While the loss of integrated glucometer is a pain, I think its less of an issue than the future holds. Through-the-skin glucose sensing is right around the corner (take a look at GlucoWise), and we can expect this capability to be integrated in smartwatches as it matures (like heart rate sensors, etc.).
I’m very optimistic that, 5 years from now I’ll be doing all this through my watch, without a phone in the loop.
How does this device connect to the internet?
Great question @Tesie! I would expect that you will have a Bluetooth connection to the Dash–then to the cloud.
Thanks Bradford 1.
I have cigna, too, and when I received the letter they wouldn’t be supporting Freestyle I asked my dr to write a requirements letter and that worked. They are covering it.
My endo wrote a requirements letter for Apidra. Cigna denied. I am not paying my endo enough to engage in a fight. Cigna refused to talk to me about the denial. I gave up and I am now on Novolog. I actually like Novolog. Thus I am not unhappy that I conceded. I still had a year worth of Freestyle strips. I figured by then the PDM would have been replaced with a new one that lacks a meter. I miscalculated.
Oh, did Cigna also deny your insulin??!! Just crazy!! The dexcom helps with the testing at least. Thank goodness Cigna is covering it, too.
Yes, but if we are forced to use an “outside” meter, I may just change back to the OneTouch since the strips are more readily available. This way I won’t have to fight with my insurance company to cover the Freestyle, which is NOT their “preferred” test strips. Overall, though, I agree with you all that not having the meter as part of the PDM really is crap. I already feel like a pack-horse with all of the supplies I carry. I’ll have to exchange my purse for a suitcase soon!
I’m a bit lost in this whole discussion about the meters, but isn’t the whole point of the APS to have the CGM or are most of you interested in the Dash only?
@BK1112 Dash will be out in 2017. APS won’t be out until 2020. So I suspect the Omipod people are getting excited about what is coming next year as opposed to the APS which is four years away.
The big excitement with Dash for many of us is the shift in radio technology to BLE. This – in theory – will open up the platform to the same sort of community development that’s occurred with the Dexcom CGM.
I say “in theory” because I would be shocked if the communication protocol between the new PDM and the new BLE capable pod isn’t crack-proof encrypted with titanium-grade encryption. This would be necessary to satisfy the FDA that a pod couldn’t be hacked, and someone harmed by a nefarious party. What a great way to make a mint: Kill your spouse for the life insurance with a massive insulin OD, then benefit again with the settlement from Insulet.
Yet, this hacking is exactly what we in the DOC development community are thirsty for to do the same sorts of things being done with the G4/5. It’s very posssible – I’d say certain – that the new pod will not be hackable, so things like Loop or OpenAPS support for the new Omnipod will sadly, remain out of reach.
However, the hacker community is amazing. The possibility that an exploit is found (i.e. a bug, mistake, etc. in the software running on the pod itself), and hacking is successful. This is how iPhones are “jailbroken” and Android phones from paranoid, overcontrolling carriers like Verizon are “rooted”.
There’s some real irony here. This is the “white hat / black hat” cyberwar domain. The irony is in this case it’s the gubmint and private companies that are the black hats in this case, and the hacking community that are the white hats.
Have you tried anything with the current pods that use RF? They are on 433.92 MHZ. You can use tools like HackRF or bladeRF to look at the communication between Pod and PDM. I suspect that they do not use a cryptographic key exchange, but rather use a session identifier when establishing their link, so hacking them would probably be easy.
I haven’t bothered to mess with it because a year ago when I first started looking in to it, I found a bunch of hacking attempts with details that failed, for many of the reasons I’m talking about.
I’ll have to patiently await 2020, as my daughter will not even entertain the thought of using a tubed pump at this point in time.
In the meantime, she’ll have to get by with the “pseudo-loop”: Dexcom G5 > her iPhone > my iPhone > me (sugar-surfing) > me, texting her instructions > her, directing her PDM or treating an impending or present-time low > Dexcom G5 > etc. I can do this for another 4 years. Repeat…
Gawd, Rose, how do you find the time and focus to practice medicine?
Only half-kidding…
Progress has been made in cracking comms to pods, but encryption issues have not been fully resolved yet. If you have skills to contribute, or if you just want to follow the progress, take a look at this slack channel.
Between all this and trying to tie up the loose ends of a messy divorce, I’m feeling pretty tapped out. Right now, I’m finding it difficult to deal with the aftermath of the dog peeing on my bed last night.
People change, especially teenagers. I imagine if she mixed with some of her peer-PWD, she might get a whiff of the APS “cool factor” and do a head-snapping 180 on you! Maybe not – but I wouldn’t be too sure. This tech stuff is in their DNA.
I’ve read many stories about younger people with diabetes going to a diabetes summer camp dead-set against a pump and then come home begging their parents to get one. Now.
Seriously Rose, are you getting some fun time? Where are you? If you’re within 100 miles I’m coming to take you out to dinner. I’m near Santa Cruz, CA.
If not me, get together with someone else from TuD for a glass of whine – I meant wine, really I did – and some good food. You need it!