I have had Type 1 diabetes for the past 5 years. Ever since I was diagnosed I have been managing it with shots and no pump, but I have been having trouble controlling my diabetes the way that I would like to. My doctor has suggested switching to the pump for a while now, but I have always said no, I guess being a 21 year old college student has something to do with it. I have been opposed to using a pump, because I feel that I will always be connected to my diabetes, I am afraid that I wont be able to separate myself from it (if that makes any sense?), but since I would like better control I have been looking into the different pumps on the market and the OmniPod looks amazing. I had no idea that there was such a thing available.
So I guess my question is for all the OmniPod users…Are you happy with it? Do you suggest switching over to it, and what are some difficulties that you have had with it? Any information, suggestions, or tips would be GREATLY appreciated!!!
Hi Anne and welcome!!! I just finished a survey for OmniPod users and one of their questions was to describe how I feel about it in one sentence… here goes… "The OmniPod System released my “Diabetes Chains” and at last I feel freedom."
Unfortunately none of us will ever “separate” ourselves from Type 1 Diabetes until a cure is found but TRUST me, the OmniPod System is the closest to that separation. You wear the Pod for 3 days, no more needles, no more black and blues. After some educational sessions you’ll learn how to navigate the PDM and your BG will become a lot more stable.
AND, you said it… “OmniPod looks amazing”! That’s just what I thought the first time I read the website and that’s when I decided… I WANT THIS THING!!! I’ll be using it a year this August and I absolutely LOVE it. Stay here at this site because you’ll receive a wealth of information from users and also gain some nice friends.
Anne, I spent nearly 10 years on shots because I couldn’t imagine being tethered to a pump. Since going on the Omnipod a year and a half ago almost everything is easier. The only thing I need to remember more is to bring my pod change supplies with me. Other than that everything’s the same or easier, I have closer control over my numbers (because really, who corrects for a blood sugar of 135 if it means giving yourself a shot?!), and I feel like the whole process is more discreet and less time consuming. The biggest problem I had switching over was figuring out my basal rates (because of the increased control of multiple rates instead of one long-term insulin injection per day). On occasion I do have a site that I find I notice but event then it’s only 3 days and usually I only notice it in certain positions (ie. when it’s on my arm I can’t sleep on that side sometimes). Going on the Omnipod was the best decision I’ve ever made (except for maybe going on my CGM!). I encourage you to seriously consider it because, as they say, it really has made diabetes a smaller part of my life.
I’ve found the best site for the pod is on my belly but there are various different sites it can be worn and it’s up to the individual where it’s most comfortable. OH and the insertion is literally pain FREE… it’s like a little pinch that you can hardly feel.
My 9 year old son also started in August and it has changed his life. Instead of feeling like his diabetes is always attached to him, I think he feels like he doesn’t have to worry about it as much. Instead of shot after shot - he just pushes buttons to eat whatever his friends are eating. He can have more if he’s hungry - he can reduce his basal if everyone suddenly decides to take off outside for a while running around. . .it definitely takes a learning curve and you have to be willing to put forth the effort to learn about it and understand what you can do with it, but I definitely think it’s worth it - especially with the Omnipod.
Hi, Anne! I cannot say enough good things about the OmniPod. I absolutely LOVE mine!!! I had the same feelings you had about a pump and delayed getting one for 6 months. When I finally got a pump it had tubing and I hated it. I felt chained to my diabetes. I switched to the OmniPod in January and I’ve enjoyed life with D for the first time since diagnosis. (When I was on the tubed pump I always wondered why people were so enthusiastic about pumps … it wasn’t until I switched to the OmniPod that I understood why people loved pumps.) The OmniPod is extremely easy to use and cannula insertion is automatic and virtually painless. The pods are expensive, but I feel the freedom is so worth the extra money.
I’ve had a few bad pods over the past month, but all were problems I read about through discussions here and Insulet has been very helpful.
I love my OmniPod and every day I’m thankful for it. Good luck!
PS: Remember … the decision to go on a pump does not have to be a permanent thing. I was told “any time you decide you don’t want to be connected, just take a pump vacation … disconnect for a few days and go back on injections but I really believe you’ll get so spoiled by the pump you’ll never want to go back to injections.” They were right. I can’t imagine life on injections! (With my tubed pump, I took vacations every week, but I’ve never even thought about going back to shots!)
I was diagnosed at 17 while a junior in high school in 1990. I went onto the pump immediately because my father had been on a pump since 1983. Given the incredible level of control he was able to achieve (and still does nearly 30 years later), I knew that I wanted the pump.
From 1990 until last summer, I was on a tubed pump (Medtronic MiniMed the entire time). Through two more years of high school, four years of college, three years of law school, dating, marriage, and having two kids, it was never an issue for me (since I wanted the tightest control of my diabetes) or my family and friends (who also wanted me to have the tightest control). The insulin pump, no matter which brand you use, is an amazing device because of what it will let you accomplish that MDI just cannot.
Last summer, I switched to the OmniPod. It has been amazing because I forget that I am wearing it 95% (or more) of the time. I wear the pod on my arms, and I usually cannot tell which arm I have it on without feeling for it. That being said, the OmniPod is also easier to attach than a conventional pump, is waterproof, and lacks the old ball and chain (or, pump and tubing) feeling. For me, sleeping with it has been many times easier than sleeping with my old tubed insulin pump.
For me, the best approach has been to not try to separate myself from it, but to embrace it, understand it, and to be completely open with myself and others about it. This very aggressive, hands on approach has allowed me to learn the most from own diabetes and to create a great support network that begins with my incredible wife and continues with my family, friends, and coworkers. I would not be in the kind of control that I am if it were not for the OmniPod and my incredible support network.
I kept resisting using a pump because I felt if I did it was because I was a failure. What a big mistake that was! I have been using OmniPod since September 2009, and I have been in better control. It is so much easier for me than MDI were. Taking insulin with a meal is a non-event. After I do my finger stick, I estimate my carbs an push a few buttons. That’s it. No alcohol, no needles, no fuss.
I also have CGM which has improved my quality of life. I am hypoglycemic unaware, so the CGM alarms notify me when I am going low (or high). I did things backwards. I got my CGM before I got my pump. I understand most people do it the other way. As soon as I saw the CGM, I knew I wanted it even if I didn’t get a pump.
Only you can decide if you want to use a pump and which one is right for you. I attended an education session (covered by insurance) at my local hospital where pumping was explained along with the different pumps. My CDE, who ran the session, is also type 1 and on a pump. She was very careful not to push one pump over another. I chose OmniPod because I am a klutz. I imagined catching tubing on things and ripping out the infusion set. I only ripped off a pod once, when I tried placing it below my waist band. When I undressed, I caught my clothes on the pod and pulled it off. It wasn’t painful, but it was annoying to have to put a new pod on.
Anne, I can totally relate. I’ve had a pump now for 5 years. I got it after I was married because I didn’t feel it fit my lifestyle before then. No doubt you will have greater control with the pump, and the Omnipod, or any tubeless pump, is the way to go (I’ve had both types now.) A pump is more convenient regardless of being “connected” to it. Perhaps the connection you resent is the one that won’t let go of your brain (it never leaves!!) But I find the more convenient diabetes becomes with the new technology, the easier it is to accept and the less space it occupies in your brain.
However, take warning: for 17 years before my pump, I never experienced a low where I needed assistance to get out of it. It’s not the pump that does this, it’s greater control–where normal BS are closer to low BS and can become harder to detect. I used to get shaky and weak and always woke up when I had a low. Now I have very slight symptoms that I have had to learn to pay attention to like feeling warm or searching for words when I’m having a conversation. Hormones (because you’re female), medication, pregnancy, weight loss, or major life changes like relocating or changing jobs can really throw you for a loop. That has been my experience, but I don’t regret switching to the pump when I did. But I did it when I felt it was right for me. My husband is my barometer now and I think it’s really important to have people around you that know what to look for.
The Omnipod isn’t perfect but my only real complaint is that if you forget to take the PDM (handheld device) with you, you can’t adjust your insulin without it. It becomes a habit to remember.
I can relate to some of the things you guys are talking about… type 1 since 2001 (8 years old), I am now 17 and I’ve been on lantus and humalog (5 shots) for the past 5 years. I was on the minimed pump for 2 years (age 11-12) and I found it to be a bother. I hated having a little decorative tubing thing sticking out of the side of my pants, I didn’t like the long process of priming and using an inserter, and I didn’t like my infusion set (though that’s not minimed’s fault, I was about to go to the angled site). I’m so exited about the omnipod in so many respects–the quick set up with easy to follow instructions, no tubing (a given), carrying less supplies, being free to correct blood sugars in which on injections I would let alone (correcting for 150). I am excited!!!
Jon,
The OmniPod will change your life… I PROMISE YOU THAT! There’s nothing like it and it will free your life up to do the things you love without so much worry. I never used another pump but I investigated all of them and nothing even came close to the OmniPod.
Good Luck.
Thanks Janet, I’m happy to hear that! My CDE was very much against the Omnipod, though, referencing pods that fall off (I had sites with Minimed fall off…) and that it was heavy. For that first point, there are products for that. For the second, I wore the demo pod and I didn’t find it heavy at all. In fact, I quickly forgot it was there. I even swam at the beach and slept with the demo pod and I found it to be comfortable AND it stayed on! And salt water is pretty brutal!
Alot of doctors do not recommend the OmniPod as well as my own at the time and it’s ONLY because they’re not as familiar with it as the other pumps. The software is a bit more difficult for them to upload and read. Some people have minimal problems but I think the benefits outweigh any problems… SOOOO run with it kid and have a blast. I love my pod!!!
My endo must be pretty hip. I was icked out by the tubing of the traditional pump. He mentioned the OmniPod but I kind of waved it off as a pump thing. He is very pro-OmniPod. He sent me home with some urls. First I decided that I needed the CGM. While I got that going, I was reading about the OmniPod. I’m hoping to have approval in the next day or so from my insurance company. I can’t wait. Let’s get this party started!
I agree that many doctors have not been recommending it for a number of reasons:
It was the newest pump (tubeless vs conventional tubing). I myself tried the omnipod when it first came out but sent it back within the original 30 day period.
Have not liked the fact that it originally had no downloadable report, or when it did it was not as good as the rest. BYW the updated Co-Pilot is awesome!!
But most of all was the fact that MiniMed has alot more field agents out, who would be by weekly/biweekly/monthly to the physician’s offices. Even the CDE had not seen the Omnipod reps. Now however that is changing or has changed (as in my area).
I finally had to “pin my Endo to the wall” and have him tell me why he like the MM so much over the other pumps and the access to the field agents was the only reason, plus it is the one he learned on. But I pointed out to him that I was the person that was going to wear it - and I did not want MM. He agreed to go with my recommendation. We have to stand up for ourselves!!!
I absolutely love my Omnipod, and I just got my purple skin!!! Life is good…
Mine doesn’t prefer it for two reasons: 1. the IOB is non-traditional (carbs for insulin are not kept) and 2. occlusions. However, I hated the idea of a traditional pump and don’t have issues with the two points I just mentioned, at least so far. I keep records of everything I eat and what doses of insulin I take, so it’s easy to remember by IOB regardless. Maybe if I didn’t do that, I’d have more issues w/ it. Just have to go w/ what is best for you.
The only contact I’ve had with the local OmniPod rep has been a couple of form emails. And she hasn’t actually responded to any of my emails to her. I sent one today to find out how close we are to lift-off. Someone from the company called and told me I was covered and we talked costs. I’ve never actually spoken to or gotten a direct answer from the local rep. It kind of disturbs me. When I asked my endo about Dexcom, he sent my info to a rep and she was calling me by the time I got home from work. The folks at Insulet that I have spoken to have all been fantastic. Looks like I won’t have the pod until next week.
Someone else mentioned that the IOB was a deal breaker for them. I don’t quite understand the issue being in a vacuum. What is the problem with the IOB? What is non-traditional about the IOB? I’m really lost about the “carbs for insulin are not kept” – can you tell me the process if you are entering your meal carbs with the possibility of a correction bolus 2 hours before? I had a Palm app that would track my IOB and it was very useful. I’m using Diabetes Pilot for my record keeping and it does calculate your dose for you based on your settings, but it doesn’t account for IOB. I like Diabetes Pilot because it has a desk-top component that makes editing easier and you can print all kinds of reports. I’m really sorry to be such a doof – I’d like to be as prepared as possible. Your kindness is much appreciated.
Many traditional pumps will keep all insulin dosed on record as Insulin On Board (IOB) so you can see how much insulin is working in your system at all times. Omnipod assumes that all insulin given for carbs eaten is calculated correctly and therefore does not include it in the IOB. For instance, if your blood sugar goal is 100, and you test at 132 and are eating 30 grams of carbs then the dose you give will include both a correction to bring you from 132 to 100 and a carb bolus for the 30 grams of carbs. If an hour later you test your sugar again and find it is 120 the Omnipod will calculate the correction between 120 and 100 and then subtract whatever insulin is on board from the earlier correction. It will not take any insulin given for the 30 grams of carbs into account. For most people who have no dealt with an pump before this doesn’t matter. If you have had a pump that calculates it differently then it’s just a different learning curve that you have to master. For some it’s a deal breaker because they can’t or won’t relearn it but I see it as just a different system to learn to work in.
I’ll be using it a year this August and I absolutely LOVE it. Stay here at this site because you’ll receive a wealth of information from users and also gain some nice friends.