Hi everyone!
I will be trying out the Omnipod within a few weeks and I would really like to hear from current Omnipod users about what they think about thier Omnipod. What do you like about it and what do you dislike? Any comments are appreciated thanks!
I have been using omnipod for about 8 months now and honestly can’t say that there is anything I dislike about it. It is the only pump I have used in the 38 years of having diabetes so I don’t have anything to compare it with. The no tube thing is what got me interested and the fact that is waterproof was also a huge selling feature for me. So all in all I love it. Good luck with your new pump.
It's been several years, but this is something I wrote about my experience after about 18 months as a 'Podder.
http://bewarethepenguin.blogspot.com/2009/08/my-experience-with-omnipod.html
The no tubing is what appealed to me as well! I am hoping a pump will keep my blood sugars in better control!
I really liked your blog post, very informative! I have a question, does the pod make noise? Like an alarm if it has stopped working for some reason?
Yes it does give warning alarms, when its time to change and if its running low on insulin. I’m sure there are others but I fortunately haven’t heard any others.
In addition to those it also gives a short beep when a bolus delivery has finished. But the most noticeable and annoying (rightly so) is when it detects an occlusion (blockage). It deactivates and emits a loud, continuous beeeeeeeeep until you acknowledge it with the PDM.
From what I've read, the new pods (due to ship in late March or early April) have a vibrate option. Or maybe that was the PDM, I can't remember now.
one thing to keep note of, is no alarm will ring if the cannual has fallen out, as far as the pod is aware you are still getting insulin. so you do have to keep an eye on it.
I agree with Tab, the tubeless idea peeked my interest and I've been on the Pod since Dec 2011. Before that for 30 years I was injecting. Hopefully I'll never go back to that because I love the Omnipod!!
The pod gives me much better control than I was getting with four injections per day. The basal dose and boluses work much more like your pancreas should be working. With luck, you should be able to significantly lower your A1C. I hope it works as well for you as it has for me.
How and/or why does the cannula fall out? How can you tell??
In the 2 years I've been on the pod, I've never had the cannula "fall out". It's in there good. If you feel it go in, it's in. I'm guessing that knocking it really good *might* dislodge it, but again, it's never happened to me :)
You could tell because your blood sugar would rise without another reason. Frequent testing and pumping go hand in hand.
Compared to MDI with the pods my BG is much more predictable. I now test my blood 4 times a day rather than the 7 times a day I used to do. Lucky fingers ...... :-) .
Did MDI for 10 years, A1c was 7-8 range, I looked at all the different pumps but the tubeless attracted me the most.
Been on OmniPod since March '12, last 3 A1c's 5.9, 6.1 and 5.7, Endo pretty much speechless:). All pumps have their "issues" and it took me about a month to get set and dialed in, but since then, my control has actually gotten easier!!
Good Luck!
My only complaint is that one must put a minimum of 85 units of insulin in each pod. Apart from that, I'm loving my barnacles! My A1Cs have not gone above 6.7 since I stuck one on and that makes my specialist (and me) very happy. It is convenient, practically invisible under clothing (the smaller ones will, I'm sure, be even better) and simple to use. I enjoy the convenience of a food library in the PDM but it could absolutely be tweaked to include more items.
I would like to advise against placing them vertically on your abdomen ... although it works cosmetically, it makes bending at the waist a bit of a challenge and honestly, the insertion hurts like a *&$#% if there isn't much cushion!
I hope you are very happy with your new pump!!
My son will be going on the pump (Pod) here soon and I like having as much info. ahead of time as possible so we aren't caught off-guard. Thanks. :)
mine has fallen out for the follwoing 2 reasons.
1. I have knocked it.
2. ithe fod has fallen away from the tape.
it has only happened to me once since I started in oct 2012
Thanks for all of your input about the pump, I am looking forward to it even more now!