After 27 years of T1 I have finally gotten a job where the fear of ripping a pump off of my body isn’t an issue anymore. So I’ve ordered the OmniPod. Recieved it on 7/14. It’s been almost a month now. I was originally told that a representative or a trainer would contact me soon after I received my pod. I waited a week but was never contacted. So finally I called my endo and made an appointment because she told me to wait until I received it to schedule the next so that she could train me. So I called and scheduled an appointment. Unfortunately because of work I was 20 minutes late to the appointment and had to reschedule. Apparently anything over 15 minutes is too long. So I made another appointment for 6 weeks later. All I can do is stare at this OmniPod for another month while I’m waiting for my endo to call who is about to have a baby and is hoping to train me before she takes maternity leave. I am getting so anxious and this is so frustrating just waiting. waiting. waiting. I am tempted to research it and just start using the pod without the training. I know that is probably not a good idea but I can hardly stand all this waiting. What am I going to do?
I’d call Omnipod and get the number of the representative in your area. Then I’d call them. Most Reps are happy to meet with you once they find out about you but sometimes it seems like it takes Insulet forever to get your info to them.
I am not saying what you should do, but if you research past discussions, you will find that people have done it without training. They felt comfortable that they were educated enough. Good luck.
Call Omnipod, I would need to disagree with Elaine (if you have never been on a pump before) you should not try it yourself. And my experience with the reps are that they are better to work with than the docs, endos included. They know how to regulate you and set you up better.
All I can say is that I received mine and had it hooked up and running within a week.
I actually agree with Ron (about disagreeing with me) about doing it your self. I didn’t choose to do so. There have been conversations about this in the past that I thought Jared might appreciate reading.
I hope you get in touch with an OmniPod rep and set up a meeting with a trainer. I have had three great training sessions when I first started. I wore the pod with saline for a few days, and then started with insulin. The trainer helped me adjust the settings more accurately and was available by phone for questions. I would take time to read the instruction manual, but would not attempt to do anything on your own. There are too many settings that would impact your insulin delivery. If you are on lantus now, it may take a while for that to work its way out of your system so you need be careful about that as well. Good luck!
I wish I didn’t have to be so proactive about all of this. I get lazy sometimes and just want them to come to me. I guess I’ll go through the box of stuff and see if I can find a number to call to get this thing started.
Try the number on the back of the PDM. They’ll get you transferred to the right department I’m sure.
Being proactive is tiresome for sure, but that’s the best way to be, especially w/ your own healthcare 
Good luck as you get the pumping process started! Hope it works out well for you!
Hey Jared. I just started the omnipod two weeks ago, and like you, I was excited and anxious to use it. I’m very technologically savvy so I thought I could start it on my own. To my surprise I couldn’t, the doctor has to give you things like your basal rates and target glucose range that way they can keep track of your progress. Also the rep/dr give very helpful advice about using your pump. I’d definitely call the company and ask for the reps contact info and explain to them to you need to start your pump ASAP.
Basil rate is the one thing that I’ll have to figure out on my own. Doctor get’s those numbers from somewhere so I imagine that I could figure it out as well. I too am a very intelligent/tech savvy person. I am also not sure if I will switch from the Humalog that I’ve been using for so long. I’ll probably wait for a trainer unless I can figure out those little details.
Maybe in the meantime, you can go to myomnipod.com and download the computer program that analyzes all the data from your PDM for you once you get started with it. My trainer was able to do it for me, but others have taken care of it on their own. It is called Co-Pilot. Hopefully it will work with your computer.
I can understand your frustration – a month is a very long time to wait with all the equipment ready to go. Hopefully a trainer can get to you within a few days and get you set up ASAP.
There’s no reason not to stay on Humalog, I used it for my first year+ on the pod, I only stopped when my insurance stopped covering Humalog. Do make sure to be proactive though because the 90 day return policy is 90 days from shipping, not from starting to use it. I can’t imagine wanting to send it back but you do want at least a few pods before you have to make that decision.
We have used Humalog in my son’s pods for the entire time he has been pumping (3 years now). Why would you need to switch?
I don’t know anything about pumping. I don’t know that I would. I use Humalog as a fast acting pre-meal insulin now, not as a continuous basil so I’ll have to figure the numbers out.
If they are not able to get you into the doctor’s office for a pump start any sooner than a month from now, you could try picking up (from B&N, perhaps your library if it’s a bigger one, perhaps even Amazon, etc) the book 'Pumping Insulin". It is great for explaining the ins and outs of pumping, in addition to figuring out those calculations which you mentioned previously (the ones your doctor would come up with). Having the scientific knowledge to understand why you’re setting things the way you do w/ your pump is extremely useful for when the pump malfunctions or for when you incur other activities outside the norm (for example extended periods of physical activity). I’ve been pumping for 8 or 9 years now and it is still a useful book to refer back to from time to time for helpful reminders.
You might also try the “Diabetic Athlete’s Handbook” and “Think like a Pancreas”. I do not own these myself but they are also good books as well.
And Humalog should work great for you. Each of the quick acting insulins–Humalog, Novalog, and Apidra–has a different “tail”, meaning their duration of action is different (in my opinion). I would suggest sticking to one type of insulin when you transition to the pump so that you do not have to experiment w/ adjusting your settings in the pump while you try to get things figured out.
I think the biggest challenge for me will be figuring out the transfer from Humalog and Lantus to only Humalog. I’m researching it now but we’ll see.
Actually using the pdm and pods are pretty easy…however the numbers and the settings are very important to be overseen by either the Endo or the Pump instructor. Why does it have to be your endo? Is there a local pump instructor from Omnipod and would your Endo let him/her train you and just send the suggested settings?? I have found that my son’s Endo is awesome…but the Pump Instructor from Omnipod is indespensable! Call Omnipod and see if they have an instructor that will come to your house and train you… there should be one.
Hi again, I recommend that you read Pumping Insulin by John Walsh. I found it very helpful when I was thinking about getting a pump. I keep it by my bedside to help analyze what is going on with my numbers. It helped me to understanding what is what. The humalog acts as both basal and bolus. The pump puts out a small but steady stream of insulin (humalog) for the basal and also uses it for the carb bolus. Again, good luck!!
I don’t know that it needs to be my endo who trains me. I was waiting for a trainer to contact me just a few days after I received my pump (which never happened) so I am doing what my doc told me and contacting her to do the training. She is very good but I just don’t want to wait for a trainer who, from what I’ve experienced so far, may never show up. I will try to call OmniPod this afternoon. Hopefully I will not get a message telling me that “our offices are closed. please call back…” blah blah blah.
I do understand how pumping works. Because I have never done it it is like riding a bike for the first time. I know once I learn it will all become second nature and will not be difficult at all. The only wall that I have to climb right now is figuring a basal rate to cover the Lantus that I’ve been taking. I’ve found calculations and the formulas seem to to indicate 0.23 units per hour but I am still not sure as I’ve also seen numbers from 0.36 to 0.58. I could start on the low end and work my way up but getting on the bike for the very first time is a bit harder when your dad’s not running behind you at first.