Anyone able to give me a primer on the Riley Link for Dexcom to Omnipod? I did a couple of internet searches and found where to buy it, but not a lot of info on how it works or what we’d need to know to use it. I’m not super tech-savvy, but we’re getting tired of waiting. Thanks!
A Dexcom rep might be able to give you some info. Not the general customer service people, but a rep who I’d assigned to users. If you don’t have one yet your doctor could put you in touch with one.
@srozelle I dont think a DEx rep will talk to you because looping is not supported and Dex has to play by FDA rules. just an opinion.
I think @mikefarley has experience but my memory ain’t what it used to be.
the github loopdocs starts here:
https://loopkit.github.io/loopdocs/faqs/FAQs/
Riley is here
Riley is a contraption that YOU BUILD, Simple though, from the web documents, and it talks to an iPhone (only an iPhone) and it talks to omnipod, specifically * Insulet – Eros OmniPods. There is an orange link now that talks to multiple devices.
Then you have to build the iphone app. I am thinking you need to get a developer license from apple (pay them), The loopdocs has all the code (you dont’ have to actually write code) . The loopdocs isn’t immediately clear but ou may need a MAC or a friend with a MAC to install “Homebrew”, “Xcode”, and “Carthage” .
Then you essentially download the right loop code and (I imagine) you create your app and install it on the phone. I stopped reading the loopdoc at this point.
It looks sufficiently scary, but it seems like with $300-$400 in total investment, and if you are good at following directions you should be OK.
So RileyLink is controlled by the iPhone app, and RileyLink controls the omnipod by exploiting a security defect. I think you control the entire pod with the phone - not sure how you start a new pod but I stopped reading the instructions after a bit.
Hope this helps a little!
Joe
Thanks @joe . My understanding was that plans were in place for a connection between Omnipod and Dexcom - I think I saw something mentined on the forum as well as elsewhere on the internet.
Regarding Riley Link, you are building your own medical device and a device is only as good as the hands that build it - no assumptions or offense intended. I would have concerns about that, but users on the forum have built and used it successfully.
However, as Joe said, it is a different devices than Dexcom so you may have been combining terms.
Wishing you all the best.
It helps tremendously, Joe @joe, thank you! This is exactly the information I was looking for.
Dorie @wadawabbit, you are correct that Omnipod and Dexcom are in the works for getting Horizon/Dash 5 (their version of Control IQ) approved. Tidepool is in the FDA queue, as well. I’m just getting impatient.
Those of you who have been kind enough to read my ramblings about our journey all along might remember that Omnipod was her first pump. She loved it, but it was just so clear that she needs the benefits of a closed loop that I fought through all of the insurance company’s Kafkaesque paperwork barriers to get her approved to switch to Tandem — only to discover that, for whatever reason, Tandem doesn’t work for her.
All I can figure is that it’s something to do with the tubing, because we tried every infusion set they sell. Each works sometimes — and when it does, it’s truly a glorious thing — but more often than not, something would interfere with the insulin delivery. We had something like 38 early set changes in four months. Finally gave up and went back to Omnipod.
We’re better off than we were, having used Control IQ to help us dial in her basal rates, and I can’t even describe how nice it is that the insulin consistently makes it into her body again — talk about things I used to take for granted! — but wow was the auto-correction nice when it worked!
What a frustrating and disappointing experience! We’ll all have to stay posted on Omnipod’s loop with Dexcom. Thankfully you have confidence in the pod - it’s proven to work for you, and hopefully the loop will be the icing on the cake iwhen it comes out, if you’ll excuse the term😊. FWIW many of us “went manual” for years if not decades - using shots and/or pumps. There’s more manual labor but it can be done. I forget if she already used Dexcom, but having it to keep track of numbers and patterns will be extremely helpful.
I hope the loop is available for you soon!
Hi, You need to be at least tech confident to use Loop (the app) and Riley Link with Dexcom. In addition, Loop does not work with all versions of the Omnipod. You can get answers to many of your questions in the Loop documentation, LoopDocs. If you’re interested after that, request to join the related FaceBook group. I Looped for 1.5 years, and it’s a great system in my opinion. Some of the comments are a little (unintentionally) misleading regarding the quality of the Loop product. Read the docs and decide on your next step. Also consider Tandem plus Dexcom system for the best control you can get from a system that’s commercially available in the US. Good Luck.
1 Like
I want to know if it is iPhone and Mac dependent. It seems that way from the initial read through loopdocs. It sounds like a fun project overall.
Thanks, Dorie @wadawabbit! Yes, she was all old-school for the first five years, more or less. We’re big fans of knowing how to manage stuff manually in general. Low-tech = fewer things to break, not to mention power outages, camping trips, and anything else that might take us off the grid for awhile + a healthy dose of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
She had good results for a long time with finger sticks and MDI, and she was comfortable with it, so that was that until her numbers started being tougher for us to manage. The doctor blamed growth spurts and puberty, and we added the CGM about a year and a half ago. Then Omnipod maybe six months later, and you know the rest. 
Mike @mikefarley, thank you for the heads-up! I would prefer a commercial product to a DIY one, but since Tandem was a bust for us and I’m getting tired of waiting, I want to at least check out the LoopDocs and see what they say. Much obliged for the links!
Yes, Loop is Mac-dependent, so that’s an extra cost for some. Also, for all practical purposes, an Apple developer’s license is required @ around $100 per year. Loop can be built with a free Apple license, but the free app expires in 7 days and must be rebuilt and reinstalled.
Mike
1 Like
Thanks @mikefarley I wonder why the folks at tide pool don’t have an option for android but I understand this works fine.
My first home computer was a Mac and I remember when apps were available for PCs but not us. Nothing medical thank goodness but it would be nice if those came out side by side.
OT I know - just chiming in.
I ran loop for a short time and recommend getting 2 Riley Links if you decide to go that route. I clumsily broke my riley link case in the first two weeks, but it didn’t stop working. My understanding is that there are more robust options than I had but still, I normally have a backup of everything
I heard Stacey Simms ask this very question on her podcast…
https://diabetes-connections.com/diy-to-fda-howard-look-on-the-tidepool-loop-submission/
1 Like
Thanks @Grumpy I’ll go look.