Hi guys, I was just diagnosed about a year and a half ago, and I recently heard about the omnipod pump. I’m currently on injections and I’ve never had a pump before, but the omnipod seems like a really awesome and freeing way to manage diabetes. If any of you guys have the omnipod and you could give me some pros and cons of having it, that would be awesome! Also if you could tell me a little bit about what it’s like to do daily activities with a pump as opposed to injections that would be great. Thank you!
I tried the omnipotent & loved it’s convience BUT and it’s a big BUT I could not get my blood sugars under control with it. I went back to Medtronic & other than the tubing have been very satisfied.
As for injections vs pump, with the pump:
- I went from A1c of 12 to 5.4 & have stayed about that
- Am able to be much more flexible in what&when I eat
- Am able to suspend the pump for showers, intimacy etc without worrying that my sugars will go too far up or down
- Able to easily download blood sugars, etc to show my MD improving our relationship & therefore maintaining better control of my diabetes
I was very reluctant to switch to the pump but now (about 10-15 years) would never go back to injections
I looked at Omnipod, but felt that it sticks out too far, although it doesn’t need the separate pump and tubing connection. My endocrinologist will only work with diabetics who use Medtronic and insists it is the most advanced pump out there.
You can be very active. But if you go swimming it is best to disconnect the pump while you are in the water or if you take a shower.
Be leery of medical practitioners who only recommend 1 specific type of device. Either s/he is not familiar with other devices or has a bias for another reason, good or bad whatever it may be. I know the area I live in, most practitioners are not familiar with the Omnipod. If you have access to a University Medical Center, check with their Diabetic Educators for an unbiased opinion and call Omnipod to find out the facts, 800-591-3455. Regarding the Omnipod, I am a user, for 4 years now and find that its’ ease of use and flexibility in delivery of insulin and eating regime is far better for me than with injections. The Omnipod, self injects once placed on-site, (with your input on receiver) which, offers you the ability to easily place pump in harder to reach places (hips, back of arms, lower back). The Omnipod (and maybe others?) allows for fluctuation in basal delivery (like when exercising, mowing lawn, etc.) and you can even stop delivery if necessary without removing pump (extreme hypoglycemia). You can swim, shower, bathe with the Omnipod on without receiver attached.I believe there is a 20 min. time recommendation for being underwater. When disposing of pod, sharp lancing device is stored within pod- only plastic canuala sticks out and it remains with disposable pod. Size has gotten smaller but still will show if wearing clingy clothing. I started out taking less insulin using the pump however, am now using more than I was 4 years ago. This however, is due to weight gain which is easy to do while wearing any pump and a decrease in activity. The flexibility has been great and that alone is what keeps me on it. I can change it in my car (not driving of course) when absolutely necessary. When flying- FSA pat me down and scan me every time. That is one irritating thing. Good luck in whatever your choice may be.
There are pros and cons to all of them. The main pros I’ve heard are the tubeless design and water-resistance, which would be great for certain sports. I have not heard great things about their ability to connect to meters or download capabilities, nor their customer services. But they have many satisfied users. You might find this informative: http://asweetlife.org/molly/blogs/insulin-pumps/a-year-in-the-making-an-omnipod-review/38664/
Thank you guys all so much for all the feedback! Keep it coming because hearing all this is super helpful! I appreciate you all taking the time to give me such in-depth answers!
I have an OmniPod pump and I LOVE it!! I was on injections for about a year and a half after diagnosis and I decided I wanted to try an insulin pump. I had gotten a Dexcom CGM about 4 months before. My doctor let me choose which pump I liked and I decided I wanted to try the OmniPod… I loved the no tubes aspect of the pump because I am fairly active. The only thing that I will say about the OmniPod is if you hit the pod itself on a doorway or something and you accidentally mess up the cannula, you can tell because your blood sugars will be a little bit wacky. Besides that, I wouldn’t trade the pump in for anything!! And I am super excited about the fact that OmniPod and Dexcom are coming out with a combination of the two very soon!!
Hope this helps!