping). It continues pumping until the 80 hour mark, at which point it "dies" and stops working entirely (again one of those constant screeching beeps that won't quit until you turn it off with the PDM).

Actually, I was talking about Insulet; they replace failed pods, but the initial orders have to go through a third party, due to insurance agreements.

I have mainly had pods fail when either filling the pods with insulin and they do not beep to indicate that they are now able to be activated, or when they are priming and encounter a difficulty.

This was really helpful information, Bradford. You know something? I have unusually sensitive hearing. I mean, my ears really hurt at noises that don't bother anyone else. (I even have to plug my ears at passing trains, etc.)

I don't think I could live with a device that "screeches" at me. Perhaps the pod is not for me...

Well I use the term "screech" more as a "man that noise is annoying because of the pitch/tone" sort of way rather than a "ouch that really hurts, make it stop, make it STOP!" sort of way.
So don't let my term deter you from possibly checking into the system further.
You can get a sample of what the noise sounds like when you first fill a pod--it will give you a "double beep". It will be the same volume/tone as that, just constant. That's what a failed pod sounds like.
In any case, I didn't mean to make it sound completely evil/bad/unmanageable :)

1) 8
2) make sure insulin is room temp. minimize bubbles in syringe with flicking/gravity, and you'll have no problems with bubbles.
3) .05 units
4) yes, it get's in the way. You'll become more "pod aware" as time passes, but inevitably you'll rip off a pod or 4 over time. I put them on my triceps area and have virtually no problems--just be mindful when taking off a t shirt.
5) take the time to REALLY get a good application when putting it on...lots of pressure, and go over the part that sticks out from the pod several times until it doesn't wrinkle when pressure applied. the better the initial install, the better the stick. All bets are off when you knock it off in a doorway, but barring a collision, I he no problems with pods staying on with a daily shower and occasional swim in the pool.
6) I have used vetrap from 3m. It's for animal use, but is the same as coban with the following differences. Vetrap contains latex, so don't use if you are allergic. Vetrap is much much less expensive.

I love my OmniPod and hope you do too. good luck.

Let me qualify - I have a 3 year old that has been wearing the Omnipod for two years. IMO there is no one tougher with more challenges when it comes to a pump. Also, I have never had a problem getting a replacement pod for any of the reasons below (even occlusions), although they might hassle you about the occlusion ones. However, they only send out replacement pods once a month - maybe that's what the other person was referring to?

There are four types of main failures we have encountered:
1. Pod failure - The pod does an "internal check" and decides it's not going to work anymore. Most of the time this happens when Jack is being extra hard on his pod - jumping up and down, knocking into walls, etc. The pod beeps loudly, it turns off insulin delivery, and you have to replace.
2. Occlusion - We all know what this is, and my friends with higher boluses say the pod detects and occlusion, beeeeeeeeep, stops insulin delivery, and they replace. However, if your average bolus is around .10-.20 then it doesn't detect the backup for up to 12 hours. I have had to replace pods that I have only suspected of occlusion, and then take it out and see bent cannula, maybe a lot of blood, etc.
3. PDM failure - the dreaded "PDM failure". The PDM does some kind of check, decides it's having a problem, and then *fails* the pod. Wha?!? So if the PDM flakes out for whatever reason, it then turns off insulin delivery and forces you to change the pod. Frustrating to say the least, and has happened maybe 3-4 times with us.
4. Unknown - I have had some unknown problems, where the pod stops or drastically lessens delivery for an unknown reason and doesn't tell me. We get high BG's and ketones, and then replace the pod because we don't know anything. It comes down with the next pod. I would say this has happened 3-4 times as well.

We also have lots of "insulin absorption" issues on pod insertion but that's mainly because he takes such tiny doses and it takes me a while to get the "pool of insulin" and really get the pump going. I think this is the same with all pumps. Finally we had to switch to Novolog in his pump - Humalog was going bad in two days.

Despite all this, we love it and make it work. Our basic rule is that if he has ketones we suspect a pump problem, change it, and 95% of the time that works.

Wow, Mom, this was great. Thanks for all the time you spent into putting it together.

I don't have those kinds of failures with my Ping. In the 15 months I've had it, there were only two times it warned of an occlusion. Each time, I disconnected, looked carefully at the tube, saw nothing, reconnected, and it was fine.

My meter remote has never failed, and the pump itself has never failed. (My Dexcom is too erroneous for my liking, but that's another story!) Only once ever did my tubing get pulled out by accident, and I simply did a set change to replace it. (Usually my tubing is tucked inside my pants.)

Hearing about these different kinds of pod failures, coupled with the news of the loud screeches it uses for warnings, makes me think that perhaps the pod is not a great fit for me.

Hmmm....

I'm just recording the worst - your experience as a big person will only be a small percentage of what we go through. I just wanted you to read it so you can say "well if that's the worst, I can deal with that".

All that being said, Omnipod is AWESOME and we would never do anything else. We were sold on no tubing (tubing on an infant in diapers - are you kidding?!? - don't even get me started on potty training), automatic insertion, the fact if there is a problem you just quickly change and move on - you are never without the pump (where as others are next day replacement), and it's all done on a remote (keeping mr."i have to run all the time" and "don't bug me while i sleep with that insulin thing" to stand still is not possible). I love that I can look at him and never see a pump - we feel kinda normal, especially around others. I also feel like it's one of the truly innovative technologies that has come out recently.

Maybe it's worth trying before you commit?

However, as a friend of mine always said, that's why they make 33 flavors at Baskin Robbins.

Yes, we have Dex too - we have to keep telling ourselves it's for trends not numbers - and it's better than a blank stare (same look for 40 or 400!) from a small child who can't talk.

However, as a friend of mine always said, that's why they make 33 flavors at Baskin Robbins.

Ha ha ha!

Well, Mom, as an adult (or at least a bigger child), here's how I would compare my experience to yours:
* I actually prefer manual insertion. I want to control it where I want it to go.
* If there's a problem, I can quickly change insertion sets and move on.
* I am never without the pump. (They even send freebie loaners if you're taking a long trip!)
* I can do all my bolusing and bolus calculations from the remote/meter. (But I need to make basal changes on the pump.)
* The pump is never visible on me. And depending upon what I'm wearing, you either can't see any tubing, or you have to look really really carefully to find it.

But for YOU with a child, all of those reasons make it almost mandatory that you have an Omnipod!

And I really have to hand it to you. You're doing a Herculean job!!

Thanks - as you know, some days are easier than others - and you too - good luck with everything - as informed as you are getting you'll figure out what works perfect for you.

Great info, Erik! Thanks so much for chiming in.

I'm already careful of where my insertion set is located, and of course my pump is always in my pocket with the tubing tucked into my pants. I never bump it (and I'm an active square dancer!). So I'm thinking that perhaps being aware of the pod will also come naturally to me. (The pod, however, is indeed bigger than my insertion set!)

I've never heard of either vetrap or coban. I buy Tegaderm at Walgreen's, and simply use that over my set (and over my Dex). But it sounds like the two you mentioned are probably much stronger...