Hi everyone im thinking of the omnipod, but to be honest I have read more horror stories about this brand/company that I care to. I realize everything needs to be taken with a grain of salt, but talk of being blacklisted is pretty heavy. Also, every time I research OmniPod, pod failures pop up very often. Im currently use a Ping, and its never let me down once in 5 years. I have had one infusion set fail, but that was my fault. I get occasional alarms and need to re-prime, but other than that, its been flawless. Dealing with Animas customer service has been fine as well. I have never really had a single issue with them. Im simply just tired of always having a pump on my belt, tucking in the tubing.
So, has OmniPod got their sh*t together? Is it worth looking into? BTW, what exactly is a pod failure? Is it an electronic thing where the pod just doesnt deliver? Or is it another issue? Thanks! I realize this is a pretty broad, and most likely often asked question. I appreciate your time. Chris
I have an OmniPod & I’m happy. I would not like the hassle of a tubed pump. A pod failure is normally an occlusion, which may occur more often with the shorter, thinner catheter than those lovely tubed ones with their complicated insertion procedures. Occasionally, things get knocked, catheters come out, etc. In the US, the OmniPod is new, you don’t have the clinical experience, I’m not sure how much training is given. I suspect their are reasons, other than the pump for the issues Americans are having.
Only you can decide which pump is right for you & I’m not trying to persuade you. Sadly, after you’ve read these threads for a while, you may be more sympathetic towards anyone who blocks/ blacklists/ refuses any further contact with some of the contributors.
I'll be the first to say that the Omnipod is my first and only pump. The technology cannot be matched by the tubed pumps. With that said...the pods themselves are just like any other electronic device...and can fail anytime. The one thing I will say is that I think the success of the Omnipod will depend on how careful you are in following the instructions or trainer's advice.
I follow the same routine on each Pod change (older pods), and I have had 1 pod failure in the last 6 months. There are several different "failures" that happen...occulsions once you have the pod on...and sometimes when the pods prime there are failures.
In either case...a simple call to insulet gets a new pod to you free of charge
As a NEW user, Insulet will love you and you should have no issues....the issue with us existing users is the lack of info or incorrect info we have gotten regarding the change over
LOL, point taken regarding the black listing. For the record, the complicated insertion procedures are about as complicated and removed adhesive tape and pulling back on a spring loaded "thing" Im more concerned about the pod failures though, because they seem to be a "theme" when searching. Thanks for the reply!
Agree with both of these posts. I used the MiniMed Paradigm for a few years before switching and only in my most frustrated moments did I ever even consider going back. There are times when it fails for no reason, or you pick a bad site and have bad numbers/absorption, and you’ll be angry, but in the end the convenience and freedom is not something that can be adequately explained without experiencing it yourself. It truly is a wonderful feeling.
I say go for it as well, but it’s gotta be your choice. Agswin04 gave some good pointers too.
Ah, I get the Diamond Package treatment as a new user, haha. When you say "follow the instructions or trainers advise" what exactly do you mean? With Animas, and Im sure other tubed pumps, you insert the infusion set, fill the canula and are done. You can screw up the angle of insertion if its an angled set, but the straight in sets are really easy. How much more complicated it the pod application procedure? Of course, I could just ask the sales rep in my area, which I plan to do, but any additional advise from a real world user helps. Thanks
Hi Chris. Researching past discussions about satisfaction with the oPod will bring up a recent indepth one. You will find a lot of happy podders there and some great info. I would not say that the Omnipod is "new" in the states......
With the OmniPod, I fill the reservoir, stick the pod on & press a button on the PDM. The tube, priming, the different inserters etc… A load of headache I can do without!
I’ve had about 1 failure every 2 months. That means that 5% of the time, a pod lasts less than 72hrs. The alarms let me know when that happens. I just change my pod & off I go!
Good to know. In my most frustrated moments I consider going back to shots, so I know where you are coming from! Is there any sort of failure warning, or is it just based on poor glucose numbers?
Even with all of the complaints, many of which are true, I would go for it. I was so frustrated with the tubing of the medtronic pump I had years ago that I went off it completely and back to injections. It wasn't until years later that this pump came out that I considered trying again. Not only is the tubing gone, but also the process of getting a new cite set up and working is far, far easier and less painful then what I was on before.
P.s Make sure that the Freestyle test strips are covered by your insurance. Even if they are, make sure you can afford the co-pay. It is often on a "higher tier" which makes them a lot more expensive.
Well simple things..for example leave the pod in the tray when you prime, insulin at room temp...I also swab the excess insulin out from under the needle cap...getting as many bubbles out as you can before filling pod..
Nothing complicated..just common sense, but the errors DO happen even if you follow these. Remember each pod has circuits, and batteries, so chances are something may be bad in the whole combo of all those things.
Yeah you get the red carpet vip diamond treatment as a new user, and wont have to mess with this transition period I have spoken of numerous times.
One thing you may want to do is get your doctor to write your script for a pod change every 2 days...that will allow you to build a stockpile of pods just in case of errors, etc.
If there is an actual occlusion, something preventing the insulin from even leaving the cannula it will inform you. If you’re getting poor absorption or you hit a vein or there’s blood in the cannula, you won’t be informed. The general rule of thumb is if your numbers are bad and all other factors are the same (as scientific as possible) it’s a bad site. You’ll get the hang of knowing, though.
I have been on the Omnipod, my first and only pump, for about 1.5 years. In that time, which corresponds to about 180 pods or so worth, I've only had 6 or 7 pods fail. I've never had an occlusion. I've also had the PDM fail once. In each case , Insulet replaced them free.
I've been very happy with the system and would not consider a tubed pump at this point.
There was a recent post on this exact subject(within the last month or so) and you will find a huge number of satisfied podders, myself included. I’m very happy with the system and with the support. Everyone has different experiences with everything, both good and bad, as you can tell by the posts here already. And it’s certainliy a good thing to do research. I’ve been on it just over a year, and have had some issues, but nothing that would ever make me swich to a tubed device or back to MDI. To be honest, it’s made my life a whole lot easer and my health a lot better. THere are times, when I almost don’t feel diabetic. Even my wife notices, lol. Message me if you have specific questions, I’d be happy to explain my experiences. Good luck in your decision. You’ve come to the right site for answers, for sure.
1) I forgot to answer your question about pod failiures. All the pod failures I've had have been where the pod starts beeping continuously and an error code appears on the PDM with the message "change pod now". Usually Insulet will want to know the error code.
2) Here is another recent thread by someone like yourself looking for happy users
I think the reasoning is that with the Omnipod, it's a much more personal device. So people adhere to it closer than they do any other pump. And when problems occur, they become a bit more emotional and vocal. I have a close friend that's a tubed pump user. She and I talked one day about our pumps. I can't say that she has had any more or any less problems that I've had. I guess since she doesn't have to throw away a whole pump each time on a failure, it's not as big of a deal. Basically it's all perceptions built off the device and what it's abilities and limitations are.
Anyway, that's what I see out of this situation. My advice: Go for it! :)
