Hi all !! I’m a T1 x11 years, have been using a pump x10 years. I am looking into the Omnipod as my next upgrade, and was curious to see if anyone has switched from Minimed’s pump (paradigm or other) to the Omnipod. Are you glad you switched/any feedback regarding the two pumps would be great 
-Kati
Hi Kati! I just switched to the OmniPod from Minimed a little over a month ago after having been on Minimed since 1998. So far I am loving it, but as with anything new, it’s taken some getting used to as far as tweaking correction boluses and things like that. I LOVE not having a tube! I also love that the glucose meter is built in, even though I still use my OneTouch mostly, since I have insurance coverage for the strips. It’s nice to be able to just take the PDM and a little finger sticker and small bottle of strips with me in my purse, rather than a whole other extra thing to carry. I haven’t had any trouble with it so far, and I get my pods from Edge Park who have been really good to work with.
It would be great to swap experiences with you since we are pretty much on the same page right now.
I switched about one year ago. Luv it!!!
A little tip for you, if you don’t want to carry all your stuff in you purse for the evening or anytime, put a few strips in the battery compartment of the PDM. Is saves on space.
@Jenny: Well, I still have a year until I would be eligible for a new pump, but am trying to do research/get some honest opinions on the Omnipod. The idea of being without tubing sounds great! I definitely wouldn’t mind keeping touch though. It’s great to hear that you love it, as my physician is not quite sold on the “new-ness” of the Omnipod.
I did. Switched from Minimed Paradigm in summer of '08 to Cozmo for nine months, then to Omnipod in May of '09. Very glad I switched. Omnipod’s user interface is more intuitive, more informative (so much info in the PDM), and the technology is more advanced, IMHO. Automated insertion beats the quicksets and is more versatile site-rotation-wise. I have gotten more frequent occlusions on the pod than with MM, but I attribute that in part to how many more places I attempt to wear it. I was with MM for 8 years and with the Paradigm series for 4, but I’ve never looked back as far as the switch is concerned. I also love not needing a separate meter.
If you still have your MM (Omnipod doesn’t make you trade it in, after all), you might keep it around for pregnancy. I wore my Omnipod up until 32 weeks and then switched to my Cozmo for the last 6 weeks of my pregnancy. Weight gain wasn’t the issue (the pod was so great and never in my way - just didn’t wear it on the belly), but the fact that I was burning through an entire pod of insulin in 30 hours was a big issue.
I agree w/ everything written here already. I pumped a MM 508c for about 4 years, then a paradigm for over a year after that. I switched to the omnipod in fall of 2008, and I have been loving it ever since.
Every pump has pros and cons, but for me the pros of the pod WAY outweigh the cons (and beat out all the other pros of the other pumps too!). It’s been a great pump and as long as there is a tubeless pump on the market (and hopefully that continues to be Omnipod) I will never go back to a tubed pump…
I am totally with you on the MM infusion procrastination causing the need for a tummy tuck. lol I have war-torn belly fat from putting off changing the sets too.
Thanks, I always keep an old pump around, but am not looking to have any lil ones running around anytime soon!!
what kind of warranty does the PDM come with? (thanks for all the feedback, it’s great!)
Based off my personal expierience the omnipod has nearly killed me toooooo many times. there is no vibrate option so if you are in class or at work it is very annoying when you have an alarm. the PDM is not durable at all I have gone through 33 yes thirty three in 3 years. they fail frequently. how has the pod almost kill me? it usually does not alarm when it fails. i did not realize the pod was not working went to bed, woke up in the middle of the night puked everything out of my stomach face turned gray. so I had to go to the hospital most times because the meter read high. the hospital meter read 756 was the highest. My doctor had me trial the ping over the summer never had better blood sugars in my life than when I was on the animas ping. so now I am waiting to switch to the ping full time. in november. as of right now I am using the omnipod. testing every 2 hours around the clock since i have done this my a1c is now in the low sevens. because of my experiences my doctor will not put any other patients on the pod.
my recommendation to you is to get the Animas Ping it is the best pump on the market. the omnipod is definetely the worst then minimed and the best would definately be the ping.
you can research the ping on youtube and also
www. animascorp.com
good luck to you and hope this helps
remember this is based off my personal experience I am not a doctor I am only 15.
Ella arden rose
The warranty is a standard 4 year, like all (I think) of the other pumps. Here’s the blurb from the Omnipod Web site,
“Insulet Corporation warrants to the original purchaser (“you”) that the PDM (Personal Diabetes Manager) will be free from defects in materials and workmanship, under normal use and conditions, for a period of four (4) years from the date of purchase. If Insulet Corporation determines that the PDM is defective during the warranty period, Insulet Corporation will either repair or replace, at its option, the PDM at no charge to you, subject to the conditions and exclusions stated herein. This Warranty applies only to new devices and, in the event the PDM is repaired or replaced, the warranty period shall not be extended.”
You should receive 1 free “skin” w/ the PDM (it’s a silicone cover to help protect it), and so I use that and actually because I do so much outdoor/sweaty activity I’ve also put a cell phone screen protector on my screen…but this isn’t necessary. I have dropped mine a few times and haven’t had any issues thus far.
I will say that having insurance for your pump might be a good idea though. I only mention this because recently I had my PDM stolen while I was out on a long run, and the warranty does not cover something like that. Having insurance (like renter’s insurance, for example, should cover all of your belongings anywhere in the world) with a lower deductible (like $250) would save you $250 towards the price of purchasing a replacement PDM which is $500.
I know not every pump is made for every person, but I’ve been really happy with my podding experience, and like I mentioned before, as long as there is a tubeless pump on the market, I will never go back
Thanks Bradford. As far as I’ve seen, many are happy with the Omnipod. Most of the reviews I had read were of first time pumpers and so I just wanted to see how it compares to the Paradigm. I definitely agree that there are pros and con to every pump, but being tube-free is quite appealing. Its good to know they have the same warranty of any other pump on the market. As far as insulin not being delivered correctly and causing high blood sugars, this is nothing new to me. I’ve had many problems with kinked catheters and tubing issues. I check my blood sugars often enough to know when my pump is not functioning correctly and I also never change before bedtime, I learned not to put too much trust into an insulin pump- no matter how great it may seem. It is still a man-made “gadget” and malfunctions are always possible. I’ve ordered the sample omnipod and can’t wait to give it a go
Does Insulet replace defective pods purchased through a separate medical supply company?
Yes, Kati, they do. My pods come from a separate supply company, and on the occasion one has failed I call Insulet. They mail the replacement to me. I think what they always say is they will mail it when I order my next box of pods (which I asked the first time about, since I don’t order from them). The two times I have received a replacement it seems as they just send it out at the first of the month. It always seems crazy to have a box at my door step with one little pod in it…
OH MY GOODNESS! I NEVER would have thought of the battery compartment!!! I can’t wait for the next time I am going for a short jog and dont want to cram the whole strip container in my pocket!!!
Well, I had my omnipod demo on for less than 24 hours and it came off the adhesive. All I did was sit down on the couch and it must have gotten caught when I moved to lay down. It was on my lower back. Is the real omnipod that easy to remove from the adhesive? I noticed a small gap between the one end of the pod and the adhesive, which seemed to be the problem.
Did the pod come undone from the welding points of the adhesive (i.e. it ripped?) or did the adhesive patch actually come off of your back?
If it was the latter, I would say to make sure and clean your skin very well (use an alc. pad at least. I also use skin tac adhesive wipes to make the area more sticky).
If it was the former, and it just ripped off of the backing, then I would say that it is just an awareness factor that will come with time. Maybe you remember when you first started wearing your tubed pump…the caution that you used concerning your infusion site area. Potentially you’ve caught that tubing on a door knob and ripped out an infusion set or two (Lord knows I sure did). But then you became more aware of where the tubing was, trying to keep it coiled up and inside your clothing, etc. Well the pod is the same way. Once you are aware of its location on your body, I think you’ll make an adjustment and be slightly more mindful of how it might “hook an edge” if you slid down the couch, etc.
You pointed out that you thought the problem was that “butt” end of the pod (farthest from the “window”, right?). A lot of what will help in the future is the orientation of the pod. Making sure that the “butt” is either pointed sideways (either way, depending on which side of my back it’s on) or slightly “uphill” so to speak. When I point the butt downhill, I noticed that I “catch” the edge more when I’m pulling my shirt off, etc.
After a while though you will become so accustomed to it (at least in my case I have) that sometimes I forget which arm I placed it on…so taking my shirt off sometimes I snag it a little bit. I have only ripped one away from the adhesive doing that though, thankfully.
Hopefully future pods will last a little longer for you!
The pod ripped off the adhesive pad. I had completely forgot where it was located (which shows how much “smaller” it makes diabetes) and it did “catch” that edge that is not adhered completely. It’s good to know you’ve only lost one this way. I saw on a forum somewhere a mom had used super glue to fix this problem (she glued down that edge before pod application and problem solved, not bad) I’ve been invited to a local information meeting on the pod, so hopefully will get a chance to check out a demo again.
Was on the minimed for approx. 8 years (but this was awhile ago) and then the Deltec Cosmo (no longer made) and now the Omnipod-- NOTHING compares. I LOVE it! No tubing, not having to insert it myself, everything is 100% better. I’ve only been using my stomach and ab for sites though and will eventually get the courage to try other places. I think you will really like the pod