I am new to both pumping and Omnipod. I was diagnosed in 1980. I am in near tears on how great this has been. After some tweaking with the CDE, I am achieving unbelievable results. I wear the POD on the side of my thigh with the window up. TIP I saw this tip online and it works well. I run some liquid bandage between the POD rim and the adhesive. This keeps the POD flush to the adhesive. This should really keep it from dislodging…try it!
I just thought I would share- I seem to be having the opposite issue- the omnipod tape is way WAY too sticky- it NEVER comes off! I have been pumping for 9 years (minimed 508 & 712) and switched to the omnipod after having issues with the infusion sites from minimed. In 9 years it came to be that the only site that worked was the shilloete (SP?) I could never get the stupid things in at the right angle- it was like performing a circus act trying to pinch my skin up, hold the insterter at the right angle and push the button. My husband was always having to help me- finally I said enough! Omnipod was a good option and I still like it- so far I have had better control because the things go in at the right angle! When I take off an omnipod though it practically pulls of the top layer of skin with it- my endo said that they hadnt seen anyone have a reaction like this to it though so I am probably some statistical weirdo! Anyways I still love it and wouldnt go back to being “tethered”!
Victoria,
See this discussion I started a while back for some pointers on pod removal. In the end I found that showering is the best removal technique for me.
I just found this website and am thrilled w/ all this information about the Omnipod! Thank you! I am 30 something 
I’ve had Type 1 diabetes for 20 years and have been in good control for about the last 10 years. I’ve been on shots and stopped b/c of the hypoglycemic episodes that I was having. So, it’s been 8 months on the Omnipod and I have the same “mixed” emotions about like many others have written.
The things I love about my pod…rarely hypoglycemic, no tube, convenient
Things I hate about it…cost, defective pods (about 12-15 in 8 months…out of the blue error msg, along w/ a constant beep)
and the Pod cannula frequently coming out -especially now in the Summer. It’s one thing if I feel the pod coming out and know and react…like going down a water slide and it flung off! It’s when I don’t know (like this morning at 2am and last week while at work). As a result, I have major high BS that it takes about 12 hours to get back to feeling “normal”. I’ve voiced my concerns w/ the Omnipod customer service…asking if there is any way to keep the pod securely in place. The only advice was medical tape. Medical tape hasn’t worked very well. Any tricks out there? I’ve read the sock trick which is clever; and I’m going to try the liquid bandage suggestion posted. I agree w/ Rob about the adhesive not sufficient & the insufficient delivery of insulin w/ certain pods. It was a big financial commitment to take the omnipod leap for me…now, I’m wondering if I should suck-it-up and continue or cut my losses. Thank you all for posting your suggestions and opinions.
Hi Elizabeth,
Thanks for your input.
I would try Skin Tac, available through www.torbot.com or through the animas web site
www.animascorp.com. Skin tac is a hypoallergenic skin adhesive applied through prep pads (similar to alcohol preps) that really help the Omnipod stay on. Other options would be to use a tegederm type plastic dressing directly on your skin and apply the Omnipod to this. Hopefully stronger adhesive/ lighter pods in the future may reduce the need fr these extra measures.
Hope that helps.
Dear TuDiabetes Friends,
Just a reminder that according to the TuDiabetes Terms of Use, the exchange of prescription items (such as Pods) is strictly forbidden. If you have supplies that you will not use, they can be donated to organizations such as ipump.org.
Many thanks for your cooperation!
Kristin
TuDiabetes Administrator
When my son was dxd 13 years go, he was on regular and ultralente insulin. His meter took like a minute to get the reading! I am so thankful that technology has come so far in just his lifetime! Imagine what will be available for him in the future!
I have just read the replies and a lot of it sounds familiar. I was on the Omnipod for 2 months and after several pod failures (to which Insulet sent new ones immediately), I had to go back to injections for tighter control. My sugars would also fluctuate more than they should even after several weeks of being on the Omnipod system.
Then there is the customer service. I paid out of pocket for this pump since my insurance would not cover it. I received it quickly, but had to wait 3 weeks in order to be trained on it. After I had decided to return the product, the company told me that I could not since the 45 day trial period started from when they shipped the pump to me, even though it took them a full 21 days to train me on it. After talking with several people, they finally agreed to refund me for the PDM and a full, unopened box of pods. I sent back the items on June 20th. The return package they sent me had a piece of paper saying “refunds can take up to 30 days”. So, at the 30 day mark, I had still not received or heard anything. I called them to find out the status of my refund, but the response I got was “I don’t know why it told you 30 days. It’s 60 days”. So, I waited for that too. Since then, I have not received any kind of mailing or phone call or email about it. So, I called them Friday to see if anything was happening. The representative told me that I could leave a voice message on a person’s phone and that they would get back to me. So, I did. Didn’t receive a return call; this is the 5th or 6th time I was told I would get a return call and did not. I called them yesterday and the representative said they would connect me. It immediately took me to a voicemail. So, I left another message. Today, I called after lunch and sat on hold for 10-15 minutes; I then had to hang up and go back to work. Needless to say, I feel as if I am getting the runaround and cannot get anyone at Insulet to give me a straight answer.
I’m definitely not saying the Omnipod is a bad product. It would probably work very well for a lot of people. However, it did not do so for me. Maybe it’s my job (which is physical labor and very labor intensive). All I know is I could not in good conscious give it a strong recommendation, especially with the customer service issues I have been dealing with, and especially for those whose insurances do not cover it and are paying for it out of pocket. I hope it all work better for those who try it out in the future.
Have you considered trying a traditional pump (i.e. with tubes)? I wonder if you would have a better experience with those… and maybe your insurance would cover it??
Kristin- I have been looking into the traditional pumps, but I work if I will run into the same problem (ie insertion site becoming undone with all the physical labor, sweating, bumping, etc.). Also, I work in a zoo, so I can vividly see myself getting the tubing caught on some of the many, many things I work with (including the primates, ostriches, etc). Plus, the Omnipod has left an extremely bad taste in my mouth about pumps. I would put up with all the injections throughout the day instead.
Hello all. I stumbled onto this forum researching…what else?..insulin pumps and, in particular, the Omnipod. All this investigative work isn’t for me - it’s for the benefit of my 11 year old son, who has had type 1 diabetes for over 3 years now. Our endo doctor has repeatedly advocated the pump for my son since he is in that ‘insulin resistant’ type 1 diabetes category, and keeping his bg under control (especially at his age) has been very challenging to say the least.
Unfortunately, my son doesn’t want anything to do with a pump. We’ve done trials with a minimed, and he just hated it - hated the tubing, hated having the pump clipped to some part of his body, hated how it seemed to limit his clothing choices, dictated how he slept, hampered going to the bathroom, etc etc etc. I think the fact that the pump was so obviously visible and visibly attached to him bothered him too. He doesn’t even like explaining to his friends about why he always ‘disappears’ at meal times - when, of course, he has to have his injections.
So, when I learned about the Omnipod, I thought - ah ha! Maybe THIS will prove the answer we’re looking for…
And then, I talked to my son’s endo, and found he is against the Omnipod. “Too easy for kids to lose the PDM,” he says. He also said that he wore a trial pod, and had it fall off while he was jogging (don’t know if this matters, but he is a rather thin individual).
So now, I don’t know what to do. I can’t force my son onto a pump - I’m sure that would backfire. We can continue struggling with injections to bring things under control …
Or I can stand up to my son’s endo and we go ahead and go to the Omnipod (if my son buys into the idea, of course). I’m so up in the air about this! If there’s a good chance that this helps my son keep his bg under control, shouldn’t we try it? Or are we futher compromising my son’s future health by going to something that many say is unreliable?
Sorry to drone on, but I’d appreciate other parent’s viewpoints. Am I the only one struggling with stuff like this?
1st go to the Omnipod website and have them send you a trial pod. Let him wear it for a few days and see if it is even an option. Good luck! I was diagnosed at 14 and know how hard it can be for a young person.
Excellent advice. The choice of using a pump and which one to use is so personal, it should not be based a lot on what someone else says.
Even the endo mentioned above did not give a medical objection; he just speculated and generalized about kids and then had a problem with adhesion (which is impossible to say the cause without more information).
I think parents owe it to their children to explore every possible avenue of treatment that might help control, even when the child isn’t open to it at first. There is a reason God gave us parents, because as children we don’t always recognize something that is good for us (or bad for us) when we first see it.
Elizabeth,
I have virtually the same experience with diabetes and the Omnipod as you. I’ve been on the Omnipod a year and a half (1st pump for me), and I am pretty happy with it. For me, the biggest problem has been the pod falling off me, especially in the summer. I’m pretty active with exercising, and the often times the pod falls off during a run. I have spoken to several people at Insulet, and unfortunately, they cannot find a solution to this problem. I have tried tape, liquid bandages, etc to no avail.
As a result of this, I’ve had my physician change my prescription to the maximum (50 pods for 3 months), and Insulet has been very good in replacing pods that fall off me when my supply gets low (under 10 pods)… Just a suggestion, but try to keep your pods that either fall off completely or where the cannula comes out and call Insulet for replacements.
I also dealt with the defective pods you mentioned … these defects normally occurred during the priming stage. Insulet told me that they have fixed that problem and I’ve noticed that all my pods have worked in the recent shipment I received.
Don’t know if this helps you at all, but I wanted to share my experience with you. Good luck.
I think you are so right. I already have a trial Omnipod - when we dropped my son off at camp (sponsored by the ADA), they had reps there, and the Insulet (?) rep gave us a couple of samples. So I guess, if my son decides he’s okay with with the Omnipod, the next question is, will it really help in not only giving him better control, but fostering his independence? Right now, he really relies on me to help him keep things straight.
BTW - someone mentioned the Animas. Anyone know anything about that?
I have been diabetic for almost 22 years. I used injections for 14 years, the MiniMed 508 for 4 years and for the past 4 years have been using the Paradigm. I have had all the same problems that are addressed about the Omnipod here with both my MiniMed pumps plus other issues. I have not yet tried the Omnipod but am in the process of getting the “fake” pod to try. As soon as I try it, I will talk with my Endo about it and then make my decision on whether I should switch or not. In my heart right now, I think I will switch. I would love to be free of the tubing because it really gets in the way more often than not. I find myself tangled in it while sleeping which on many occasions has pulled the insertion set out causing high BGs through the night. When shopping and trying on clothes I have pulled it out several times. I have a 3-year-old and a 6-week-old. The 3-yr-old is constantly pulling on the tubing saying, “Mommy, what’s this?” He, too, has pulled it out a few times. I have found that after 2 days of wearing one set, the adhesive begins to pull free without accidents that pull it out. Many times, I have experienced occlusion with the Paradigm cannulas. I have also had lots of trouble with MiniMed’s customer service. They did not believe me when I told them that 3 out of 5 cannulas had kinked and so they would not replace them. I was without insurance at the time and had to swallow the cost myself. Ouch!! That was expensive. My control with traditional pumps has been so much better than it was with injections and I hope and pray that the improvement with the Omnipod is again that much better.
Holly
Thanks so much for sharing your story, Holly, and please, keep us posted on your trial with the Omnipod. I figured there were probably down sides to the traditional pumps as well; reading your story just gives me the ammunition I need should I end up having to stand up to my endo. Again, keep us posted, and good luck.
This has been interesting reading for me. I’ve been diabetic for 44 years now. Pumping for the last 13 of those with Minimed in various forms - I’m on my third model with them now. I’m about to switch over to the OmniPod as I’m intrigued by the possibility of not being attached via a tube to the pump. I am concerned about all the readings regarding the pods falling off. I have had issues with the Silhouette sets with Minimed - to which they would not refund or replace. Each company has it’s own standards for handling such items. OmniPod is still relatively new on this scene and has lots to learn. Don’t even get me going on the packaging of their product.
Both my endo and CDE did not bat an eye when I asked them about this system. The CDE had some pointers for me to watch out for regarding the use of the OmniPod but both feel that this company is just as worthwhile and efficient as any other system out there. As it’s been written in here several times over, each person will have their own personal preferences as to which pump system is the best for them.
In regard to customer service - yeah I’ve got a couple issues with them. The rep. called me yesterday telling me she couldn’t come to do my training becuase they couldn’t get my doctor’s sign off signature on their forms. She called 2 hours prior to our appointment. I was not a happy camper about this as the pump has already been sitting at my house for a week now. She said that they would extend my 45 day return policy so that it would start next week rather than the date of shipping. I told her to put it in writing. We’ll see what happens there.
Having been a Minimed user for 13 years I’ll touch base with the group again once I’m up and running on this system to let you know how my transition went. And a side note for all of you - the cost of all of these supplies provides them with paychecks. They are the client not you - you can take your business anywhere - make them work for you. If enough people stop using one company’s products due to bad customer service, bad product development etc. the company will fold. Don’t be afraid to wield your power and speak up.
Well, given the frequency of the gripes about Insulet’s Customer Service popping up, I decided to take a peek at their financial situation (stock id is PODD, BTW). First, I should note right up front that I am NOT a financial analyst or anything - if you’re interested int PODD stock or financials, I’d highly recommend you do your own research and talk to a trained analyst.
That being said, there were two things I noted in my research:
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Insulet has yet to turn a profit. That could be pretty typical for a medical company that’s only eight years old, (it was founded in August 2000), but I couldn’t say for sure. Maybe someone else out there knows?
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The number of new patients going to the Ominpod pumping system has jumped 35% in the last quarter - 1,650 people in the last quarter alone.
Given those two things, I can see why their customer service area may be suffering right now - not enough money coming in, and an explosion in clientele. For a company that only employs 247 people (from what I’ve read), that’s a lot to handle. Still, in my usual optimistic fashion, I can only believe it’s going to better.
BTW, here’s a link to one of the reviews I found. You may have to cut and paste this one into your browser, since it’s so doggone long.
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/insulet-reports-second-quarter-2008/story.aspx?guid=%7BC1710521%2DDD06%2D448E%2D95FF%2D4AB8F2D096A0%7D
This really has been a great string of posts, both pro and con, about OmniPod. Thank you all for sharing your experiences.
I have been Type 1 for 20 years, and this past December went on the OmniPod system. This is my first experience with pumping, having been strongly opposed to it due to the tubing required of all other systems. As such, I have no comparison to other pumps so I can only talk to how OmniPod has worked. In the 9 months that I have used the “pod” I have seen my A1c go from 5.4 to 6.0; actually a really good thing as I’m not experiencing the major hypos I had been with MDI. I have had pods fail, both while priming and while wearing, but I have yet to have a negative experience with customer service and they have replace the pods in a timely fashion.
There are two areas that the posts here seem to have focused on, pod adhesion and random highs, and I’ll share my experiences on both. For me, I have yet to have any issue with a pod not sticking well, which is not to say that I haven’t torn one clean off by clipping it on a door frame. I’m pretty active, particularly riding bikes, and I have yet to be able to produce enough sweat to unstick a pod; typically I end up removing all the hair at the site I have it when it’s removed. My tip here is to make sure you always use an alcohol prep prior to placing it on the site. As for highs, yes they happen. I’m guilty of this myself, but if you see your BG going up, and can’t correct it with a single bolus, tear the pod off and put on a new one. I have found that if I manage to hit a blood vessel with the canula during insertion then my BG will run high even with significant boluses. This has been the most consistent cause of “poor pod performance” in my experience, and it is really operator error; it’s easy to confirm this because I have pretty good amounts of blood to clean up when I pull the pod off in these instances. Additionally, I’m sure that I could do a better job in rotating my sites; I prefer to wear the pod on my arms, using the low back occasionally.
So, overall I have to say that my experiences with OmniPod have been great.
Tim