My 8 year old Type 1 daughter is considering the Omnipod. She saw it at the Friends for Life 2011 convention in Orlando. She was dx on 10/29/10 and has not been interested in a pump until now. She even tried the demos out. We go to the Endo on Thursday and plan on discussing. Any input is appreciated.
I have had Type 1 for 17 years and a pump since 2000. I also have a nursing degree. I had a chance to try the omnipod for a time and quickly switched back to a minimed before my 30 days was up. I found it to be dangerous. Twice the canula fell out in the middle of the night with no alarm, and I came close to going to the hospital with DKA. It would constantly become dislodged and I was wasting bottles of insulin from replacing them. Also if you wear tight pants, or are tiny, its hard to find a place to put them. I have never had a problem with my minimed that I have used since I started pumping, and would never want to go back to shots. I would also look into an Animas ping because they are water proof, and are a part of the artificial pancreas project. This is only my personal opinion based on my own experience. Good luck getting your new pump!!!
My son Jon was diagnosed three years ago. Stayed on shots for nearly a year. He saw the omnipod at camp joslin and got very interested. Since then, it's what he uses. Jon is very athletic. No tubing. U can wear it swimming. He can slide into a base and he co trolls his body so it won't hit the pod. Yesterday was the first time it ever "ripped"off him. He was in a water slide. Said it did 't really hurt, which is almost not believable.
One thing I don't like is there are a lot of failures. Way more than I'd ever expect. He deals with it, not liking the insertion of the catheter. We send them back, and they replace them.
Overall wud NEVER switch to anything else based on current technology.
Good luck and feel free to ask any questions.
Brad
I just got diagnosed this past October and I am 27 years old. I've had the OmniPod for 4 months now, and I love it. I have only had one pod fail on me (when I was filling it with insulin, it beeps twice and I didn't get the two beeps). I called the customer service line and they quickly sent me another replacement, they are AWESOME in the customer service area. Overall, the OmniPod is very user friendly--being a kid would make this a good choice. There is no way I could have a pump with tubing, I am an extreme snowmobiler and I spend every summer day at the lake tubing and wakeboarding--plus I toss and turn in my sleep. The Omnipod is a perfect fit in my life. Not once have I had my cannula come out. Those things are good and sticky and, so far, very comfortable to wear. I heard they are coming out with an even smaller pod next year, so I am anxious to try that out. Anyways, give it a try =) You have a 45 day trial period, so if you don't like it, send it back and try a different pump. Check out their website, too!!
I've been using the Omnipod for about 3 years now. I briefly tried the Minimed and hated it. It seemed much less user friendly and the tubing was awful.
As with any technology, there are some errors that occur. But Omnipod is great about replacing faulty pods. Just make sure you carry back-up insulin with you (as with any pump).
The Omnipod is the least conspicuous in my opinion. The PDM which controls it looks like a blackberry or some other phone/electronic device. It's very easy to use and even has a food library in it. I definitely wouldn't switch to any of the other pumps that are available now.
I hope this helps!