I just got off the phone with my Ominpod rep so the wheels are in motion!
I admit though, reading some of the recent posts in this forum has given me pause. I don't blame anybody for posting issues with the pod here, after all, it is a great place to come for help.
It's just that I'm doing fairly well on MDI. My A1C has been 6.0 for the last 6 months and I've been working hard to tighten my control even further, with some signs of success. I know, however, that I'm limited with my dosages of Lantus and Novolog on how much I can do, and I feel like all my efforts with MDI are just putting a band aid on an inherently inferior system of BG control.
I want the pod for one reason, tighter control, period. All the other wonderful things are just the cherry on top, but pretty much meaningless if I can't improve my control. I know how frustrated I would get if despite all the effort., or maybe despite all the ease of use, I get a malfunction that puts me over 300 or even into the 400s. I haven't been over 210 in 60 days and my last reading over 300 was almost 6 months ago. I'm not so anal that I'm afraid of an occasional malfunction that puts me into those realms, but I'd like to feel like it's still gonna be one step backwards for every 2 steps forward, not the other way around.
So, now would be a great time to hear some testimonials about how the omnipod has sent A1Cs spiralling downward for people. I think I understand how wonderful it must feel to have the freedom of the pod, but after 25 years on MDI, the hard work doesn't bother me. I'm looking for quantifiable results!
Though I am not necessarily going to be giving you quantifiable results- which is exactly the opposite thing you are looking for;) I continously remind myself of the things going on a pump has helped me with.
I think for me the best part of going on the pump has been a quality of life issue. I can use the pump to manipulate more “last minute” issues. If I am going to exercise in an hour or so, I can adjust that rate to deal with that. While it isn’t perfect, it does allow freedom for someone that has a differing day to day life, and even more if the schedule is unable to be planned within the day. I could plan for an easy day at work, and then have a physcially intense one spring up. Going on the pump has allowed me to deal with those situations and the unpredicatibility of my life.
This is what the pump allows: flexibility of lifestyle. It is still work to get your blood sugars in range. Personally I think it is a trade-off, both systems MDI and the pump have their flaws and frustrations, it is really about picking the tool that allows you to live your life the way you want to.
You may not find too many testimonials about A1C results “spiraling downward” since control, A1C readings, and insulin use are so individual. A while back someone felt badly because she used so much insulin while others on the forum took only a few units a day. We all tried to tell her that everyone is an individual, and that taking large doses does not make her diabetes worse than someone who is taking less insulin. It all just has to do with how the body reacts to the medication.
I have been diabetic for 44 years, and I have very few complications. Certainly, knowing that my eyes and my heart are healthy yet means the world to me. My A1C is in the low 7’s, and my endo told me that “for me” that may be as good as it will get considering how sensitive I am to insulin. (I go low easily, so she would rather see me in the 120 - 150 range than in the 25 - 30 range.)
That said, if your A1C is in the 6 range and you are conscientious about your care, as you seem to be, you will soon get regulated on the Pod and will probably be fine. Give yourself a month of adjustments to get the Pod set up correctly. I agree with Ginny that the quality of life is also a great bonus.
When I first went on the pod my A1C plummeted from 13 to 5.8! That was a great time for me, and I was pme of the first podsters in the US, back in 05, immediatetly after I had a massive brain hemmorhage and subsequent stroke. Pls feel free to visit my site and read my soty (along with my wife’s, she is a breast cancer survivor) at: http://www.supportersofsurvivors.com please visit and post and say hello, infroduce yourself to my followers!
Hi…I don’t know whether or not this counts as a downward spiral of my A1c…but 7.3 down to 5.9 since starting the OmniPod. This is certainly an improvement. Prior to this I was on MDIs. As I’m sure that you know…any pump should have afforded me with these results. Keep in mind that you’re going to have an intial tweeking of your basal(s). The very fact that you CAN adjust your basals will make a tremendous difference. The fact that you can choose to extend a bolus will prove to be another great thing.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m looking forward to feeling a sense of freedom that I don’t have on MDI. I’m also fully expecting the road to be a bit bumpy along the way. I shouldn’t be downplaying any of that.
in terms of numbers, I went from 7.5 to 6.8 in the first 3 months, and have another A1c check in the first week of August…I don’t know about anyone else, but when I was on MDI, and had high blood glucose, the average time my BG was up was significantly longer (maybe an hour, or sometimes even 2) but with the OmniPod, I find that even times when I DO ho high, I might be there for maybe 20 minutes, and that’s what really effects A1c.
I’m a relatively new diabetic, and after switching to the pod I felt totally out of control. I was almost positive that my first A1c on the pod would the through the roof. Safe to say when my friendly Endo office staffers played a joke on me I REALLY thought I was in trouble…
normally I get an Email with my reslts, they called me and said “I think it’s important to discuss your latest A1c…” then shuffled around for 10 minutes talking about CGMs and Ketones and returned with “You should come over for some cake! It’s down to 6.8!” safe to say I was jumping round the house for the rest of my day!
But more than the A1c, I love the things OmniPod lets me do. I didn’t let MDI slow me down much, but the OmniPod really is amazing. I love lowering my basal when I hike, and being able to predict lows from exercise or a stiff drink and still go to bed. I love being able to waterski without eating pounds of sugar when I get back to the boat. I love being able to bolus sitting in my seat on the airplaine, or at the farmers market or with my fingers covered in cotton candy at the the zoo. I love being able to grab my PDM and go on a snowmobile ride without worrying about freezing my insulin. I love being able to learn how to kiteboard without having to take off my wetsuit so I can bolus for lunch. I love raising my basal a little so I can enjoy long, multi-course dinners without dealing with an out-of-control high BG later. I love not having to disconnect my pump when I go swimming. I love, love, love my OmniPod.
I heard this recently on BBC (about something else, but I think it applies here…) "It’s like a 2 year old child. It’s a pain, it farts in bed, it picks it’s nose, it wakes you up in the middle of the night, but if someone tried to take it away from me… I’d kill 'em"
It’s not all flowers and sunshine, but for me, even though Diabetes might not be on the forefront of my mind, I know I’ve got the tools to have good control.
I’ll keep you posted with my next A1c!
How does the Ominpid drop BG highs so quickly? The great part about having a CGM is being able to see a high coming and head it off. If I have to take correction dose, though, waiting for the insulin to kick in is a pain.
My thoght, FHS is it is not so much the Omnipod as it is a pump altogether that gets one uner tighter control. Not to say the Omnipod isnt the BEST pump (I beleive it is…)but the flexablilty of a pump is what I think makes the difference for me. When I was on MDI it was a pain to keep injecting whienever I needed a correction, and keep tight control when I went to dinner at a freinds house or to a restaurant. With those things taken care of, and my basil taken care of on an hour by hour basis (as opposed to one injection of long acting insulin), those are the things that I think brought me under tighter coontrol, and ultimately brought my A!C down so rapidly.
Just one more thing…along Maia’s comments, to your question about getting bg’s down so quickly. With the pod, I feel I can exercise more vigorously than with another pump or MDI…and THAT is what gets a high bg down quickly!
Yeah, travelling definitely screws with my BG control. It’s the combination of changing time zones and losing control over my usual routines and typical food choices. I’m an obsessive creature of habit and it takes me a few days to readjust and establish new routines. I can see where being able to control basal rates on the fly instead of once every 12 or 24 hours would make a huge difference.
Also, I rarely actually take correction doses for highs. It’s just a lot “easier” and quicker for me to put on a pair of shorts and go for a jog or, if I’m at work, take a short break and walk a few flights of stairs. Since I am so habitual, it’s not so hard to anticipate when I might have a high after a meal, or snack, and have time scheduled to exercise if needed. Of course, ultimately, I’d like to have a bit more control with a pump to avoid highs and needing correction doses as much as possible!!
I’m relatively new to the OmniPod. I went on the Dexcom first (by about a month) and then decided I wanted to try the pod. In just a few weeks, I had brought my A1c from 6.8 to 6.1. That’s not to say that I haven’t had some pretty good highs or lows during this experience, but I am finding it a lot easier to stay within my goals. There’s a bit more flexibility with pumping. You are less subject to the vagaries of Lantus. Also with the pump, you can give fractions of a unit and refine your corrections and bolus amounts. The ability to extend a bolus is a very helpful tool as well. I wish I had done this years ago. Best of luck with your experience with the pump.
I only went on the pod (as my endo calls the Omnipod system) a few months ago. It has been amazing for me. My A1c HAS plummetted to below 6 for the first time in my life (we’re talking over 2 decades of being diabetic and lots of effort on shots during that time), as I just found out this morning! YAY!
I attribute this change (1) to the pod in being able to correct minor highs (i.e. correcting 125 to 110, for ex), (2) to the forced tweaking of my insulin doses when starting on the pod, which was beneficial and overdue for me, and (3) to the forced evaluation of my food choices, especially without a Lantus “buffer,” which was kinda like a kick in the butt. So directly and indirectly, all the pod.
Also, I have to say - it’s much easier than shots for me. The bs machine and PDM all in one makes it more convenient for me to test and correct as needed instead of having to dig through my bag for a bs machine, strips, lancet and then take shots. Sounds minor, but I have found it much easier to handle. I also like being able to stick the pod on and not think about it too much for 3 days unlike when I was constantly trading out needles on my pens and dialing up doses. I sort of love the pod actually!! That said, I think a person could obtain fantastic control without it if he was so inclined and motivated. But for me, this is the easiest way.
If your A1C is already at 6, it’s unlikely you’ll see a downward spiral in that number. But, with the tight management you already must practice, you’ll likely be able to get it down a notch or two. What you’ll really gain though is FLEXIBILITY. If you test now and see you’re heading low, you don’t have a lot of options except to eat something to stabilize your bs. With the OmniPod, you can set a temp basal (essentially, it’s like being able to pull back some of your Lantus now).
And, like Steve mentioned, you can exercise harder without as much worry because you have the option of turning on that temp basal. And, traveling to different time zones is much, much easier. Also, being able to have different basals for different times of day is fantastic. If you experience dawn phenomenon, you can boost your basal up a little bit in the wee hours of the morning without the fear of going dangerously low. Definitely experiment with different basals at different times the day and night and you may be able to bring your A1C down. You’ll probably have some issues in the beginning – most people do. I know when my daughter first started the OmniPod, we went through a lot more pods than we do now. But, once you learn which sites work best for you, get your basals corrected, etc., your numbers will likely be the same or better than you have now. And, yes, seeing a 300 or 400 due to a bad pod or a bad site is extremely frustrating, but remember, it’s just a couple of hours out of one day.
That’s another thing I’m really looking forward, finer control over insulin dose. Seems like I have insulin dose issues occasionally, like, 7 too much but 6 not enough sort of deal. Now that I’m down to lower doses per meal, it seems like that little bit of insulin that dribbles out of the Flexpen after you’ve pulled the needle out is making it difficult to keep consistent post meal BGs.
Soooo, maybe downward spiral is not exactly what I’m looking for, but it would be nice to finally break through that 6 barrier. I wouldn’t be so obsessed with it if it didn’t keep coming up exactly 6.0 every three months. It’s like it’s taunting me!
And yeah, I feel like the possibilities for different basal rates throughout the day and night is going to be key, hopefully enough to make up for the, hopefully, occasional glitch.
