Hey everyone, I am looking into switching insulin pumps. Right now in Canada we have our option of Medtronic 630 or omnipod. I currently am using an older medtronic, but am seriously looking into the omnipod. Can anyone give me the pros and cons of an omnipod? I have read old posts but nothing current. I really am unsure about moving to the 630G, it seem so large, the tslim is possibly on its way here, however it seems to have mixed reviews.
What do you podders think of the omnipod?
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I parked my Ping in the box and took Insulet up on their Animas Pod trial offer. I had so many wrong ideas about the pod, and now if you try to take it away from me I am going to sit down and cry. That goes for financial, because the boxes are not cheap on my HMO. I had to pay $295 for one box, and a little less for the next. Of course US dollarsā¦
The pods last 72 hours plus 8, and I am using them to the last minute. I have gone through under three vials of insulin since May. You have to fill up about 85 units, and people kept saying you will end up tossing out insulin if you are on a low basal. Well, I dont think the loss has been excessive and I only use about 16 units a day total.
I have had no failed pods, and understand this is happening less than it used to for people. Yes, you need to catch them when they expire, or they do āscreamā. Just be sure to pay attention to the reminders you can set yourself, regarding pod expiration.
They stick fine, they are comfortable and you can put them in more places than an infusion set. I am on my 18th year pumping, and infusion sets were starting to occlude, fall off/come out, and all around create some sore spots. Not so with pods. And changing them every three to 3 days 8 hours has not been inconvenient. In fact, you realize you are not ever getting no insulin, unless you go without wearing one for an hour or so.
I love it.
I love the app they have too, which sends tips out. And my Rep/Trainer even called to see if I was doing ok, three months out from training.
I thought no one could be as happy as they said they were with the pods. But now I see why they are pleased with them. And again, heaven forbid I cannot afford them in the future. I really dont want to be without ever again.
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Wow thank you Laura! I am glad to hear that it is a good experience. Do you miss anything about the ping or being on a tubed pump? I was so sure that the pod was huge until I got my demo kit. It is so small from what I thought it was. I got to say it seems more discreet, which I am looking for.
I seriously do not and I was an Animas user for many models (IR1000, 1200, 1200 Plus, and Ping after Ping). My CDE said I swore it was the best pump, and for me it was (except for the Cozmo). But now I am just worn out from trying to find decent infusion sets and these pods solve the problem of sets being rejected by scar tissue etc. Seriously, if I have to select insurance that wont pay for them next year, I am going to cry and cryā¦
There is no such thing as a perfect pump. Sure it has a few flaws.
Butā¦I would not want a tubed pump. So it is the only option for me.
Given the current choices, itās either pods or MDI for me.
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I ditto Eddie2ās response!
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I started with OmniPod for a few years, and then switched over to Tslim X2. I found the tubes on the Tslim were OK, but what pushed me back to OmniPod was how much easier changing OmniPods were compared with Tslim for me. When Iām around the house or confined to desk at work typically donāt have the PDM device directly on me, so itās nice not having to carry a device around.
If I could point out a couple of things to keep in mind about OmniPod-- the pod itself is larger than insertion site for other pumps (tradeoff for no tubes). Also, Iāve had failures on pods, but not too many. The bad thing about failures is you lose all the insulin in the pod and have to start over. There have been a few times over the years where I put the pod on and very shortly thereafter pod will stop. It doesnāt happen very often and Insulet is very good about replacing the pod if you call them-- theyāll typically want the error code off the PDM.
Good luck!
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Iām not a pod userā¦ But tried to be. For some reason they couldnāt manage to ship the trial kit all the way to me. They wanted me to drive almost two hours to a large city to pick it up. Iāve never had this issue with any other shipment, from anyone else, Iāve ever received. That was the immediate turn off for me.
So, Iād start right there with ordering their sample kit. It doesnāt actually function, itās just a bare bones pod. At least you can feel it, see what you think of the extra bulk, see how well the adhesive works for you, and if they can even get supplies to you.
In the end, I love my Tandem x2, so I donāt mind that I couldnāt pod. My biggest problem with pumping isnāt the tube, but the protuberance of the infusion site. Iām more likely to scrape a site off with clothing or on a door frame than I am to snag the tube. I donāt think I would have done very well with the added pod bulk. I also like to extract any remaining insulin in my cartridges and run my infusion sites for four days, to save a little money. Those options arenāt possibly with the omnipod, I donāt think.
I can totally see the benefits of being untethered, though. Hope you enjoy whatever you choose!
It is a difficult choice. I am concerned about the pod being knocked/ripped off. I have a four year old who climbs all over me! thank you all for the opinions. I appreciate it.
All my non diabetic friends have no clue the impact this decision will make on my life. I am excited about getting a new pump however its not so easy making a decision.
Good news! You can remove the insulin from a failed pod, and get most of it out. I do it every time I have a (rare) failure or occlusion. You can get all but about 10-20 units back out of it, using the syringe/needle from the new pod youāre filling.
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Been pumping for 3 years, pod the whole time. Youāll have to kill me to put me on a tubed pump, in which case it wouldnāt be necessary anyway 
I wear my pods on the back of my arm, exclusively. Swapping arms and being careful about keeping the site moving around, I havenāt had scar tissue problems (yet, I know theyāre coming eventually).
With the pod on the back of one arm, and CGM on the back of the other, Iām completely unaware of these devices as I live my life. I know this could never be the case with a tubed pump, as simply getting dressed/undressed is a process.
In terms of social stigma, the wireless PDM arrangement is very discrete. White there are wireless solutions to control tubed pumps, itās just less seamless and simple.
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Hello I have been on the Omnipod system for about 3 years now. I had never wanted a pump because of the tubes, so when I found out about Omnipod I was thrilled. It was absolutely the best decision for me. I have had the opportunity to be a part of a research trial for a closed loop system that was tubed. I was on that system for 2 weeks and by the end of day 2 I was so ready to get my Pod back!! The freedom the Pod provides is life changing. It is so easy to use, comfortable to wear, and provides flexibility in dosing that MDI never could. Having no tubes means you can wear whatever you like without worrying about āwhere do I put my pumpā. At night this is especially freeing. I hated having to try and figure out what I could wear at night that had pockets or a place to clip the pump with the tubed pump. Also, the fact that the Omnipod is able to go in the shower, the bath, the ocean, the poolā¦what ever you want, is also a big deal for me. I have stated that I would go back to MDI before going to a tubed pump if for some reason I could no longer have my Omnipod. Having it and my Dexcom makes it so I can be somewhat ānormalā and not have to inject multiple times a day, and finger stick multiple times a day BUT still be on top of my management. Since going on these 2 things I have kept an A1C of 6.7 or lower.
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Consider that it might be even more likely to have a tubed infusion set ripped out. There is a lot more stuff that your young one could pull out when a tube is attached.
Anytime I have had a pod come off - even when it is my fault like scraping against a door - they have replaced it.
This is awesome thanks, never thought of trying this. I havenāt had a failure in a while but will give this a shot next time it does. Thanks!!
Love the Pod. Omnipod will reimburse insulin up to 50$ per year. Ask when you call in a failed Pod.
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After using several models of pumps since the 1980s, and being fairly happy on MDI, I was prepared to find something not to like about the Omnipod. But after nearly two years, I canāt think of anything. I do have a problem with tunneling, where the site leaks when insulin backs up, but thatās easily dealt with. I love the freedom and convenience. And customer service is always professional, helpful, and good-natured. I am a happy customer!
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I was using the Omnipod system, but had a chance to switch to Looping with an older Medtronic pump. This is the DIY artifical pancreas system that you may have heard about. My AIC has gone down with Looping. I am using a Medtronic 522 with a RileyLink, Dexcom and an app on my iPhone.
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Mel - Perhaps you could start a post in the DIY closed loop category. (DIY = do it yourself.) There are a few of us here and others may want to follow up with what youāve experienced.
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I like the OmniPod. I never wanted a tubed pump until I began reading about Loop. Iād really like to try that someday; hopefully it will become available with the OmniPods someday.
I like not having to remove it for swimming or showering.
The company has been awesome to work with.
My wish list would include a count down from the start, not only when it reaches 49 units.
Iād like to not have so many confirmation screens, but after so many years using the OmniPod Iām used to them now.
Iād like integration with Dexcom. This would be a huge plus.
How do you deal with tunneling? I had a huge problem with that. Iāve dealt with it by moving to new sites (not my belly anymore). Is there another way?
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From another thread:
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