Hi! I have been a diabetic for the last two years and I am ready for a pump.
I cheer and do gymnastics. I am 13 I can't decide between the omni pod or the ping ideas?
Hi Hanna and good for you for being ready for a pump! Personally I would recommend the Ping. I know some people want an omni pod because they think they will hate the tubing of other pumps. Most people find that the tubing is no big deal. I think some people like their omni pods but I have heard that they are not very reliable and once you have a problem you lose all the insulin in the pod. I love my Ping!
I have no experience with a Ping so I can't say much about it other than that my endo recommended it 3 years ago when I decided to go on a pump.
I picked the Omnipod instead. It works great, fits well into my active lifestyle, and is pretty easy to program and use. No doubt you're going to hear negative things said about it and some actual Omnipod users do report problems. I'll suggest what i always suggest, if you're at all interested in the pod, give it a try and find out for yourself.
Thanks so much I met with a rep for ping and in really like it
Thanks for all your help.
I also have no experience with the ping but did try out the minimed before deciding on the omnipod. It was a fairly easy decision for me. The pod was much more comfortable than the infusion set, ease of installation, and no tubing was big for me. ive had few issues even w/ the new pods compared to some people, so no complaints there. Definitely try several pumps out before going with one, im sure you will know exactly which one is best for you
I have hard the same things.Thanks for helping I think I am going to get the ping.
I do cheerleading as well and I tried an omnipod and for me it just didn't work. Stunting with it was more troublesome because it got hit and got ripped off. It was only a demo pod so no big deal but still. Also when you compete it's much easier to keep a set on take your pump off and then just re-connect after that. I chose the ping over the omnipod and the medtronic pump. If you do want to try Omni get in touch with your local rep and ask for some demo pods and wear it 3 days at a time. One other thing I didn't like as much with the pod was wearing dresses. If you last minute have to go to a party or something and you're pump is on your back or tummy and you are wearing anything thats more sleek fitting you can't really just move the pod.
Thanks I thught about that stuff but wasn’t for sure. Do you feel like you do a lot of button pushing on the ping? I met with a rep from the ping and omni pod and I really like the ping. My only worry is that I will have to push a lot of buttons.
For me the tubing on pumps has never been an issue. It's easy to move the pump to wherever is least visible, and as long as you put the tubing under your clothes it doesn't interfere with anything. I can remember once when my tubing got caught on something and ripped out my infusion set. Many more times I've hit the actual infusion set on something and dislodged it, which I think would be even more of an issue with the OmniPod because it's so much larger than standard infusion sets (I only saw the old Pod, but it was almost the size of a pump itself).
I swim with my Ping and tuck the tubing into my bathing suit and have never had an issue with it being pulled out. This even though I have swum during public swims where random arms and legs cross the lane ropes and hit me, and I've broken three MedicAlert bracelets hitting the lane ropes myself. :)
I definitely agree with others that you should take a look at each pump before deciding, and (especially with the OmniPod) try wearing it for a few days. Another thing to keep in mind is that if you run into problems with infusion sets (irritation, etc.) with the OmniPod you can't switch to another one, while with the Ping you have many different infusion sets to try out and find the one that best works for you.
Re: Omnipod, keep in mind the old saying about squeaky wheels and grease. For every pod critic, there are thousands of satisfied users. I'm one of them.
As others have, I also would urge you to get a few of the non-functional demo pods -- they're the real thing, just not working, so weight/size/etc. are the real experience -- and see if you like it. Heck, I'd harass the sales rep for 4 or 5 of them so you can experiment with different site placement, then wear for 3 days, to see if it will work for you.
For me, the attachment via tubing is a really big deal. I love being on a pump so much that, if the Ominpod were to disappear, I'd suck it up and get a tubed pump. However, there are advantages to the pod that have high value/benefit to me:
- Ease/simplicity/convenience for sports and other active aspects of my life. I love to mountain bike, for example. While I have no doubt placement of a tubed pump can be figured out that works well with the tubing, I simply don't even have to think about it with the pod. I do alot of scuba diving, and the pod has been a champ under my wetsuit.
- I truly forget it's there. Completely. While I'm sure many tubed pump users do too, my personality is such that being tethered to something would be omnipresent in my mind all the time. I simply couldn't "forget" that I'm diabetic, like I do with the pod. Ironically, my CGM is a far more persistent reminder than my pump is.
- Dressing/undressing, bathing, swimming, sleeping, marital relations, and on and on -- all are much more like being "normal" than with a tubed pump. For example, I just get out of bed in the morning and take a shower -- I don't have to think about, and deal with first: Where is my pump? Detach. Shower. Check BG to make sure I didn't go too high while disconnected. Reconnect. Adjust settings if necessary (temp basal?). Routing tubing when dressing.
With the pod, there's none of this. The biggest inconvenience I experience in the morning with the pod is being careful not to snag it on the back of my arm when pulling a shirt over my head. That's it.
- Very discrete. I can bolus, adjust basal, etc. while "checking my cellphone" (which, in the not too distant future, will be a precise statement after a smartphone app is approved to replace the PDM). Some tubed pumps have a wireless remote control, so are equal in this advantage. But many don't, so bolusing in public is a bit less discrete, and makes you a bit more noticable for being "different". The first time I used my PDM to bolus at dinner in a fine restaurant with my wife after being on MDI in the same situation was a feeling of freedom and privacy I can't put in to words. I was almost like everyone else.
- I have had very few problems. Almost none. My pods have been reliable, functioned as advertised, stayed put (no adhesion issues). I did have a few bad pods early on, but that seems to have been some issues that have been corrected in later batches. I haven't had a pod error or occlusion for months, after 3-4 the first two months.
- Cheer -- that's why I suggest you get 4 or so sample pods and try different placement. You can put them almost anywhere. I prefer the backs of my arms and the sides/back of my waist about 2" above the belt-line. Backs of arms might be good for an activity like cheer. Site placement with tubed pumps is more complicated and limited, because you have to route tubing there.
- Dressing to the nines to go out -- well, the pod is bigger than an infusion set, but I don't see how an infusion set on one's belly, back, side, thigh, etc. will be any less awkward in a tight-fitting dress than an omnipod. However, with the pod you can put it places where it won't show as much -- or at all -- than an infusion set, because you don't have to route a tube to that location.
These are some thoughts off the top of my head. Expect a vigorous and spirited point-by-point defense from the tubed pumper here on the points I make above. Their arguments have as much merit, and should be carefully considered too. Much of this is personal, so you have to figure out for yourself what's important to you.
I had the Omnipod for 4 + years and second everything Dave said. It is very reliable and the new version is thinner and smaller than the old one. I now have the Animas Ping with the remote, but only because Medicare does not pay for the Omnipod.
Given the choice I would stick with the Omnipod because the PDM user interface is simpler, the display is easier to read, you do everything from the PDM and you do not interrupt basal delivery since there is no tubing to disconnect/re-connect. With the Ping you have to chose normal, EZcarb or EZBG bolus; with the Omnipod there is a single process that replaces all of these. With the Ping you can do most functions from the remote but you have to use the pump itself to create a temporary basal. When you disconnect the tubing the basal deliver is zero until you re-connect; not a problem for a short time but could be for a longer time.
If you choose the Ping, be aware there are 2 different lengths of canulas (That is the short plastic tube that is inserted through the skin). They are 9mm and 6mm; your Diabetes educator/trainer can help you choose which will work best for you. There may be other options too.
Good luck with whatever you choose. I think you will like the extra control and flexibility you have with either pump.
Thanks John the only thing my mom and I have against the omni pod is that the pdm is the only way to control the pod. Thanks for helping it really does help.
Thanks!
This is so help, my daughter is 7 years old and I am ready for the pump, yes I like the pod but wonder if the one touch ping is better. Please update me once you pick so I can hear all about it!
I chose the ping because with the pod if I loose the pdm I can't check sugar or get insulin and the ping is cheaper over time.hope this helps if u need to know
any thing about the pumps let me know I have done tons if research.
Does the insertions hurt?
I should just go with my gut! I said the same thing if she lost it I was screwed!
No the needle is super short and is very easy to insert. And there are different colors she can chose from and its totally water proof.
I agree with the OmniPod views and am truly happy with my pods. There is a freedom that I cannot describe in words with my pods that I never had before as a T1D. Being tubeless is an innovation that I would not want to do without ever again. There are so many features that I love about OmniPod.
There are different challenges with any device and I have had pod issues more so in the beginning; I found a few tricks and being more confident with usage and placement however recently I had a an uncertain PDM issue that deactivated a pod; a button stuck. My PDM was still working fine but I spoke to customer service at 4pm on a weekday and they said to replace the PDM to be on the safe side. They had a new PDM couriered to me and delivered at 9:30 pm that night. I was 4 hours away from where it was being shipped. The customer service when I need it and efforts in continuous improvement at OmniPod for me has been truly remarkable. To me every company will have their issues but how they recover from them is what is most valuable to me.
One additional thing, when pumping you could lose any one of your devices, could be a remote, pump, BG tester, PDMs; and you have issues that need to be addressed right away. No matter what pump you pick always have a back up plan.