Hi,
I have a five year old little girl who was diagnosed in september of 2008.. She is still in her honeymoon phase and i was looking into the omnipod for her... She hates to get her injections with a regular needle and from what i have seen it looks less painful to inject the omnipod into the skin... She is only using 2 units of nph once a day and i know that the omnipod uses the fast acting insulin... Any advise would be greatly appricated...
Thanks - Debbie
Debbie,
Hi, my name is Amy, and I've been using the Omnipod for a couple of months now. It is so much easier than taking shots all the time; it simplifies things so much more. Dealing with fine tuning the diabetes related issues is a struggle in itself, and the pumps make life a bit more bearable. Have you called to meet with a rep from Omnipod(the Insulet corporation) yet? If not that would be a good first step. Also, you can get a sample pod in the mail to see if this is something your daughter could adjust to. I personally love my Omnipod and this is the first pump I've ever used. The remote will probably be of tremendous assistance. Sometimes you feel the insulin when it enters the body, but it's nothing compared to taking a needle for each and every time a bolus is required.
If you are interested in researching any other pumps besides the Omnipod, I would reccommeenf the Animas One Touch Ping. It, too has a wonderful remote capability.
Hi Amy,
Thank you for your response.. I will get in contact with the rep for the omnipod and get more infomation.. How long have you had diabetes?
Regards - Debbie
I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes right before I turned 6(so about 35 years). Do you have any idea how disappointed I was to see that all I got for a birthday cake was a piece of pound cake? I was in the hospital at the time. I'm glad that there have been so many advancements over the past few decades. I want so much to make things simpler for those who are diagnosed and just want to be "normal" and understand what's going on.
If you have any more specific questions about the Omnipod or anything else, a bunch of us here would love to help. How is your daughter doing?
She is doing ok... she has had several highs and lows... She is doing so much better than when she was 1st diagnosed... When she started going in insulin she put on much needed weight and her energy levels improved alot... She wasn't showing alot of the symptoms of diabetes...She seems more tired and lost a small amount of weight.. Her appetite was very poor.. She never seemed hungry..She craved sweets... She had gone for her 5 year wellness check up and did a urine and glucose test and her number was 506 and had a high level of ketones in her urine... She was in the hospital for three days after to get treatment and the educational part of it... I am so glad to find a message board with other people with diabetes... It really helps to get other people ideas and advise of such a complicated disease... I would love to add you to my friends list...
Keep in touch,
Debbie
Debbie,
I did put a request in. That would be great to be on your list. I'm so glad you were able to find out about your daughter before anything more serious became an issue. It's a struggle. But, at least, we have some guidelines to go by. They may not be perfect, but we are learning more all the time. I know my parents probably had a tough time with me when I was growing up. I fought the unknown, my diabetes. I hated getting needles and doing testing all the time. But, for a long time now, I just want to be healthy and stay on track. I wanna avoid as many of the complications that can occur as much as I am able to do so. My motto is "one day at a time". You can plan ahead, but you don't wanna stress yourself out more than necessary.
Debbie:
This is probably a great thing for an adult but as a teen who is crazy active and moves around constantly it is not so great. It is big and bulky especially on a small child if you get it caught on something it rips off, when it is hot out side it slides right of and it is a HUGE waste of insulin especially if you have to change it 4 times a day like i did multiple times. Yes it has its perks i was able to where dresses again, i could swim in it, i always knew i was atleast getting my basal if i had forgot the pdm(remote thingy) i just would not recommend it for a 5 year old. I just went on a 3 month pump break from it and am not looking forward to possibly having to go back on it. Hope this wasn't too negative, and that it was helpful.
Best wishes!!
Hello, my son is 10y/o and he was diagnosed in July/2008. In December, we went through the process to put him on the Omni Pod. He loves it and it really has made life a bit easier. We are busy parents and we really had to adjust to bringing insulin when we went somewhere for dinner. Not sure if you have left the house without the important stuff yet. :-( We really are wonderful parents. It helps out so much when your life takes such a drastic change. He did not like the shots. He does tell me he can feel the insulin going in occasionally. The Omni Pod is very affordable. I would say look into that pump if your still interested.
Amy,
My 21 year old daughter was just diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and we are trying to make a decision on a pum. Currnetly she is leaning towards the omnipod. Can you give us some advise?
Blessings,
Cheryln
Cherlyn,
I've been using my Omnipod for almost two months now, and I am still so happy with it. I haven't had many problems, and if I have the customer service is great. Have you talked to a rep or requested a sample at this point in time. How long has it been since your daughter was diagnosed? I know a lot of people don't think it's a great idea to jump right on the pump if the "basics" of diabetes haven't been dealt with completely. The Omnipod itself is wonderful. Do you have any specific questions that I can help to answer? Please let me know. I 'll talk with ya' soon.
Amy
My daughter was diagnosed in Dec. 2007 at age 8 and has been using the Omnipod for just over a year. We are very pleased and she thinks it's great. She is petite and thin but quite active and has not had problems with the adhesive, even in water. We live in AZ so she swims a lot. Also takes tap and it still stays on. Sometimes we go for months without a malfunction and some times there will be two in a week. But it is quick and easy to change so we don't get worked up when that happens. Customer service is usually great and they told me to throw an old pod away in another room before activating a new one. A build up of static electricity can also cause a malfunction--you can tuck a dryer sheet into the case to prevent that. A friend told me that her daughter's pod malfunctions when she flushes a toilet on an airplane, so now she leaves the stall and the mother flushes. As with anything new, you learn the tricks you need! After a year, I still think it's wonderful and am grateful that she has it.
Amy
I am also a new Omnipod user. I love it and am grateful to have a pump with no tubing. For the first time in 40 years I am grateful to have good steady blood sugar readings. The errors made in my first month were my errors not the Omnipods at time it was scary. But I learned from my mistakes. I had a rep start me out on the Omnipod. I can only tell you that no one knows how good and steady and consistent their blood sugars can be until they have a pump like this. I exercise every morning and teach exercise and that helps me keep my blood sugars steady. I also know the amount of carbs since I have been Type one for fourty years. I do not know how anyone can control their blood sugars without daily exercise, walking etc. as well as knowing the protein & carbs & fats they are eating. I can tell you or anyone with children that even blood sugars promote peacefulness and mindfulness. My mind was not organized as it is now when I took injections and my edit button did not seem to work when blood sugars went low and bounced. To me the Omnipod is like a healthy pancreas and heals mind and body..
I know there are a lot of people that say the OmniPod is bulky and not good for active people and that never makes sense to me. I think it's the BEST pump for active people. I lead a very active lifestyle and I wear the OmniPod. First off, I work on a farm with over 100 animals. I work with monkeys, lemurs, patagonian cavies, wallabies, all kinds of exotics. I choose the OmniPod because it is tubing free. There is no way possible I could have used a pump with tubing when I work with monkeys. I do about 30 minutes cardio everyday. I also hike, swim, horseback ride, etc. If I manage to do all that with the OmniPod I don't see how anyone could say it's not a good pump for active people? I wear the pods right under my clothes and they never get in the way.
I also do agree that the OmniPod is less painful than shots. I have tried needles/syringes and the pens. I found that pens were better than regular needles, but I still disliked them both. I am very lean and I think I unintentionally would shot the insulin into my muscle area instead of a fatty area. My shots always burnt and I used to have bruises all over my butt and arms. LOL The pump doesn't hurt me at all. It's easy to insert and honestly it doesn't hurt. Since getting on pump therapy I have found I am not nearly as stressed over my diabetes as I used to be! Life seems so much easier now! Wish I had've done this sooner!
With the OmniPod, yes you use meal time insulin (Humalog of Novalog). Not to worry, if your daughter only needs a little you can program it that way. It can give VERY small increments. Like I think it goes down to .005 of a unit. LOL I have never used that little of an amount, but someone like her might need such a small dose for basal. I take .5 of a unit every hour for my basal.
Please feel free to contact me if you have questions about the OmniPod! I'd be glad to help you!