I am in the middle of a misdiagnosis nightmare right now, but the good news is that my Endo approved my Omnipod and sent the paperwork in yesterday.
1.) How long from the time Insulet gets the order until I start to get the training and the pods themselves (on average)?
2.) Do I get the insulin from Insulet as well, or is that a separate prescription that I need to get filled? I was so shocked and happy atthe same time yesterday at the endos office that I forgot to ask.
3.) I would like to wear it exclusively on the back of my arms - Can I switch arms every three days avoiding the previous infusion site by at least an inch and still be OK with that?
I am sure I will have more questions in the coming weeks - THANKS for all of the great information!
1) I received my shipment within a month I believe and started my training a few days later. I remember being impressed with how fast it was. 2)You need a prescription for insulin which you use to fill the pods.
3) I don't recommend wearing them only on your arms because eventually you will have a considerable amount of scar tissue, but you technically could do that if it didn't bother you to wear it there. I find that I have problems on my arms with bumping into things. Whatever works for you.
My daughter started using the Omnipod a few months ago. We received the PDM and pods within a week and was able to schedule training for 2 days after we received them. Our PDM with 2 pods came from Insulet but the rest of the pods came from our mail order company so it came in 2 shipments.
The insulin is a seperate prescription that you would get from either your pharmacy or mail order comapny. It may or may not be the same insulin your currently use. (typically humalog, novolog, or apidra)
Yes you will need to switch arms when you change pods. My daughter wears her pods on the back of her arms for the most part right now but eventually will need to move them to other areas to avoid excessive scar tissue and allow them to heal. She has tried her belly and loves wearing it there too but since she wore her insulin pump there for so long we want to give her belly a break. You can also wear the pod on the backside as well as the thighs. You will get all of this info when you receive the PDM.
Good luck with your Omnipod. Hope you love it as much as we do.
1) I had my pods in my hand within one week of getting insurance to approve the pods from Insulet. However, trainers are scarce in my area, and I had to wait 2 additional weeks to see her. Hopefully, you can get scheduled sooner :)
2) see above.
3) You'll have to see what works for you. I use my arms, "love handle" area above my waistband, and "back pocket" area on my bum. Seems to do okay for me. Other people have good success with their abdomen and thighs as well.
Our 4 year old daughter wears hers exclusively on the back of her arms and side of her thighs. One thing our rep suggested is to switch the orientation of the cannula to get more sites, i.e, put the pod on with the cannula up (toward the shoulder/hip) and another time with it pointing down (toward the elbow/knee).
We've done this a few times, and I don't recall it affecting her numbers. If anyone else has experience doing this, please chime in. I'm not sure if for some people it impedes insulin delivery with the pod facing "downward."
Also, many people don't have any issues with adhesion, but if you do, you can try Skin Tac wipes or Mastisol wipes or spray (we use BOTH every time!). And if you want to put something over the pod for extra security, try kinesiotape. Good luck!
1 - my order was placed via my endo with Edgepark Medical supplies on 1/10/13 received my Omnipod and Pods on 1/14/13 and received training and began wearing my first Pod on 1/18/13.
2 - my endo also placed an insulin order with my mail order prescription service on 1/10/13.
3 - I prefer wearing my Pods exclusively on my back, left side between my waist and my upper fanny area. I move the Pod back and forward from previous insertion site to rotate. I use an inflatable pillow above the Pod when driving to keep from pressing back.
Good luck! I know how excited I was and still am to be on the Omnipod system.
I am terrified of poor absorption / scar tissue, so I pick a region & rotate through that. Right now, it’s the abdomen. This way, I shouldn’t get back to the same individual site for months. The number of potential sites depends on the size of your body.
I have been using the up and down placement, I only use my back for pod placement and use the north south east west method to change insertion sites it does not affect my numbers. I also use the Skin Tac, however, I wipe the pod with the swab, I find I get better contact and less glue on skin.
I got my super fast like Verne, though I don't know the exact dates or number of days. But I swear the omnipod people barely got a wiff that I was interested and the next time I turned around I was wearing a pod. lol
