Hi all, I am totally new here! This is my first post. I am wondering if there are any former Animas Ping users here who have now switched to OmniPod. I am considering the OmniPod for my 11 year old son. We live in Montreal and my main concern with OmniPod is service and support from GlaxoSmithKline, who distributes the pod in Canada. Is that an issue? As well, the Animas rep says the dosing precision of the Animas is better than OmniPod. Is that just a sales pitch? I love the tubeless idea and I hear the PDM is easier to use than the Ping. We have met all the sales reps (Medtronic as well) and seen all the device up close, but it is hard to really know what it will be like in reality. Any feedback about OmniPod vs. Animas is appreciated!
My 9 year old had been using omni pod for over a year. She never considered anything else and would rather give shots than change. She is very slim do we sometimes have issues with areas we can put pod. Overall customer service is great on phone our clinical rep sucks. Give it at least 6 months it does take time to get used to simmer version now out yah
Thank you Dawn! I appreciate your input. I look forward to hearing more from other members.
I have worn both....and came out on the POD side. (My only issue with the PIng was the tubing, really, but it is also a bit more difficult to situate and inject. Of course, fact is the POD has many issues, (I recommend you research all entries here and in other discussions), but, for me, the tubing was the "rub".
Hi Joey, we just started our then-3 year old daughter on the Pod in September. The Ping was our second choice, but it came down to the tubing (and for my husband, the endorsement of a pro snowboarder - ha ha!). This is all we've known, so I can't compare, but overall we are happy. Sure there have been issues - as there will be for any pump - but it gives us more freedom and flexibility than MDI. We just couldn't imagine her being connected to tubing all the time.
Not sure what the rep means by dosing precision. If they're referring to the fact that the Ping accounts for correction AND carb boluses in the insulin on board (IOB) while the Pod only accounts for correction boluses, that will change with the new, smaller pods, as they will take both into account.
Sorry I can't comment to the customer service in Canada, but I'm sure others in your area will chime in eventually. Good luck with your decision.
Can't give you a comparison because I've only been on the pod, and I've been on it for almost 4 years. For me, the learning curve was steep. Lot's of mistakes and a long shake-down period. My "pod failure" rate was somewhere on the order of 10-20% for the first couple of shipments. Not sustainable, really, even with Insulet replacing many of the ones that failed mysteriously.
I stuck with it mostly because I just liked being on the pod a lot more than being on MDI and I didn't see a point in switching to a tubed pump, only to experience another learning curve.
My persistence paid off, big time. I haven't had a pod failure in over 6 months. I get one, maybe two, per 90 day supply. More importantly, my BG control is slightly better, overall, than it was when I was on MDI, for much less effort overall.
My only issue, and it's considereable, is keeping my pod attached when I'm training Brazilian Jiujitsu.
Ok, so just to understand correctly, the pod does not have a running total of IOB? So if you bolus 5u for a meal, that is not reflected in the IOB information? Only the correction is shown? So how do you know how not to bolus or correct too high or too low? Sorry for all the questions. Being in Canada we will not have the new smaller pods until maybe the fall. So any improvements to the system will be seen here for quite a while. The current system is what we'll be stuck with till we get the new system. Do you know if the PDM is also changing?
Yes, the tubing is really the issue. But we also want the best insulin delivery system. Is it even possible to describe any system as the best? I guess it is a leap of faith no matter which one you go with. All have their less desirable features to deal with. *sigh*
It is good to hear about your experience, especially the fact you had a rough start but you are glad you stuck with it. I can understand why it would be difficult keeping a pod attached while doing Brazilian Jiujitsu! Wow, that is an intense sport!
That is correct. If there is any IOB left when you bolus again, it will only reflect IOB for the correction part of the previous bolus. The current pod version assumes that any carb bolus is necessary to cover food consumed, but Insulet changed that for the new pods, probably to level the playing field so competitors can't use that against them anymore. Either way, it didn't factor into our decision and I don't think it's been an issue for us.
I didn't know the new pods won't be released in Canada until after the U.S. Is that an Insulet decision or Canada gov't decision?
The delay is all to do with Health Canada giving their approval. Just bureaucracy. We will get it, but we are always behind. They cannot rely on foreign governments (i.e. USA) making decisions about medical devices or drugs on behalf of Canadians. There are way more pumps available in the USA than in Canada. I don't know if we'll ever see the t:slim, which I've heard about. We have a 10th of the USA population, so it's understandable. As for the IOB issue, I find this interesting. Is it not a concern for anyone? I guess it's a moot point with the new system available soon in the USA.
Yeah, I knew when I started on the pod that I was definitely going to lose a few during training. It took awhile to figure out a way to reinforce the adhesive enough to keep the pod affixed through 60 minutes of sweating under 10 lbs of double woven gi, with somebody trying to use anything they could get their fingers on as a handhold.
I wouldn't try to work it out, though, if I didn't think it was worth it.
Ok well I am from Montreal too And GSK is fine. Did you like Robert?
I looked at all the pumps when I was choosing, all pumps have pros and cons and any pump you choose it will have it's problems, nothing is perfect.
have you asked your son which he prefers? ultamitly he will be the one wearing the pump, and in the end he has to be happy with whats on his body. all pumps in the end get the job done.
I do love the omnipod for being tubless, I didn`t like the idea of having to prime tubes on the other pumps. it is my first pump so I can't compare to others really, only based on what I learned through research. With the Omnipod my blood sugars have been amazing since starting. I had a great pump coordinator at the royal vic, and she kept in close contact with me and my doctor till we got everything to where it had to be (the learning curv).
in whatever pump your son and yourself choose, I wish you all the best.
Hmmm, I thought the US was always the last to approve, since we're always waaaay behind Europe.
My son (who is currently 7) and I have been on Omnipod for 2 1/5 years. We both picked Omnipod because of the tubing issues with other pumps. He was five at the time, but I let him decide, and he chose the pods. We both love our pods (as much as one can love an insulin pump, ha!). The other thing the Animas rep might be talking about is that you have to increase your bolus increments by .05 with the Omnipod, while (I believe) the Animas will let you increase in .025 increments. But even when my son was 5, it wasn't that much of an issue. (and I'm sure your 11 year old is not as sensitive to insulin as a 35 pound five year old). The way one has to deal with the IOB issue (and I am SO GLAD they are changing the new PDM!!) - is that you have to look at the screen and see how long it has been since the last bolus. If it's under two hours (or whatever you find is your son's "window"), you need to remember not to correct for a high, as his body is still processing the insulin bolus for the food. Does that make sense? Basically, you have to manually think about how much insulin is on board. It's not an issue for me to think about, more of an issue if someone else is watching him. Good luck!
The onipod system came in januari 2011 for the first time to the Netherlands. So the US was far ahead of us.
Thank you everyone for your input. We are leaning towards OmniPod because it just seems more cutting edge than tubed pumps. With tubed pumps there are so many more bits and pieces to deal with it seems, with infusion sets and the pump itself. It was a bit of a turn off to see all the "merchandise" available from Animas to hold, hide, transport, attach etc. the pump! And so expensive too (at least here in the Great White North!)Why should there need to be so many accoutrements available to deal with the pump? If there are any more comments from members,I welcome them!
OK, I see how that works, and yes your explanation does make sense. I guess if we go with OmniPod we'll be stuck with the old system till they approve the new pods/PDM in Canada, which may be in the fall from what I hear. Thanks for the info, I really appreciate your explanation.
As a tip, we use Skin Tac wipes AND Mastisol spray to "glue" the pod to my daughter's skin and ensure it doesn't come off in the water. But first I use Cavilon spray as a barrier b/c for a while the pod was itching her like crazy. I use two sprays of Cavilon and rub it in good and she hasn't been itchy lately. Then, on top of the pod, we are now using kinesiotape to hold it down and make sure it can't snag on anything. We have tried almost every type of tape imaginable, and they either did not stay on in the water or they made her skin red and itchy. Prior to the KT tape (which we will see how waterproof it is tomorrow during her swim lesson) we were using the CVS brand of 2" x 4" heavy duty waterproof bandages. I also bought an arm band from bandsforlife.net and had my MIL make one for her leg. We still use those sometimes, but the KT tape doesn't bother her skin and it's stretchy and breathable. I wish I had known about it from the beginning!
I found out that the Canadian version of the PDM already accounts for the carb and correction boluses. I was told by the rep we met that the Canadian PDM is a more advanced model than the USA model. I'm not sure why, as we are always behind with everything compared to the USA. Anyway, we decided to go with OmniPod. I am just so relieved to have made the decision already!