Thanks for the heads up on potential “issues”. I’ll have the De-Solve It ready before we even get the Pod (assuming we will, in fact, be able to get it).
Our insurance is WEA Trust, in Wisconsin. Omnipod has just finally made it to the Midwest and is brand new in Wisconsin. The Omnipod rep in our state literally just got out of training, so I wasn’t surprised that our insurance didn’t have them as In Network. But, according to other pump companies, WEA has always been good to work with, so I’m praying this can be resolved (and not take too long!) Its’ so encouraging to hear that the Omnipod is working with other toddlers. My little guy is SO active, and it seems like the pod would inhibit much less then wearing a pump pack, etc… but I think he’d learn to adjust to whatever we end up with.
Do you let Will swim/play in water with the Pod on? Have you had much trouble with losing Pods to “static”, as people put it, or bad connections? How does he do with the site changes? Sorry… I have so many questions!
Thank You!!
Tracy
Hi Tracy -
We did have one pod die due to static on the slides - apparently, this is a problem with ALL pumps and the solution is to put a dryer sheet in their pants to stop the static.
Will hasn’t had the opportunity to swim with the pod yet, we’re heading to Mexico in June so I’ll let you know how that goes. Another mom from our diabetes group said her daughter boogie boarded with her pod all summer long and it was fine. I do put Will in the tub and often leave him in there longer than the recommended half hour so I don’t think it’s going to be a problem.
The site changes take a while getting used to . The first few times was a bit traumatic and took around a half hour from start to finish. Now, it takes less than 5 minutes. I give him the old pod to put on a stuffed animal and that seems to distract him during the whole process. Like anything, it takes some getting used to and creating a ritual. So much easier than the shots. I wouldn’t show him the syringe to put the insulin in the pod, it’s pretty big and the first time Will saw it, he freaked out. I think he thought I was going to give him a shot with it. Now, I do all that before he comes in the room.
OmniPod has had some issues with malfunctioning pods, when you go to prime them, prior to putting them on, they continually beep. Apparently, they’ve figured out this problem and once you call to report it, they will replace the pod. The only annoying thing about this is that you can’t take the insulin out of it once you put it in. In our case, we put the minimum, 100 units. So far, we’ve had 4 bad, beeping pods. Apparently, that’s also unusual. That said, I still wouldn’t trade our OmniPod for a traditional model. We really do love it.
Feel free to ask whatever questions. It’s hard finding other mom’s with toddlers out there. We do have our own unique set of problems.
Take care,
Susan
Just got a call from our insurance today, and they are going to work with Insulet as “in-network” for us… yeah! Hopefully we can get things moving in the next couple weeks.
I’ve heard before that the pod changes can be long and somewhat traumatic. I’ll try to use the hints you’ve given me to distract, and get everything primed and ready before getting Isaac in the room. I’ve even learned that with sugar checks - he’s a very active 2 year old and doesn’t want to sit there while I change the lancet, get out a test strip, etc… he does much better if I have it all ready and just do it.
I’m so glad to hear you like your Omnipod. I’ve also heard of two year olds wearing the pod on the back of their arm, but that it sometimes needs to be secured with Coban or a tube sock for added stability. We’ll just have to see what works for us.
Will be in touch - thanks a TON for the info!!
Tracy
Great news!! I think you guys are going to really like it! Feel free to email with any questions. Just remember, the first week will be hard because the settings take a while to figure out and get works best for your child. That said, with all the growth they are doing, be prepared to make changes and “go with the flow” (another mom gave me that advice and so far, she was right!)
Haven’t tried the back of the arm - sounds like a viable option. MIght give it a go when I’m down in Mexico this summer.
Susan
Just to let you know you can take the insulin out of the Pod. You take it out just like you put it in. Use the syringe with the next pod. I can usually get 100 out of 150 units back out. We had a bad batch of pods and were worried about the amount of insulin we were going through so when I called OmniPod they recommend we pull it back out.
Stephanie…
Wow… very cool. I wish I would have known as we went through 6 or 8 pods while on vacation in one week and had to switch back to shots until returning home. Thanks for the great tip!
Joel.