Question for Current Users of Omni Pos

I am gathering information to make an informed decision to replace my current Minimed Pump at warranty expiration.

I am very interested in the Omni Pod.

I have issues with my Minimed because of visual issues in seeing the screen with the backlighting and clarity it has as well as font size. I am a long term Type 1 Diabetic - over 30 years. I have used pumps for over 10 years - using Diesetronic, Cozmo and now Mimimed. Both the Cozmo and Diesetronic were removed from the market when it came replacement time - what are the odds. I loved the Cozmo.

The visual disply with the Omin Pod seems a good fit for me. I am nervous about the fact that the unit is something extra I am in need to carry around with me. What if I leave home without it?

I am curous to find out what others switching to the Omni Pod from a prior pump using infusion sets have made this adjustment and what problems arose for them in switching.

The visual display on the Animas might be easier to read than on the OmniPod. With OmniPod, it does have a large screen, but the lighting and backlight make it very hard to read, especially during daylight.

If you forget the PDM, you continue to get your basal insulin, but you can’t bolus or suspend or make any changes.

Hope this helps.

I used to have a hard time reading the screen on the Pod PDM in the daylight, til I discovered this trick - Hold down the ? button, and the screen goes brighter, and is readable in the summer sunlight.

Yes, if you forget your PDM, you will not be able to check your BS or bolus. I was used to always carrying my meter, so it was an easy transition. Good luck!

Nice trick KcF :slight_smile:

Sometimes you get glare from the sunlight, but it’s just like a cellphone screen and you might have to shade it with your hand.

I made the adjustment very easily. Love my pod. I’m guessing you’re female the name “Donna”, so I would assume that you carry a purse of some sort. If so, then that’s kind of where your pod PDA goes. If not, no clue because I carry a very large purse everywhere.

We went from Minimed to the Omnipod for my daughter. Great change. I agree that the MM screen is not pleasant to read. It reminds me of the old dot matrix printers. Kinda ridiculous for an expensive med device. The Omnipod screen is very easy for me to read. The pod is very user friendly and easy to use.

If you leave without your pdm, you will still receive your programmed basal insulin, but you will not be able to give any boluses or use any other pump features. I think you will get used to taking it along in no time.

Do you have to carry a BG tester with your current pump? If yes, then it would be no different with the Pod. The PDM for the Pod tests your BG and controls your bolus and basal setting for the Pod. Once those setting are sent to the Pod you could be 100miles away from the PDM and it will continue to give your basal insulin.

The PDM for the Pod has a few brightness settings so you can adjust to your liking.

Thanks for the trick!
It really works, how did you discover that?

My daughter has never forgotten hers, like someone said, you will remember it if you are used to remembering your meter. You could always carry a pen or a syringe and vial as back up in case you do forget. That way you could eat or give a correction if need be. Melissa does carry a pen with her in case of a pod failure or whatever. It came in handy last week when we were out walking and she lost her Multiclix out of her pocket. I used a pen needle to poke her finger to test so that we could go back out and look for it. She was a bit low by the Dex and I wanted to be sure that she was up enough to go another couple of miles to look for the Muliclix. She found it!

I believe holding down the “?” key for brightness is mentioned in the manual. The manual also has a time setting for the brightness.

I am sure it is in the manual, of course, I am terrible at going back through and reading something after I have started using the product = ). I learned it somewhere on this site… along with the tip of putting a couple strips in the battery compartment ( for storage when exercising, makes it a little more convenient without having to bring the whole container for strips = ).

Hi Donna

And welcome! If you check out my thread “OmniPod, yes or no?” there were some really great postings that may help you in making your decision. I’m pretty sure I’ve been converted to Pods but so far I’ve only worn the sample pod. They are bigger (much) than the insets that you wear with a tubed pump but I think you adjust to them, like anything else. I know that if you contact Insulet they will get a demo pod out to you ASAP, Mine came in a couple days.

Good luck with your decision making! I got the best knowledge from the group here. They’ll tell you things the brochures wouldn’t even cover.

Rose

You know its funny that you mention the Pod size. I thought it was huge when i first saw it in the box and put it on. Its funny the first one I placed on my left upper arm and totally forgot about it until I took a shower the next morning and hit it while I was washing. I didnt knock it off or anything. It was funny that I originally thought the size would bother me and in less than a day I forgot i had anything on me. There are a few spots that I notice it more but I make a note to adjust the placement for next time so it would be in a better spot.

I switched from a Minimed (8 years) to a Cozmo (1 year) to the Omnipod (the last 2 years) and have been very pleased with it. The PDM display is much easier to read and very user-friendly, more like the Cozmo user screens were - only in color with a bright, white backlight.

I wasn’t thrilled to have angled infusion sets as the only option because I had always preferred 90-degree sets, but I haven’t found it to be the problem I thought it would be. I do get occasional kinks, occlusions, and slippage - which I don’t know whether to attribute to angled sets or something native to the pod design itself.

The separate PDM has its advantages. For one, you can run around virtually weightless. You can slip it in your bag and go about your day without worrying about it. Since it has a built-in meter, you’re essentially replacing the meter you currently keep up with with a PDM.

I love that Insulet is the only company who offers low cost startup with a NEW (not refurbished) device and does NOT require pump trade-in to participate. That means that you can keep your current system as backup. I have a Cozmo, a generation 1 PDM, and my current gen 2 PDM. It’s like having two backup pumps.

Thank you to all that have responded to my inquiry.

Another question I have is relating to CGM. I currently use the CGM with my Minimed Pump. I see that folks using the Omnipod discuss using the DEX. So in doing so, this would create another device that has to be carried to read the CGM readings, correct? With the Minimed the sensor readings appear on my pump.

Yes, Donna…you would have another device. Sometime in the future the pod and dex will be integrated, but that process is slow…I’d guess 18 months based on the FDA’s new rules. Who knows.

Here goes my Dex Lovefest :slight_smile: We were on MM pump and MM cgms for 3 years and then switched to the Dex and Pod. For us the Dex is a night and day difference. If I had known, I would have switched a long time ago. So much easier to use than MM and more accurate, more comfortable to wear. No annoying lost signals, random warm ups or calibration errors. Wear time is 9-10 days (some people get more). Calibrations are a no brainer…Dex doesn’t require you to be “stable”. The sep receiver has it’s own benefits - easy to put on nightstand and hear alarms that aren’t buried under covers, easier to read than flipping your pump upwards, etc etc.

Hope that helps.

Another good tip! I don’t like to spend too much time with manuals either :slight_smile:

I wear a Freestyle Navigator CGMS, which I much prefer to the Dexcom, but I love BOTH in comparison to MM’s CGMS. Having better accuracy and less pain is worth the additional device, IMO. In the next few years, Omnipod promises to have both Nav and Dex integrated into their PDM, so it’s only a matter of time…and FDA approval…and other legalities…

One thing to consider is that the PDM is also your meter, so it really isn’t an extra piece of equipment, just a larger one!