Does Omnipod have Any quality control at all?

Friends, We will see a world of difference when competition finally hits the market. Insulet is already losing money. When the Solo, Jewel, Minimed’s patch pump hit the market we’ll see Insulet scramble to stay alive. Hang in, just a matter of time.

Sorry to read this however nothing is for everyone and certainly when health is at risk there needs to be a view of options. The folks at the customer service try to do a credible job and like others I would urge you to contact the toll free number and ask for some one on one with a professional trainer/rep. There may be some tricks to the trade that will bring you great success. The bottom line, for us all, is the quarterly A1c and if that is not going in the right direction work diligently with your educator, Endo and others to make a proper decision for your needs.

There are a number of threads concerning this issue and perhaps there is good information in one of the previous threads, maybe one of their reps can work with you over the phone as well. Make a good contact and use them until you are satisfied. Also, let the company know. They all need feedback for future generations and who better to give it than the user.

Best of luck on this and keep the faith…

Mike, this may sound strange but let me ask how much training did you get from the medical rep or your Educator? The reason I ask is that I have found quite often the initial training on anything D related is never sufficient enough to create confidence and success. Quite often additional or more complete training is needed to get it right. After 42 years of injections, pumping, blood testing, carb counting etc… I find that the office folks are never as good as the D company trainers who often have D as well.

THe pod is a great concept and really can make a difference in D management for many. I wish you luck, success and certainly a better experience then you have had recently.

LOL I just called in 6 tonight! Sometimes we will have a whole box be bad very frustrating!

I am sorry to hear that but it is good to know we r not alone. I have beed seriously thinking about that for my son. We went on vacation last month and had 5 go bad in one day and I brought 10 thinking it would be enough but we had to switch to shots the last 2 days.

hey everyone -

I just got in touch with Anamas, want to try out the “Ping” and when I reached them they were MORE THAN HELPFUL. They had a local rep call me and we set up a meeting, I saw his pump and it was a no-brainer. Absolutely marvelous, except for tubing, which I really dont have a problem with, and they have done alot of work with the Dexcom peope to launch an integrated device. Just got my package today, and will start gong through it when the rep calls me with training information. I am gonna dump the pod!!!

I have had quite a few failures lately also. I haven’t gotten the double beep, so I just call them in and they are sending replacements. My opinion is that it’s fairly new technology and all trail blazers have not set a precedent without problems. I love the pod even with the issues, but I understand the frustration. The good thing is that they will replace the failed pods. Good luck with your decision.

Update…After a lot of garbage I am getting a new PDM…it might be the answer. It appears that the old PDM I have has not been manufactured for a while. I’ll keep y’all updated cause only time will tell.

WE ARE ON A ROLL!!! We have had 7 out of 10 of the last box fail due to some error of the pod or during priming. All the same lot # and within 10 of the sequence number. One of the pods wasn’t working at all and my dtr was at 500 at the 2 a.m. check for NO REASON. My dtr just started Kindergarten and we really need to adjust her settings better to match her new schedule but it’s hard when you are changing a pod every 12 hours or so… And I am an RN so I know how to draw up insulin w/o a bubble, the little tricks, we rotate over 8 different sites, I understand the instructions on how to manage this system, counting carbs correctly, etc… Also, in this day and age homes are filled with all types of media devices and I shouldn’t have to go to the crawl space of my home to activate a pod or give a bolus. I’m waiting on 4 replacement pods to be delivered from just Sept 2nd and have gone through 1 vial of insulin for a 5 yr old in 2 1/2 weeks. I’m not sure when enough will be enough but I’m getting close!

I have had 6 bad ones out of mt last box. 4 were replaced immeadiately and 2 r coming with my next shipment. 4 Pod errors and 2 failed to prime. frustrating but I am still loving the freedom.
marty

Blah, Blah, Blah

Solo, Jewel, Minimed’s patch

Blah, Blah, Blah

Occlusions

Blah, Blah, Blah

Sorry kinda sick of the subject. I have had a few Pod failures but Insulet has always been very helpful and gets them replaced. It isn’t a real biggie, Take the Pod off, Pull the insulin out, Put it in a new Pod and you are good to go. Yes it sucks but pumps fail from time to time. Omni Pod shuts down as a safety feature if you get an occlusion I don’t believe the other pumps even warn you of one (I could be wrong). The only Occlusions I have had I knew why they happened, usually it was because I was putting pressure on my Pod while delivering a bolus.

I am also sick of hearing about “watch out Omnipod when these other pump systems come out!” People have been saying this for years and those Pumps still aren’t out and there is no way of knowing if they will be any better. Yes there are some things that would be nice to change but the Pod has been a huge help in my diabetes control.

Honestly there is no such thing as a perfect pump they all have issues. There will probably never be a pump that works all the time for everyone.

Ok just had to rant a little.

Aaaaamen Seth! You took the words right out of my mouth. I wish the Omnipod bashing would end. It works great for me.

Seth and Catherine -
Sorry about the Pod “bashing”…it just seems that there really isnt anything elso to do! When I speak with Insulet, they offer no help. Congratulations to you both for your success with the pod, and I hope it continues! It just seems to me that this is a forum to vent as well as compliment, and when there is something to vent about this is where it will happen. I know that some folks from INsulet read these postings and that is beneficiisl to the company and its customers as a whole! If you dont like the bashing, dont read the posts! Good luck, and PEACE.

No worries Steve D. I just get the feeling sometimes that some of us pod users who aren’t having problems just go about their day and don’t tell others that the pods do fine too. It’s just nice to see both sides of the coin, especially when people are curious about this new type of technology. It’s too bad people have the issues they do and it’s good to discuss what went wrong so that the future will be better. I just like to state that I have had no issues especially when dancing, running, rolling on the floor and other stuff so, they aren’t all that bad :slight_smile:

Seth and Catherine…I’m happy for you that you have what you consider to be a reasonable amount of issues with the oPod. . Me too. However, I do think that some people have more than their share of problems with the pods. I’m glad it’s not me, but I’m not going to pretend that their issues aren’t real just because I am lucky. I think most of us feel that it’s a great product, but not without its glitches.

Wow! I wish we had the same luck, er…success you have had with the pod. I’m not pod bashing on here I am just venting, as you are, about my frustrations and experience I have had using this system. I thought this was a safe place where you could vent about things and respond in a forum where there are people discussing the same issues you are going through without being made to feel bad you are having this experience. And I know you can pull insulin out of a pod but you can’t get it all out and sometimes it comes out in a bubbly mess that’s a “pita” to deal with when you just need to get a new pod on and move on with your day. And I’m not talking about occlusions here. I understand that not all pumps work for everyone and I’m not talking about how my 5 yr old dtr has skin irritation from the adhesive or has occlusions all the time. I’m talking about 6 pods in a row failing on priming or in the first 12-18 hours of wear and one they think wasn’t even working and NEVER gave an alarm. If you had 50% + of the pods in 2 boxes (70% the last box) fail I think you would be a little frustrated too. Especially when you are paying out of pocket for your supplies until the last shipment of the year. I never said Insulet did not replace the pods and I have also said previously in this discussion that when the pod works it is AWESOME. The pod my dtr is wearing now (out of a brand new box with unassociated sequence numbers to the last box) has given us perfect numbers the last day and a half. BUT, because of the experience I have had I am just waiting for that “beeeeeeeep”. If I were using the pod on myself, not my 5 yr old dtr, I would probably let it roll off my back a little more. I am truly glad you are having such great success with this system and I hope it continues to go that way for you. If not, you will maybe gather a little empathy for what others are experiencing.

CAN NOT imagine dealing with all of this for my precious child. Good luck to you.

Woah, I do have empathy. Diabetes is no way easy for me at all. I feel very badly you’re having problems and feel free to vent that’s what tudiabetes is all about. It’s also there to praise when something goes right. We’re all in this together. Sorry you feel that way.

Sorry, I didn’t mean empathy about diabetes in general. I know diabetes isn’t easy for anyone who has it or anyone who loves someone who has it. Just an understanding there are real issues with this system that some of us are unlucky to experience, because when you say “omnipod bashing” it makes it sound like we are all just a bunch of unjustly angry pod users so it didn’t seem like praise of the system more so that you are just tired of hearing it. Just because you haven’t experience it to the extent some of us have doesn’t mean it isn’t “discussion worthy”. I have praised this system and in this discussion topic. You are right, we are all in this together and I’m just trying to network, learn, and take care of my little one the best possible way I can. Sometimes that means that I can get on here and share my like experiences on a discussion topic aimed at those who are having problems with the system and if I can help others in the process that would be great. I hope you continue to have great success and I hope our luck turns around too :slight_smile:

Thanks Elaine. We are hanging in there hoping to continue with Omnipod :slight_smile: