I am new to this site. I was wondering if anyone can tell me how the pod is when kids wear it. I have a 9 year old who is on a medtronics pump right now, and we r not loving it. I want to switch him over to the pod........any thoughts
Thank you for your help.
Kolleen
Hi Kolleen! Welcome to TuDiabetes :)
I am not a kid, but I use the pod and love it! There is a group here for people who use the pod that you might want to check out for more info. Lots of parents posting there, so hopefully you can find the info you need. Good luck with making your decision!
It can be a difficulty choice. I chose MM Revel. My biggest turn off with OmniPod was the controller to keep up with, and the high number of posts of people experiencing Pod failures. I tried the demo one, just to see if I liked how it felt, overall it is kinda bulky, BUT that wasnt so much a issue for me. Overall the tubeless feature wasnt a big draw for me as Im not much into swimming at least anymore.
What are your dislikes about the MM pump? One nice thing about the OmniPod though is I believe from what my CDE said you have something like 90 days after getting it, and if you decide you dont like it you can return it. Almost all other pumps from my understanding once you get it your stuck for 4 years before insurance will let you get a new one. I'd ask for a couple of demo pods have your son try them out on different areas he'd be infusing and just see how he likes the overall feel of it. I thought it was a bit on the bulky side, not impossible but just bulky.
hmmm. I've never left the pdm behind. But I don't lose my phone or my cgm or my meter either. I guess if you were prone to losing those, the pod would be a bad idea? And I just read a tubed pumper's post about disconnecting for a shower and forgetting to reconnect. At least with the pod, if you forget the pdm you still get basal insulin. :) And, I've never found it bulky either. But I'm a tall adult who doesn't care at all if it shows...
As for pod failures - yep, every once and a while I get an alarm while filling a pod. It adds about 5 minutes to my routine when it happens (maybe once or twice a month?) - that includes the call to CS to replace the faulty pod. For *me* the pod is worth it. I don't want to sound like I'm pushing the pod and I don't believe it is for everyone, but there are some scary preconceived ideas out there that may cause some to shy away. And, in my experience, the system works well. I'm thankful that I live in a time where there are pump choices!
I agree with Christy - see if you can meet up with a trainer to try it out for a few days and see what you think. Also, the features (such as how IOB is calculated) are different with the pod. May cause a learning curve?
My son Caleb will be 9 in January. He's been Podding almost the entire time he has had diabetes - almost five years. He's been doing great with it. Do you have any specific questions or concerns?
I agree with everything Kate said, my 15 year old uses Omnipod and cgm too, and we love the features of it. He wasn't crazy about abdomen shots so the pod offer more options there. We have had very few pod failures this year (maybe about 5), that's read good. Starting up a new pod is easy, pain if its during class, but that has been rare. Auto insertion is nice. Little bulky but its most on back of arms and thigh under front jean pocket, so it doesn't bother him and doesn't care if it shows. Yes, you can swim and shower with it, even in ocean waves. You have to calculate IOB after boluses but not corrections. Never forgot just his PDM but once left his whole kit, which just meant he needed me to get it to him anytime before lunch. I think it was the right choice for him and looking forward to the next generation, flatter, cgm integration and IOB for boluses (i think). Good Luck
I guess my first question is what is it about the MM that you're not liking? IMO, having done extensive research on all three pumps currently available in the US, they each have pros and cons. You've just gotta decide which pros and cons you're willing to put up with.
I did consider the Omnipod when I was looking to go back on the pump. However, there just seemed to be a lot of posts on here about pod failures. In addition, when I got a sample pod, I was disappointed with how large it was. As a petite woman, I realized I was going to have trouble disguising the pod under my clothes.
hahaha that is EXACTLY why I didn't chose the OmniPod, my cat would jump up on the table and send the PDM flying into some black hole under my bed. Seriously I got all the way to work the other day and forgot my ID badge at home. Im prone to losing my car keys, my phone, my purse, lol you name it, it will get misplaced.
Im 14 and i used to have a pod about 3 years ago and i hated it. The screen would crack and the company got mad at us. The site always stops working and its bulky. Yes granet there is no tubing but thats the only bright side i see to it. Also at my last doctors app. they were telling us how alot of people have been having trouble with it. Mabey try the animas. I have had that for 6 years and love it. I have nothing bad to say about it. But that is only my opinion.
:)