My daughter was diagnosed 4 weeks ago. Our dr has given clearance to move to a pump. We began looking into the omnipod and are sold. It seems to be a no-brainer. As I'm not naive enough to believe there isn't a downside, that I must be marketer's dream come true, I'm hoping to hear from people who decided against the Omnipod. What were your reasons for choosing another pump over this one?
Thanks! I appreciate your honesty. It takes a village to process all of this info and do what's best for my baby!
Hi, I demo'd the Omnipod and my reasons for not going with it were a few. One I thought it was extremely bulky, I felt a lot more self conscious with the demo than I ever have with my Medtronic. Also the frequent number of people posting about pod failures, really turned me off of Omnipod...and I did not like having to keep up with the bolus device thing. I want a pump i can push a button and bolus. I mean Im forever misplacing my cell lol...I do not need some other gadget to keep up with that controls my pump.
I started on the omnipod in Jan. The reason that i went with it was the tubless and the waterproof. I swim alot so that was big for me....The cons that i have had so far...i did go through a spell of pump failures...they were all replaced and the way i see it as these things do happen and have not had one in over a month and a half now. Also at times it is visable with summer comming i have found 2 solutions as i tend to put the pump on my arm, for work or dressing up i have 2 sleves from bands for life they are great. for causal i buy vet wrap at the horse tack store it is cheap and comes in many colours. overall i am really happy with the choice i made. If there is anything specific you would like to know just ask.
I used to have the omni pod what went to the animas due to many problems. My screen would always crack for no reason. They finally told us WE had to pay for it. The pods would always stop working and would beep until you hit it with a hammer. Its bulky. How old is your daughter. With the omni pod you ALWAYS have to have the meter with you. Otherwise it wont work. If you have any qustions about any other pump feel free to ask i have been on ALL of them
The "bulk" (not sure I'd call it that) is something to consider. Most other topics of concern are based on that one consideration. I just started the Omnipods myself, and so far it's been good. I also got some of the "Bands for Life" and they don't seem to work too well for me, but turns out I haven't really needed them yet anyway. My arms have a tapered shape, and the bands slide down too easily. They come off the pod within an hour of wearing them. The Bands for Life are made of a great silky smooth material that is awesome on the skin, but slippery. I need something with a bit more grip I guess. Some have suggested the stretch bandages that cling to themselves, so I'll try that next. If I need something that is.
But overall wearing them has not been a problem. One site for the pump I've tried wasn't too fun, so I won't use that again (a specific spot on my stomach.) But on my arm it's been wonderful.
Also, most of the negatives you hear are 100% fixable. Omnipod customer service is great at helping get through issues. In my move to the pods, I recieved calls from 3 different folks at Insulet on their pods, each with a different job at Insulet and each of them were very helpful and friendly.
I've been a diabetic for 40 years. Learned about pumps years ago, but couldn't get over fighting a cord so never bothered. Omnipod was the answer for me.
I've been on my Omnipod for over 2 years. Was on MM pumps for 10 years before I switched. I have to say that I love my Omnipod and would never switch back to a tubed pump. I loved my MM, but my kids kept yanking the thing out. I also wanted that "non-tethered" feeling, didn't want to have to disconnect when swimming or showering etc. I don't find the pump to be that bulky, especially if you have never used another pump. Plus, Omnipod will soon (hopefully by end of 2012) be coming out with a smaller pump (I hear 1/3 smaller). I can understand how someone going from a MM or Animas might feel it's bulky. That honestly never crossed my mind when I switched because I was so excited to not have the tubing. Have had a couple pump failures, but it's really not a big deal for me. I've always found Omnipod's customer service to be top notch as well (never had an issue with MM either).
One point of clarification - Anna, you are correct that with the Omnipod you have to have your PDM with you to bolus. However, your pump will continue to give you your basal if you forget your PDM. So saying that the Omnipod won't work without the PDM isn't entirely correct. Also, the Omnipod eliminates the need to carry a meter with you as it is integrated in the PDM. With a MM or Animas pump you still have to carry a meter. So I view it as you are carrying something extra regardless. Point well taken though - it would be nice to have basic bolus functionality on the face of the Omnipod in the event that you forget your PDM.
Anyway - probably too much information but in my opinion you can't go wrong with the Omnipod.
Anna - if you don't mind me asking, the screen on your PDM would crack? I've dropped, kicked, thrown, sat on etc. my PDM and it works fine. Have a couple scratches on the screen but nothing more.
The Omnipod was something I did consider when I was looking into going back on the pump last year. I had had a Minimed before so was familiar with them and was also interested in the Animas Ping. I DID NOT select the Omnipod for the following reasons:
The pods were bigger than I expected. I tried a demo pod and was surprised that it wasn't always that easy to conceal under what I was wearing. This is perhaps more of an issue for girls, who tend to wear clothes that are a little more form-fitting.
Any pump can fail, but I have been on this and other listservs for quite a few years now and the pods seem to have far more failures than other pumps. When a pump fails, it can be very dangerous, especially for a young child who can go into DKA quickly. When on a pump, you don't have any basal insulin in your system, so reliability is a HUGE thing.
Waste. All pumps create waste, but the Omnipod seems to create a bit more waste. If a pod fails, you can end up wasting the insulin inside it. Not good when a bottle of Humalog retails for $168.
I didn't like the fact that the PDM is separated from the insulin-delivering device (the pod). Too easy for me to forget.
The dosing increments are smaller on the Minimed Revel and Ping. The lowest dose you can deliver on the Omnipod is 0.05 units, whereas the Ping and Revel both delivery insulin at rates as small as 0.025 units. Not a huge difference for an adult, but could be for a small child.
I ended up with another Minimed, the revel. Here are some things that I really like about it:
Small dosing increments (0.025).
Reliability. Minimed has been doing this for a long time.
Large selection of infusion sets.
Low profile (it's very rare that someone notices I'm wearing it).
It comes in two sizes - one that holds 180 units of insulin and another that holds 300 units.
The Ping has a nice screen and is waterproof, but I found bolusing with it to be a little more of a pain and I just really felt more comfortable with the reliability of the Minimed Revel. Bottom line - if it was my kid, I'd go with Minimed. For a child, I would definitely NOT go with the Omnipod, but that's just me.
I wanted to share my experience with pump failures after wearing the Omnipod for 2+ years as I've heard many who don't wear an Omnipod reference it as a major reason why they don't wear one.
-I've had maybe 5 failures in 2+ years. Putting this in perspective this would be a .02% failure rate). More importantly though, each failure has happened during the priming process. When it happens I just pull out another pod then call Omnipod and let them know and they replace the pod at no charge on your next shipment. I'm not discounting the concern, but I really do not think this is something that would lead to DKA. If the pump stops working it beeps louder and louder and it tells you to change to a new Pod. Also, I would like to point out that I had priming errors and failures with my MM pumps as well. Not many, but they do happen.
-There is a difference between a pump failure and a kinked cannula or problem with your infusion site. I've had many kinked cannula's and no delivery alarms from my MM pumps. In those situations I had to do the same thing I would have to do with a Pod. I've never had a "pump failure" once the pod is on and working. I have had kinked cannula's which obviously causes the pod to beep which means you need to switch it out but those are not exclusive to the Omnipod.
The argument for/against putting a child on the Omnipod is interesting. Of course as a huge proponent of the Omnipod I would argue that it would be an excellent option for a child given the tubeless nature, the automatic insertion process, not ever being disconnected (shower, swimming pool etc). As with everything, it's up to you and your child to figure what's best!!!
I agree Mike. I've been using OmniPod for a couple of months now and have had very few issues. I've had one pod that failed to prime and OmniPod replaced it. I've had several pods that I had to pull because the site wasn't absorbing properly but site absorption can be a problem with tubed pumps also. OmniPod has replaced the pods I pulled because of absorption even though it's not a pod problem.
I honestly think that many times people will blame the pods when in fact they have a site problem or basal need change...and those are things that aren't going to be solved by going on a tubed pump.
I also think OmniPod would be an excellent option for a child because of the automatic insertion process. You place the pod on with the adhesive and push a button on the PDM...you hear 3 clicks then a pop sound that feels like a rubber band snapped you and you're done.
Also in regard to the comments about keeping up with the PDM, as mike said, the PDM is my meter and everyone has to keep up with a meter anyway. With a tubed pump, you have to wear the pump on your belt or in your pocket. I don't have to wear anything except the pod, which is under my clothes out of sight. I like the freedom this gives me.
Just as a suggestion, jess, you may want to ask to wear a pod yourself and go through the insertion process. Then do the same thing with a tubed pump and see the difference. I've heard of other parents trying them out like that before they choose one for their child.
Good luck on finding what works best for you and your little one! :)
I've been using the OmniPod for a couple of years now. I'm very pleased with the performance and the quality of the pods. I avoided pumping because I have always been wigged out by the idea of ripping out an infusion site. Given my natural grace and balance, I figured I'd be snagging the tubing on one thing or another. The tubeless aspect makes this a non-issue. I have also ripped pods off by catching them on clothing and I have remarkable skill at clipping the pods as I go through doorways. That happens infrequently and it happens less and less the longer I wear the pod. I don't have any cons. There are other pumps out there that will allow a more exact measurement of insulin and that could be something to bear in mind if you are equipping your child. But for ease of use and comfort, I'm pretty happy with the OmniPod.
