I didn’t have a dramatic reduction when I started “podding”. Before I started I was 7.8, after three months around 7.2 or 7.3, after six months I had a relapse to 7.6 and then after seven months I was at 7.2. My relapse included both Valentines Day and Easter where I went a little crazy eating. I think basal insulin is working better for me than either Lantus or Levemir.
My numbers vary widely (my endo calls me labile) so he doesn’t want me to go much below 7.0 due to the risk of hypoglycemia. The varying did convince my insurance company that I needed CGM. I am now an android, but it doesn’t bother me.
Hey FHS…You got a lot of good info. here already but thought I’d give you my experience which is relatively short. I’ve only been on the Pod for 4 months and prior to that I even rejected MDI and for 2 yrs survived on just Lantus with very strict eating. Have only had D for about just over 2 years so I’m new to all of this. I did mdi for a about a month and hated it as it seemed harder for me to control, the issues I had were some of what you mention that even using pediatric syringes I would either get to much or not enough, couldn’t shut of the lantus but I had that issue before also. I had good control and my a1c was a 6.1. What the pod has done for me is make my life more normal again…I can eat out or at family gatherings and cover better, if I decide I want another serving of something I can just bolus for it where as before I wouldn’t as I didn’t want to take another shot. Its little things like this that I think are hard to understand until you have them available to you. I’m still learning a ton and am getting better at podding with the temp basal, extended bolus functions and I have no doubts you’ll do great as you seem very similar to my thoughts before I switched as I was in a comfortable place and had good numbers so when I had to go to mdi for a short period to get my insulin to carb ratio I got frustrated with it as my numbers got higher than I’d had seen in a while but after that short period and on the pod for about 2 months my first a1c came back at 5.8! It still comes down to how you take care of yourself and I test very religiously but if my numbers are a little higher I can correct very easily as it is that easy and just a few buttons, think of it as 1 shot every 3 days and being able to just give your self the insulin you need when you need it. Good Luck…Let us know how it goes !! ~Schmutz
Thanks Schmutz,
Yeah, my endo suggested I go on a pump months ago, but I resisted. He’s a patient guy though but when he started talking about switching to a pediatric syringe for all my dosing, I got the message. I can’t imagine what it must have been like maintaining that kind of control on Lantus only!
Thanks again and grats on the continued success.
Steve is right. It’s not the OmniPod specifically that gets my BG’s down faster, it’s having a pump at all. I’m not as worried about stacking my insulin, because (assuming that I have accounted for my carbs correctly, which normally I do) the pump TELLS me how much insulin I’ve got in my system.
Probably the biggest reason I switched to the pump was so that I didn’t have to deal with the fluctuations from a long-acting insulin. I would often find myself with high BG simply because my long-acting insulin wasn’t keeping my blood sugars stable. With MDI, if you are having a “high” day, you chase your high with corrections. With a pump, you can raise your basal and keep any of those high numbers from happening preemptively. Also, you aren’t chasing low BG when exercising, because you can lower that basal too… for me, that makde exercise (which is SO IMPORTANT, not just for me but for everyone!) so much more pleasurable. I love knowing that (unlike with a traditional pump) I am still getting SOME basal, but not confined to the levels from a long-acting shot.
I WISH my A1c came up at exactly 6.0 every three months! I’m getting there, but MAN am I jealous now!
I know!! I should be as happy as my endo and I’m really appreciative that I’m even able to have this level of control. Others work just as hard or harder and, for whatever reason, can’t get there. I’m lucky. But hey, can’t hurt to try for more, right?
Yeah Brad, my endo is stressing caution if I’m going to try for a lower A1C, but he’s just relieved that he doesn’t have to work with me through MDI once I get going with the pod. I think I drove him a bit crazy with the kind of changes we were having to make.
Seriously! I’m about 1 year in to Diabetes at all, and less than 8 months into the OmniPod system, I’ve gone from an A1c of 13.9 to 7.5 in just 2 months after diagnosis, and am now down to 6.8… We’ll see in 2 weeks, but if we keep on working I know I’ll be able to get myself down to the lower sixes or upper fives…
Yes…“anal retentive” may be more info than we’d like to have! I think that if you are conscientous enough to have such great control on MDI, you will have the same experience with the oPod. My numbers have remained comparable to my MDI #'s in the 6’s but that is due to me taking advantage of the ease of eating less stictly. More control, but less discipline, if that makes sense. I think that when I become more motivated, they’ll be better. Good luck and keep us posted.
I’m Day 10 of the OmniPod and this is very helpful for me to read through! My last A1C was 7.7 and I know I will see improvement. My lifestyle is crazy with work, stress, kiddos and activities so the OmniPod will help with my lifestyle. It has been a bit of an adjustment. The numbers were high, now they are low. We are tweaking them to get them right. It takes some getting used to. Anyone know about gaining weight on this thing? I better not!!! 
Thanks to everyone for an and all new advice!
Dana, you wonder about gaining weight?
I did add a couple of pounds, but solely because it opened up a whole new world of snacking. When there is no needle associated with having a bite to eat in the middle of the day, it sure is a lot harder to convince myself its a “bad idea” haha! I also gained a couple of pounds in muscle, because it became a LOT easier to exercise with the Pod, and the ability to tweak and perfect with temporary basals…
best of luck! Don’t hesitate to ask if you’ve got questions this group rocks!
Ditto…carbs are so much easier to deal with on the pod that the lbs I had lost by limiting them have come back and then some. The extended bolus feature enables me to eat all sorts of things I had avoided on MDI’s, with minimum effort…pasta, etc. As I stated earlier, it’s not so much the pod’s fault as my lack of discipline. If you were conscientous about your weight before the pod, that mentality will still work with the pod.
when I lost my PDM in Malaysia, I had to do shots while I was in India, finishing up my trip… I called it the MDI Diet! I never realized how much more I limited myself because I didn’t want to (or couldn’t) give myself a shot… but dang did I want a popsicle in the 100-degree-Indian-heat!
Sure made NOT eating airplane food easy!
Funny! We do always hope they’re offering peanuts as opposed to pretzels, eh?
THANK YOU everyone! When I told people I was going to OmniPod I got a few, oh you will put on 8-10 lbs. Well, I’m literally 5 away from my overall goal so that ain’t gonna work!!! I had to ask! I am aware of what I’m eating, minus treated the occassional low as we get this thing dialed up correctly. I’m giving it a full go here! Thank goodness for TuDiabetes as I’m able to read a lot about peoples experiences. Totally helpful!
I’m glad you have found all of us helpful! Now that I’m settling in to the rhythm of Life With Pod…I’ll say that my eating habits are definitely calming down and exercise is becoming easier and easier, the pounds are not sticking around!
let me know if you want any advice, or need any help in your first weeks!
Pod on!
Pod on! Pod on!
I’ve been on the pod for almost two months. I’ve gone from 6.8 to 5.9 from March to August. I’m using the pod in conjunction with the Dexcom 7 Plus. The ability to microdose with more accuracy is very useful. I have to admit that I think the biggest contributing factor to the improvement in my A1c is the CGMS. That constant stream of realtime data is a fantastic tool. I can’t believe I was unaware of the pod. The only thing that had ever kept me from going on a pump was the idea of all the external tubing. I’m also really enjoying the lack of injections. You are an excellent candidate for the a pump. Your discipline and your excellent habits would make your adjustment pretty easy I’d bet. There is also a greater amount of flexibility to work with unexpected delays in meals. The pod and the CGM were the best things I could have ever done.
Thanks Pete. I’ve had my CGM for a little over a month now. It has definitely made me aware of a lot of things about my BG profile and, I admit, it has made dealing with BG through MDI much more frustrating. I know that I can deal with half my excursions, both low and high, if I just had more control over my basal alone.
My paperwork is in and now it’s just waiting. Grrrr.
One of the good things about pumping is that you are using only a fast acting insulin and you don’t have to deal with any of the vagaries of long-acting Lantus or Levemir. Don’t you hate having to be patient? I was pretty lucky. My CGM and my OmniPod were approved by my doc and the insurance company in record time. Once you’re all hooked up, you will do really well. I think you will really like the results.