so i’ve been pumping with medtronic for almost 2 years… and if i had known there were other pumps out there at the time, especially tubeless, man i woulda went that way. Diagnosed 3 years ago this november… i’m 24… and started seeing a new doctor… who after running blood work determined i had type 1.5 - old doc diagnosed me as type 2 at the time until i had a DKA episode in the winter, in which she said was rare for type 2s… needless to say i switched doctors … anyhow … all that to say im wearing a demo of the pod right now, and really think i want it… trying to find out thru edgepark what insurance will cover, cause ive got that great united health care as ive seen many of u talk about lol…
so i want your feed back - all of it from all of you! - negative - positive - i wanna make a well informed choice! thanks guys!!
My Omnipod has been the single best thing I’ve done for my diabetes. Is it more work? I don’t know, maybe a bit more BUT, once the extra work is done it does all the calculations for you and makes it easy to correct for even minor high readings (134, I never would have touched it before, I won’t let it go now!). I love that the Omnipod has the blood glucose meter built into the PDM (personal diabetes manager, or remote control as I call it!) so I don’t have to carry around an extra meter. The pod size is rarely an issue for me but sometimes I do catch it on a corner or hit it with something and then it can be sore for the remainder of the 3 days. Again, not a major problem for me and I wouldn’t choose any other pump over it but it’s something to be aware of. Other issues some have include: adhesive not sticking well, rash under the adhesive site that can last for a long time, pod can be awkward under tight clothes or in a bathing suit. You can probably tell how you’ll feel about each of these problems from the demo pod. I love my pod and would NEVER EVER have worn a tubed pump but there are others who feel differently so I hope you get some comments from them to to make your decision as informed as possible. If you have any other questions please feel free to contact me!
I’m a Type 1.5, too, although I’m twice your age. My path was like yours – diagnosed with Type 2 first (seven years ago), then with Type 1. I haven’t had a DKA episode, though, and I hope to keep it that way.
I absolutely love the pod. Insulin pumps held no appeal for me at all. I’m not very gadget-y and the thought of being tethered to something seemed awful. Then I saw an ad online for the OmniPod. For the first time, I got excited about something that could help me manage my diabetes. My doctor was surprised at my enthusiasm and said that most of the patients he put on a pump hadn’t done well. I’m the shining star now! My A1c went from 9.2 to 7.4 in five months. I have so much more freedom now.
One interesting “side effect” (which you may have experienced on the Medtronic) is that the OmniPod took the emotion out of high BGs. I used to beat myself up about them but now my attitude is more like “Well, let me punch some numbers into the machine and let it figure it out!” The pod feels like an ally, a tool that keeps me in better control while taking less time and attention.
There are a few things I’d change if I could – make the pod smaller, have the cannula be bright red or orange so I can see it more easily, etc – but nothing major. (I take that back. The major change I’d make is to have the software work with my Mac!) As for the downside, I have to admit rather sheepishly that I get frustrated by how fast three days go by. “Didn’t I just change the darn thing?” LOL
Another benefit is that I’m far more open about having diabetes. When I was first diagnosed, I felt sort of ashamed and didn’t want people to know that I had diabetes unless I told them. When I started with the pod, I wore it only where people wouldn’t see it, mostly on my stomach. Now I wear them on my upper arms and don’t care if people see them at all. In fact, I like telling people what it is and spreading the word about diabetes and about the OmniPod.
Like Rebecca, I welcome you to contact me if you want more details or have more questions. I’m a pod evangelist because it really has changed my life.
I am lovin’ my pod…went to it from MMMMMDI’s (I dosed lots to cover snacking) after 5 years diagnosed with 1.5. The ease of dosing has won me over. I have not had the inclusion, bad pod or customer service problems that others have experienced…so far it’s all good. My only issue was with the pod slipping off due to summer in S FL and hot flashes but the recommendation from people here for Skin Tac solved that. Good luck.
After had been on a MiniMed / Medtronic insulin pump for twenty years, I made the switch to the OmniPod earlier this year. I would never go back to a tubed pump. My OmniPod highlights are:
No tubing. Not having that blasted insulin pump in bed with me at night or constantly in my pocket has been awesome. I am still awestruck at how awesome it is to not have that tubing get stuck in my keys, get snagged on my computer bag, or twisted up at night. This might sound incredibly lame, but I love just being able to wear a pair of boxers to bed. For years, I slept in shorts with a pocket to keep that blasted pump out of the way at night.
Much easier to program. The Medtronic pump interface is archaic and nonintuitive compared to most of the competition, including OmniPod’s PDM and the Ping. The Medtronic pump interface is completely user-unfriendly and cumbersome, while I can find just about any feature quickly on the OmniPod PDM just by fumbling with it for a few seconds. Bolus calculations are a breeze, and I love how much it easier it is to program an extended bolus.
Many more places to infuse insulin. I love wearing the OmniPod on my arm. But if that gets old, I can stick the pod on my back, leg, or abdomen. These sites would be a challenge, if not an impossibility, on a tubed pump.
Waterproof. We spend a lot of time in the pool in the south Texas summer (or else we would die). The OmniPod has not missed a beat submerged for hours of pool time, and I love that I still receive my insulin. We spent a good chunk of July on vacation (Grand Cayman and Las Vegas). With lots of beach time (including snorkeling) and pool time, the OmniPod kept giving me insulin. With a Medtronic pump that I was uncomfortable leaving on the beach or by the pool unattended, I would have had to keep going back up to the hotel room to reattach the pump, bolus, wait for the bolus to complete, and then head back.
Automated cannula insertion. No stupid spring-loaded tool to carry around to insert infusion sets.
Simplicity. With a Medtronic pump, there are a lot of pieces: a reservoir syringe, an infusion set that separates into two pieces, the pump itself, and the sof-serter. In contrast, all you need with the OmniPod is the PDM and a stack of pods which are packaged with their own syringes and the PDM, and you’re good to go. (Of course, both pumps need AAA batteries, but I’m focusing on the differences.) I travel a lot for work, and having so much less to carry around has been nice.
There are a couple minor downsides.
Medtronic’s 1-800 support is better than Insulet’s. Insulet’s customer support has been spotty. At times, I have carried on conversations with incredibly helpful people, yet I have also encountered the exact opposite. My hope is that Insulet will get with it on this front as it becomes a larger company.
Adaptation issues. At first, I was having a few minor issues with knocking pods off of me and placing the pod in stupid places. After a few weeks, I adapted just fine. However, I think every pump has a learning curve, so it’s hard to deduct points here.
Simply put, I urge you to give Insulet’s 45-day demo a try. If you hate it, go back to Medtronic.
Do you have any specific concerns that we could address for you? Good luck!
Thanks guys for your feedback thus far! I have noticed that insulet is great to talk to, and the bumps and skins marks im used to because of this pump already so. I read a lot about people having occlusion issues. What has been your guys experience with that, and for that sake where to you were your pods.I know Janet said she wears hers on her arm, what about elaine and rebecca? Thanks so much for your guys insight! Really appreciate it!
I have only worn mine on my belly. I wonder if the reason I have not had a problem with occlusion is that I have only been diagnosed 5 years and presumably do not have scar tissue or bad sites yet. Lots of people wear theirs on their lower back but I wonder about comfort while driving. My seat belt annoyingly rubs the pod on some belly sites.
I’m not currently on a pump…but am looking at them. So, this discussion has been a huge help…thanks! I do have a question: how much insulin does the Pod carry? If it runs out prior to the three days, can you refill it or do you have to switch to another pod? Is anyone out there using the Navigator with your Pod?If so, how has that been working?
The pod holds 210 units. I was concerned about this limitation at first, but I have found that for whatever reason, my insulin consumption has gone down on the OmniPod.
The pod cannot be refilled during its three-day lifespan.
I want to re-iterate what Jaybear said: on a pump, your insulin usage will most likely go down. As an example, my boluses are about 1/3 what they were on injections. For the same meal, if I took 15 units before I take about 5 now. And my basal rate is a lot lower than the amount of Lantus or Levimir I was taking before.
My favorite place to wear mine is on my back, right above my waist line. I also really like wearing it on my thigh, half way between my knee and the top of the thigh. My arms have really good absoption but they are where I’m most likely to bump it into things so they often end up hurting a little. I also wear it all over my stomach on occasion but am still trying to stay away from the stomach for the most part because I’ve only been on the pod for a little over 6 months and I’m letting my stomach recover from being the main site for my MDI’s before the pump. I haven’t found a really bad place to wear the pod and move mine around depending on if I want to keep it secret or show it off, what my activities (and dress are going to be the next couple days), and what my mood is when I change it.
My insulin intake has gone down but most of my pods still run out around 2.5 days (I usually take 70-80 units per day). It hasn’t been a problem, I just got my prescription written to change pods every 2 days and the pod change process is so easy that I don’t even really think about it. I did find that during my CGM trial (which was only 8 days) I had two pods last the entire 3 day mark. I can’t wait to actually get a CGM and see if most of my pods will make it a full 3 days.
I think you totally hit the nail on the head with your blog. I was on MDI when I went to Disney World this past February and I had all the issues you described
I started using the OmniPod this last February. Wow, what a change. It’s not a perfect system but what is? I have had quite a few pod failures and that’s annoying. One time my date came to pick me up for dinner and when I checked my bs before leaving the house it was over 400. Since I just change my pod within a couple of hours, I figured there was problem, so I changed it again and sure enough, the canula was bent. Not something you want to have to explain to your date! Those things are annoying but they don’t happen all the time and I’m sure all pump systems have pro’s and con’s.
The freedom you feel from a wireless pump is great! I joke with my friends that I am now the bionic woman. It’s so nice to just check my blood sugar, push a button, and eat. Very discrete, and it looks like I’m just doing something with a PDA - love it!
I do get some skin irritations when I wear it on my back. Nothing serious and they always go away and it’s the only place so far where this happens.
Good luck! I hope you find the system that works best for you. I used to check my urine in a test tube, technology is awesome!
I ordered the demo pod and I am wearing it now. On Monday I will make an appointment with my doc and try to convince her to sign the paperwork. On the paperwork there is the following question:
Replace Pod every (Check one):
O 72 hours O 48 hours O Other: _________
I am unsure which option is best. 72 hours seems to improve the approval chance. 48 hours gives me extra pods in case they fail. Any advice?
I would go for having extra pods in case they fail. I know that becomes a bit of struggle with the insurance companies but usually your doctor can write something supporting this need.
I will explain to my doc that I will switch every 72 hours and the extra pods are only meant to cover failures. Maybe it flies. I was so worried about CGM approval because I read on the forums that I had to document bad control and tons of problems. My bg is rather good and I don’t really have any problems. The CGM was approved anyway. I have a tendency to give in into my fears and worry about things that never happen.
My path was like yours – diagnosed with Type 2 first (seven years ago), then with Type 1. I haven’t had a DKA episode, though, and I hope to keep it that way.