Hello!!!
So i am a current pump user... i use the Minimed pump and i am looking to do away with the tubes. Does anyone have an Omni pod and do they recommend it?
My 12 year old started hers 3 weeks ago. AMAZING control..first pump for her, diagnosed 16 months ago. The little features, like the light on the test strip, the ability to tag a sugar or bolus, the food dictionary, all kinds of things we are finding, are truly thoughtful and helpful. She has no issues changing it, except sometimes it is stuck too hard, takes a lot of baby oil to get it off. She says she can't feel it on her, doesn't phase her wherever she puts it. I love being able to check her at night and give her insulin without it being connected. And there is so much less to carry because it is also the bgmonitor. That all being said.....we have had 3 pod failures which means stop everything and change pod, even when you are late for work/school. She has had twice where it hurt so bad she had to remove it and replace it. I have been told by their costumer service we are doing nothing wrong, it just happens. I just looked for reviews and found some that say this is typical. I don't think it could be....25-30% failure rate would be unacceptable, yet it is our experience. I think that it is mostly people who are upset who write reviews. But right now I am discouraged. Hoping we just got a bad batch of pods? But, I still love it and she loves it. She does lots of sports and is very active.
OMG that all sounds sooo awesome! I am hoping i can get switched over to the omnipod with insurance! I am so happy for your daughter! Insulin pumps do wonders i believe!
I can't even imagine why one would chose to have tubing if given the choice! good luck!
I have a choice, I chose "tubing", it's not that hard to imagine; I find the pod lumpy and more uncomfortable, given my lifestyle, my activities and my sleeping habits.
'couse, everybody is different. so there is no wrong answer.
Sorry Joe, didn't mean to cut you like that. Mary is just so thrilled with the no tubing and the pumps are so small now doesn't phase her, even with skinny jeans on. BUT, as I have posted on another post, we are thinking of sending it back...Way too many pod failures...and they are pod failures, not user failure....
no offense taken. side-by-side, all pumps offer pretty good options, safety, and features, so when people ask, I advise to get the one they like, even if it's just that they like the color of one, over the other.
when I looked at pumps for the first time I had an omnipod option, but I personally don't like the pump and the infusion site in the same place. and I never liked the way you prime an omnipod.
that being said, customer service plays a big part in the whole story, and I just figured that even though omnipod would be "trying harder" I would go with the larger company. anyway, they are all good, sorry you are having a bit of bad luck with your pods, but customer service should be able to make good on the bad ones. cheers.
The type of pump you use/get is reflective of your life style. I like minined 530G as it is integrated with the cgm's and it helps me quite a lot.
Scott, as someone new to this, can you give me a quick explanation of the cgm? I don't really understand them, it sounds like a really, really helpful tool .
Dianemarie,
A CGM is a continuous glucose monitoring system where there is tiny sensor inserted under the skin to check glucose levels in tissue fluid. You keep the sensor in your body the same way you would a pump insertion, in your case the Omnipod and it can stay in up to 7 days depending on which one you get. A transmitter sends information about glucose levels via radio waves from the sensor to a pagerlike wireless monitor. You do still have to check your blood sugar with finger sticks throughout the day to callibrate the CGM because at times it can be inaccurate, it is really a tool to show trends in your blood sugar levels.
Dianemarie,
Well Gina pretty well answered your question. The CGMS checks your BG about every 5 minutes. Whether it is "good" is really a matter of personal opinion. Sometimes I don't where mine and check my sugar 10 times per day, but when it's calibrated correctly, it will alert you to upcoming lows and when your BG gets too high.
At least I know with Minimed you have to have 2 sites, one for the infusion (insulin) the other for the sensor (CGMs) I assume it's that way with all CGMS' as they can not bee too near your infusion site.
Here is a decent article:
www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/.../is-continuous-glucose-monitoring-worth-it