I'm still a little nervous about switching over to a pump, but I'm going to give it a shot.
Finally got some insurance matters straightened out and my starter kit and some boxes arrived on Tuesday. I've got an appointment with my endo next week and I'm hoping to get one last 3-month supply of pens before I switch over to the pump. I think having the pens available as backup will ease some of my concerns.
At my appointment I should be able to schedule a visit with the OmniPod trainer, who is also the one who I went to for my Dexcom training. So, hopefully in the next two weeks I should be sporting two external devices and keeping track of two different receivers. Oh the joy! :-)
I've read some good tips from the members of the group so far and maybe in the near future I can contribute some as well.
Now I've just got to make the leap and then start waiting for Insulet and Dexcom to get their act together and integrate!!!
Good luck, Alan. I hope you love the oPod. I was back on MDI's for 2 weeks due to a bunch of SNAFUs. It was nice to be able to give myself shots all over the place and give my regular pod sites a break, but I was reminded of what is so wonderful about the system. Two main benefits for me are the extended bolus and the history features.
Great idea getting backup pens. Carrying a pen around might be easier than all the pod supplies and I'd love to have that as a back up for travel.
You'll get lots of support and knowledge here.
I forgot...the privacy factor is huge for me, as well. Playing with the PDM in public might raise curiosity but it is so much easier to be discreet. Have fun!
As you know I wish you good luck. Let me know if I can answer any questions.
As an FYI for other people in the group - I am a Type II diabetic and pumping a lot of insulin - I was getting a lot of POD failures until my Insulet rep suggested that I extend my bolus at 50% @ 1 hour it worked like a charm and I have had only 1 recent failure due to occlusion - there was some blood on the cannula so maybe that was the issue. Anyhow you guys have great suggestions !
Congratulations on the Omnipod!!! If it gives you any peace of mind - keep a pen on-hand, regardless. Although the Omnipod is terrific in infinite ways (compared to injections) it is a safeguard to keep a pen handy.
My brother has been diabetic for 40 years and went on the pump about 6 months ago - he was hesitant too- now he swears it is the best thing he has ever done for his management of diabetes.
With my daughter who is 7 we have had 25% failure rate?? Trying to figur ethat out.
Best of luck - keep us all informed on your progress.
I am on a 1:2 IC ratio so when I bolus it can be a lot of insulin (apidra)- I think by dividing the bolus in half it is pushing it out in smaller increments so it is absorbed better, does not occlude - I was blowing through pods at an almost 40% rate of failure - I have had only 1 failure out of about 8 pods since I went to an extended bolus.
Wow...glad you found out the trick! I had heard somewhere (probably here,) a while back that it was best not to dose over a certain amount (forget) at once with the oPod, but a Insulet trainer told me that you could dose as much as you needed without a problem. I guess like so much else, it is an individual thing. I know you're happy to have worked it out!
Just as a note, in case you haven't come accross this already, you can fill your pod with insulin from the pens just as easily as you could from a vial. I used pens before switching over to the pod and when I found this out, I just retained my old prescription and get my endo to rewrite the script for pens as needed.
For me, I just like to have the added security of having the pens around just in case. When I travel, I don't have to worry about taking lots of insulin with me enclosed in vials, I don't have to worry about carrying syringes in case of emergency, or every being without a source of insulin in case my pods fail for whatever reason.
