How reliable on the OmniPod?

I am a diabetic consultant and I will appreciate you share with me your experiences on the Omnipod such as quality, reliability and user friendness ? thanks
bruce

Hi Bruce,

I find the Omnipod pretty reliable. I have had problems with around 5 pods but Insulet replaced these no questions asked, you just have to read them the lot and pod # and return it in the same box the replacement came in. If there are no issues with the pod (usually on insertion) my experience is that they work as well and sometimes better than my Metronic pump. I love it because I can place it almost anywhere (my current location is on my upper left arm) and NO TUBBING!!

It is also very fast and easy to install.

Steve

steve:
thanks for the feedback. would you kindly elaborate your complain on the insertion for your ominiPod ?
is it has something to do with the design, user friendness, or the quality/reliability issue ?

thanks

bruce

With any pump or infusion set there can be problems such as location, scar tissue and issurtion pulling out.

I find with the Omniod that most of the time it had to do with the automatic insurtion of the canula. I am not sure what goes wrong but it may be that the Omnipod misfired or there was a gap between where the needle fired and the skin. Once I hit the pod and dislodged it, another time it was an adhesive problem which I resolved by using a skin prep. Once also I had a communication error between the Pod and PDM and had to replace the pod after 2 days. In all cases they sent a replacement no questions asked.

Overall the comfort and convience outweighs the other issues and I havn’t gone back to my Metronic pump

We just started our 2 year old son, Will, on the OmniPod this past Monday. Compared to shots, it’s been fantastic. However, the first Pod he had on, he complained that it “hurt” so I changed it on Wednesday (we were due to change it on Thursday). When I called Insulet to ask them if it could “hurt” they told me that sometimes it could and that when you are inserting the new Pod to pinch the skin before you press the button to insert, much like you do when giving an injection. This technique really seemed to help a lot when I put the new one in. Will didn’t complain it hurt but still is a little freaked out by it. Now that he’s talking more, he does seem to have an opinion about everything. When he says it hurts, I remind him that we could go back to shots but then tell him that he wouldn’t be able to have cookies for a snack (which is true, I could never do that when he was on shots unless he wanted an additional shot at snacktime, which he never did). We ended up changing out the Pod again last night, due to the fact that when he came out of the tub, part of the tape that holds it on was coming off. He did have a rather crazy time at the playground and was up and down the slides, so maybe that dislodged it. I called Insulet and they told me to change it just to be safe. I will order some tape to put over the Pod so that this can’t happen in the future.

Will’s Pod currently goes on the top of his bottom, so his diaper covers it. I look forward to the future, when I can put it on his thigh or belly. I think little kids have a way more active lifestyle than most adults, so with his climbing and running and rolling around, it’s expected that we’ll go through Pods a little faster than an adult. He also sits in the tub every night and I’m sure that doesn’t help the adhesive. That said, I still am really liking it.

One other thing, the first two days on the pump, his numbers were really high, in the 300 range. The Insulet folks said that this is normal, that it takes the body a little while to adjust to getting insulin all the time. My CDE has tweaked the basal rates already, we did that on Wednesday, and since then, he’s been in the normal ranges for the first time since his diagnoses of last April.

We chose the OmniPod because of the lack of tubes. It is a little large for a two year old, but, I really think a traditional pump would have freaked him out more and would have been more difficult for us to adjust to. I think that the PDM could be a little less primitive but I’m sure that will change over time as well. So far, it’s pretty easy to figure out. I really like that once you set it with all your specifics, it does the math for you.

Hope this is helpful.
Susan
Mom to Carter, 6 years and William, 2 years, dx April 2007

Hi Susan,

Have you tried skin prep prior to putting on the omnipod? I had a problem with the adhesive when I was on a bike ride on vacation and was sweating. The next time I used skin prep and it worked great. I also talked to someone that puts a piece of IV3000 on the skin and the pod on top of it. He told me that helps the adhesive.

Steve

Thanks Steve - where can I get those? I’m assuming I’ll have to get them online since regular pharmacies probably don’t carry them. Thanks for the tip!!

Susan

Susan,

I use Smith & Nephew skin prep (cat# 59420425) I understand they also have a spray. I am sure that there are other similar products. If you use this, since there is alcahol in it, it can burn a little if there is an open wound. Make sure that it is dry before insurting the canula or it can burn a little if it isn’t.

Steve

Thanks Steve!! I have another quick question for you. Will is really freaked out by the POD changes. This is weird because when we tried it out for a week, he was fine. He would lay down and let me take the POD off, no problem. Now, the minute we say we have to change it, he starts to cry and say “no, POD hurts” (heartbreaking for us…damn this disease…) I’m hoping it’s just a transitional thing, going from shots to getting used to changing the POD. Tonight’s change seriously took about 45 minutes. He absolutely wouldn’t let us take it off. He kept telling us it hurt.

Could he really be in pain or do you think it’s more just freaking out? I know you’re a big guy and all, but would you say you have pain taking it off or when you insert the cannula?

Thanks in advance!
Susan

Hey Susan
Let me say first that I am in awe of you and the other parents out there dealing with their children’s condition. I have a hard enough time dealing with my own emotions, I’m not sure I would be strong enough to watch a little one go through this as well.
I read your post and I am wondering if the POP! sound that the POD makes might be scaring him. I am 35 and jump EVERYTIME it does it. Doesn’t hurt but it does startle me to the point where somtimes I do dread it for the 3 little clicks. And sometimes when the adhesive is pretty strong it does hurt my skin to pull off. Maybe he just associates the changing with the sounds and smells? Anyway, good luck to you and yours!

Hi -

Thanks so much for the details on how it really feels. I’ve been using that adhesive remover but when I open the packet, he starts howling. It’s very frustrating. I’m sure this is just something he’s going to have to deal with and that it probably takes time to get adjusted. I appreciate your candid remarks on how it really does feel. I plied him with cookies last night in order to get the job done. It worked, but we did have a lot of tears, etc…

I think it’s really hard being the parent of a child with D1 . While I know what we’re doing is in his best interest, it’s hard watching your child go through all this. Will was diagnosed at 15 months so it was actually worse in the beginning. It’s starting to all come together now. I think the pump is indeed, life altering…I can’t imagine if we had a traditional pump with all the tubing - he would be tearing it off and I think that would be an absolute nightmare (however, I have spoken to other mom’s with toddlers on traditional pumps and they say it doesn’t bother them). I think, though, it would bother me more. With the OmniPod, since you don’t see it, everything just seems normal. I’m hoping we’re in a transitional phase and that after a few weeks of POD changes, he’ll get the hang of it.

Thanks again!
Susan

Hi Susan,

I agree with the reply from BPM. The clicks can be a bit un-nerving but I have never felt the slightest pain when the needle fires. Sometimes the adhesive can be hard to pull off and it can hurt a bit, just as a band-aid can. This might be a problem. they do make barrier wipes that could protect the skin from adhesive irritation. I don’t think this will interfere with the insertion. Like all products make sure it dries before inserting the Pod.

Steve

I’ve always described it as someone snapping you with a rubberband. The actual pop doesn’t hurt but the sound and the thought is something else. (For the record I grew up with two older brothers so there is a little rubberband trauma in there!)

Thanks for the replies. Today for the POD change, I put Will in the bath, suspended the POD for an hour and let him really soak in the tub. I tried to take it off while it was underwater but Will was on to me and started fussing. I managed to take it off very quickly when drying him, he didn’t even know that I did it (very slick!!) Putting the new one on was again, a trauma, but I’m hoping over time, this will pass. Otherwise, he’s doing great on it. Waiting to hear back from the CDE regarding changing his overnight basal since he drops pretty dramatically at night. Other than that, we’re pretty happy.

Thanks everyone for the insights!!

Take care,
Susan

Susan,

We spray some “De-Solv-It” on the pod’s white part that attaches to the skin (completey saturate it, make sure you have a paper towel or something handy to catch a few drips.) Wait about 2-3 minutes. Then pull the entire pod STRAIGHT UP (this is important!) gently. It comes right off in about 3-4 seconds with no residue left behind. My daughter is 11 and she says this method is completely painless! (and quick, once you wait the 2-3 minutes for this stuff to disolve the adhesive from the pod) - De-Solv-It is in a spray bottle in the laundry aisle at my local Wal Mart & it is “Mom-Approved, Environmentally Friendly, Biodegradable, Safe on Skin” - I think it was originally designed to get gum, etc. off kids & carpets! =) It’s terrific & a $4 bottle has lasted us about 8 months so far & it’s only 1/3 gone.

Before using this, we tried taking it off right out of the tub & that wasn’t good enough, she said that hurt a little. So, try this stuff. It’s wonderful.

I’ve just joined this site and am thinking about an Omnipod for my 2 year old son who was diagnosed at 19 months. Was wondering how Will and other toddlers on the Pod are doing? Are you happy with your decision?

Susan you can also use finger nail polish remover. Just get a q-tip, put some nail polish remover on it then take the q-tip and slowly put it under the adhesive working your way around the pod, further and further under dipping the q-tip in the nail polish remover, moving it under the adhesive under the pod. This gets the pod off very quickly. I am a very hairy guy so if I did not use this method or something like it I would have a terrible time getting the pod off not to mention the pain that it would cause. REMEMBER - Do Not Get Any of the Nail Polish Remover NEAR THE CANULA Else It Might Drip Down and Burn. I hope this might help you or others. I would also try the commercially available products that are made just for getting adhesive off our bodies. My Omnipod originally came with some pads for this, I don’t remember the name of them. You might want to go to this web site that sells these type of products: www.america= ndiabeteswholesale.com

Just wanted to say (for what it’s worth) that fingernail polish didn’t work for us. It really burned my daughter’s skin - and we tried several brands & kinds. I’m tellin’ ya - the “De-Solv-It” is simply the best thing we’ve tried. =) It allows the pod to literally slide up & off without leaving ANY RESIDUE. It’s wonderful.

I am really sorry to hear about your daughter’s burned skin. Perhaps one
of the professional skip preps and adhesive removers.
I did see the one:

Smith & Nephew Skin-Prep Protective Wipes are: Effective protection between tape and skin. Reduces risk of tape stripping. Helps tape, film and appliance adhesion. Non-irritating. Reduces friction. Box of 50 wipes.

and this one:

Smith & Nephew Uni-Solve Adhesive Remover is specially made to reduce adhesive damage to the skin by dissolving dressing tape and appliance adhesives. Ideal for removing acrylic-based, rubber-based, and hydrocolloid-based residues from the skin. Box of 50

I saw them both on this site:

http://www.americandiabeteswholesale.com/StoreFront.bok

They were under Insulin Pump Supplies/Skin Preps

I am going to try the De-Solv-It as you have stated and I will give an update.

Sometimes what works for one person does not work or others and visa-versa.

Thanks, Peter. I think we’re sticking with the De-Solv-It as it really is working for us wonderfully. The only problem with adhesive removers made especially for this kind of thing is that they are much more expensive than my handy-dandy Wal Mart fix! LOL We could afford it if we HAD to, but if the $4 remedy works, then why mess with a good thing?! I know there’s probably not one fix for everyone, and this may not work for someone else, but we love it. I’ve mentioned it to several others on another email list I’m on and several have tried it with glowing reviews. I’m anxious to hear of the De-Solv-It works for you too. Our $4 bottle that we got in the Wal Mart cleaning supplies aisle has lasted us 7 months now & there’s still 1/2 a bottle left. Now that’s a bargain, and Lord knows with all of our other diabetes expenses, I can use a bargain in the adhesive-removing department! LOL Best wishes. It would be nice if none of us even had to mess with any of this. God willing, they will find a cure soon.