Hello All:
I am considering going to the Omnipod. The current issues I am dealing with is I do not like carrying around anything more than I have to. I had a Dex Com for about six months and loved it, but got tired of carrying around the little PDA. I am not on a pen/needle regimen, and would like to go to the Omnipod IF that when needed, I can just grab the PDM, let it connect with the pod, and inject as needed.
Any feedback is appreciated!
Barney
You do need to have back up supplies close by in case of pod failure. If you can keep things at work or are close to home, you can travel light, otherwise you need to have backup pods, batteries, insulin and tape in case it starts to peel off, as well as test strips a lancet device, and candy or other glucose. Oh yeah, also a paper clip to straighten and stick in the tiny hole in the pod in the very rare case of random screeching. Since I tote a purse around, I haven't tried leaving the pods in my car...not sure about high heat or freezing temps. Not quite the care free days of our youth, eh!?
Pumping is a continual thing, never rests. And issues can occur, so having your PDM close by is recommended. But, you can leave it behind if you are adventerous. I usually don't take my PDM with me on short errand trips and such. But, I do take it to work every day and on family visits, etc.
OK Great,
I plan on having the PDM in my office at work. I'm not in my office much, but no more than fifty feet away from it. Same thing at my house. I'll be comfortable leaving the PDM on my kitchen table, or on my nightstand. The only time I will want to see the PDM is meal times. I am looking into the Pod because my pen needles have been very painful that last couple months for some reason. Even my Lantus, which is injected into my upper thighs have been real sensitive. Thanks for the insight.
I have a pretty similar method to your plan--I keep my PDM around for bolusing meals, and for making basal changes prior to going to work out, etc. I leave it in my office at work and then leave it on the kitchen table or nightstand at home. It's always "within reach" without having to be on my person, which is a plus.
And as Elaine mentioned, you'll need to have some extras stashed around, just in case. I keep a few spare pods at work, I have a frig under my desk where I keep insulin, etc. If I'm traveling more than 30-45 minutes away from the house I will throw a spare pod in my stuff before I head out the door (w/ a vial of insulin, of course) just in case.
If/when a pod has failed in the past, the paperclip trick often doesn't kill it for me. So I just rip it open (start at the back on the flat part, break the seal with your fingers or a pen--away from the house--or a screwdriver--at the house--there are two small springs inside that touch the speaker thing on the lid. Remove those springs and you can snap the failed pod back together again w/o it screeching).
Anyway that's jumping ahead a bit since you're not yet on the system :) Just giving you some heads up about what to expect/how to prepare so you're not 'up a creek' the first time something awry happens.
Good luck if you choose to go w/ the pods! I switched in 2008 and never looked back. I love mine. As long as there's a pump like this on the market, I'll never go back to another tubed pump or shots.
When I first got the pod, I was constantly readjusting my basal program and just about everything else concerned with dosing. That probably went on for a couple of months. Then, I carried around extra supplies and the PDM in case of unforseen incidents for another couple of months. It probably wasn't for at least six months into having the pod where I started to feel comfortable leaving the PDM at home for extended periods of time.
By the time I felt comfortable enough to be without extra supplies and the PDM, I had already gotten use to having it around all the time. Go figure.
Realistically, I could probably have done without hauling around extra supplies once I had my dosing dialed in so it was really just me being extra cautious.
Barney,
Just in case you're wondering, the pod runs the basal program independently from the PDM, so you don't need to have it nearby for that.
Gil