after a 6, almost 7 month hiatus I have been tempted to give the Omnipod another try. I started it last October and for the first two months everything was great! Started to have a lot of absorption issues/crazy highs/pod fails …etc. I became overwhelmed and frustrated and decided to go back to my Minimed Paradigm, until I ran out of those supplies and make a decision then. Well am almost all out of tubing and so I’ve decided to give the Omnipod another shot! …yes after all my ranting I’m back at this thing again. I pray for good sugars and less pod fails!
Welcome back, and good luck! Keep us posted!! PEACE
I’m about to get on a pump and am finishing a saline trial of both the Animas Ping and the Omnipod. One week on each.
I really wanted the Omnipod to win. Really. The Animas portion went really well. No issues, no difficulties, the tube was way less of a problem than I’d imagined. Basically, it was an overall good experience. But the minor issues of "what do I do with the tube and pump when I’m getting (un)dressed, showering, using the toilet etc… made me hope the pod might be better. Oh, so wrong. The week on the Omnipod has been kind of a nightmare.
The first one I wore on the abdomen, because it was easy to get to and to see if the cannula was inserted properly. My CDE helped me with the positioning and insertion. It went smoothly. But within a couple hours it began to hurt like all get-out when anything pressed on it. No redness, no bruising. Just pain for all three days that I wore the pod. Sleeping wasn’t a huge problem for those three days because I don’t sleep on my stomach, but most everything else was. Moved it to the thigh, outside, and thought it was great – right up until I tried to sleep. I sleep on my sides, alternating sides throughout the night, and laying on the pod was awful. Felt like putting all my weight on a small rock. I’d come wide awake every time I rolled over onto that side. By the third day, sleeping on it was a teensy bit better, but still no good.
This morning, moved the pod to the back of one arm. Again, feels awesome. Right up until I rip it off by brushing it up against a doorway while carrying a box. grr. I’m sure I’d learn to be conscious of it in time, but how many pods (and money) will I waste learning that lesson?
So … Animas kinda seems to have won on every usage point except for the idea running through my head about “wow, I have a box connected to me via a tube – surely that must suck”.
I want to like the Omnipod but it sucked to try to live with it, while I didn’t want to like the Animas, but it was almost completely unobtrusive and a comparative joy to wear! Grr. Arghh.
What’s the likelihood that I’ll work through the Omnipod difficulties and find acceptable sites to wear it and become at all times aware enough of it to not rip the darned thing off when I work in the garage or whatever?
Recommendations welcome!
Cheers!
As I am still fairly new to using the system I cannot offer recommendations, however I feel your pain! I applied my pod today to my back, right underneath my shoulder blade where I have some extra “pudge”. I will not have a problem sleeping since I sleep on my stomach, but I’m trying to figure out right now how to lay on my couch. I’m so afraid to lay down on top of the pod! I’m afraid I’ll knock the catheter out of place.
Thanks! One thing I’ve figured out is that the right pump and the right sites are all very individual. One size does not fit all. At the moment, I admit that I’m frustrated, but I know I’ll get it figured out, and I’m sure you will, too.
Best luck, Kati!
I agree with Michael. There are no right or wrong answers, just what is right for you. I use Omnipod now and I do have experience with tubed pumps, and the Omni meets my needs. I have read lots of posts on failures, problems with insulin on board calculations, occlusions, etc and decided the pod was for me. Having said that, no mechanical/electrical system is going to be perfect or an exact match for our own bodies working the way it is supposed to, but we all try to get the best match for our individual wants/needs/situation. I too have had some failures, pods going into alarm, occlusions, high BS, but I could not stick myself with one more needle. Good luck with whatever you decide. Everyone is an individual! - Hank
Good luck, Kati…I hope you have a good experience this time. Were here for you.
thanks all 
one day down, so far so good!
Guys great to hear from people with the same pratical problems. I wear a CGM (Navigator) and have had no uses for three years of rough and tumble. This pump has all the things I like in terms of no constant issue with getting dressed and undressed !! But it hurts ! Not the cannular but the sharpe edges to the pod !! I have only had about five weeks and went back to the Prof at Barts - its new to them and need to be changed. The CGM is flat and attached all the way around. I ripped one off tonight (from my arm) by puttingmy arm over a chair during a chat !! Not right. It has been suggested by parents on this site to tape it down a tad ?? It works and my levels are good - but it hurts !!
btw, this may sound quite stupid, but exactly how do you all manage to wear the pod on your lower back/buttox area? can you just sit/lay right on top of the pod without dislodging it ??
my 13 year old daughter has been on the Omnipod for 5 weeks now, no issues at all, lucky I guess. She wears hers on her back, just above her waist, sort of were your “love handles” would be. Or she wears it on her abdomen , always above her waist, so whatever she is wearing ie pants , shorts etc doesn’t rub the pod.
She hasn’t had any issues sleeping and she sleeps every which way at night.
everyone’s experience with pumps is different… I personally had a frustrating experience with omnipod. I was planning to get pregnant, and my doctor suggested to get on omnipod. It seemed great: no tubing, no connection to anything.
My A1C before getting on a pump was 6.5%, after 3 months of using it, my number went up to 6.8% and after 6 months it was up to 7%
I was constantly fighting with my highs. I could probably improve my numbers, but just did not want to waste any more time and money. I had to get back to Lantus and try to get my A1C back to normal before trying to conceive. Now, it’s 6.1, and I like how I am not attached to the regimen of changing a pod every three days.
My endo is type 1 diabetic. She is using the pod and loves it. I guess it just depends.
Persistence will be rewarded!
No tubes.
No MDI.
Ability to match your basal rate to your activity level, which may be the single most important advantage of pumping, for me, anyway.
On QC issues, which seem to consume of lot of space in this group, I’m sure Omnipod will support you. I’ve had great support and few issues, which I think point toward a good education provided by my CDE.
Knowledge is power!
I intend on being persistant! Especially now that my insurance company all of a sudden has refused to cover my pods.