Hi everyone! Happy New Year! My name is Grace. I am 16 and was diagnosed with t1d in June of 2016. I am considering getting a pump, but I’m not quite sure which one to get. I really like the OmniPod and how its tubeless. It also has many other features that I like, but I’ve heard that it can cause scar tissue (im sure in the long term many pumps can also cause scar tissue and i know insulin injections can too). I also was able to wear a demo version of the OmniPod (it was just a demo that shows what wearing a real one would feel like) and I did not really like the weight. To me it was a little heavy and annoying. I wore it for about two days and I still never really got use to the feeling.
Those are my concerns about the pod. Does anyone know/ have experience with an OmniPod and how it does in the long-term? Thanks so much
I would wait till the new artificial pancreas offered by Medtronic will be on the market this Spring That will do more to help you stay in control than anything that has ever been on the market before. You can look it up on this site.
Hi Grace! I was diagnosed at 22 & started pumping 6 months later (now 31). I don't have an Omnipod but I was in the same position as you debating on what pump to go with. I started out on Medtronic pump & happy ever since. After much research & looked at both Omnipod & Medtronic, I went with Medtronic. Even though Omnipod is wireless, it's still kind of bulky, especially for a woman. Personally, When you start pumping I think it will be much harder to disguise it on your leg or somewhere else if you are wearing any form-fitting clothes. Medtronic insertion sites are super flat & easily concealable. You can tuck the pump in your pocket or in your bra. I actually had pockets sewn in to several garments like dresses or skirts to hide the pump.
Last thing when I was thinking about the Omnipod, it comes with the glucose meter/controller (in one I think?) that actually delivers the insulin when you bolus. If you ever forget that (it's happened to me where I forgot my glucose meter at home or left it in a hotel on a cross country trip!) then you can't even take insulin. That was a scary thing in my mind. At least with the Minimed I can always take insulin & if I forgot my meter or lost it, I could always buy a new one if I had to; with Omnipod I think you would need to be on top of where it is at all times.
Sorry for all the info! Hope this helps! :)
I am on the Omnipod. I’ve been using it for several years. I decided to go on the Omnipod because it was wireless. I couldn’t see myself with a pump with a wire. Where would I put the pump? How inconvenient would that be? Putting it in my bra, making pockets in my clothing, putting it in my pocket and trying to hide the wiring or strapping it to my leg I saw as too inconvenient. Plus I thought I’d feel like a robot with wires. With the Omnipod I’m not constantly reminded of the pod. It’s just there.
You mentioned scaring and you’re right. In the beginning I was getting scaring from the punctures made by the cannula. So my doctor recommended I change the pod every 2 days and not 3. That has helped tremendously. I don’t suffer scaring any longer. I only put the pods on my stomach and buttocks. But I rotate the position of the pods to prevent skin damage or harding. That’s worked out well.
Another poster mentioned that you can test your blood with the PDM. I like that because I don’t have to carry a meter and the PDM. That’s less equipment to remember. But the previous poster was correct in that if you forget the PDM you can’t give yourself a bolus. However you’ll still be receiving the basel programmed into the PDM.
You mentioned the weight of the pod. Like anything after awhile you don’t notice it. The current pod is smaller than the original one that I started with. Just remember if you go with a pump with wires you’ll still have to get use to the wire. It’s all what you’re more comfortable with. With me it was not having to deal with a wire.
it takes somewhere around 6 months to get used to any pump. Sleeping, showering, sports, etc., no matter what kind of pump you have you will be very aware of it at first then it wears off.
because all pumps use some kind of infusion system, the 2 biggest concerns are site infection and site scarring. there is higher incidence of scarring with all pumps of any kind so it’s important to rotate infusion sites as best as you can. Still, for me, pumping is way less worse than multiple daily shots were, so I’ve been using a pump for 12 years and it has been a good decision.
Hi Grace! I was diagnosed at 19, but didn’t get a pump until I was 25. I was unnecessarily afraid of being “attached” to something. I chose an Omnipod because it was tubeless and could be worn in water. Less detaching means better BG control. Like Joe mentioned, it takes time to get used to wearing anything new. But 5 years in, I LOVE my Omnipod. I’ve worn it on my abdomen, lower back, legs and back of my arms. I don’t find the pod to be bulky and feel comfortable “hiding” it under clothes depending on what I’m doing that week. I’m biased since I’ve never worn anything else. The only issue I encountered was that my insurance dropped coverage for Freestyle test strips - used in the Omnipod PDM/glucometer. I went through the appeal process, but was unsuccessful. However, Freestyle now offers a retail pharmacy program that allows me to buy these heavily discounted.
And although I love my Omnipod it’s ultimately your decision. I also use a Dexcom G5 CGM which has been critical (possibly more critical than the pump).
Hi Grace, I have been an Omnipod user for two years now and I have never looked back. I was very self conscious about it when i started and wore it on my stomach so it was disguised under my clothes. Like other posters have said, you get used to the weight of it and you forget about it. As I got more confident, I started rotating it to my back and then my upper arms. I actually find the upper arms the best place for it and in general if i’m wearing a looser sleeve, it doesn’t show through my clothes. I stopped wearing it on my stomach because my skin was too sensitive and now rotate between lower back and upper arms.
I chose the the Omnipod because it was wireless and that was the highest priority for me. I have definitely had POD errors sometimes due to location or who knows what else but in the end, I think those issues our outweighed by the freedom of being wireless. Good luck to you!
Thank you all so much for answering my questions and telling me about your experiences with the pod! This has helped so much in my decision making process.
I was also diagnosed in June 16. I researched and decided on the OmniPod because it offers the most freedom: you can shower with it swim with it even dive up to 25 feet with it [1 hr limit tho]. It has no tube other than a tiny cannual about 3/8 long and injects when the pod is mounted on your body and which is part of the pump pod itself. Its about the size of an oreo cookie. You dont have to have a 3 foot tube attached to a brick like the medtronic or any other pump that i know of. Its controlled via bluetooth using a device about the size of an iphone 4 or 5 but you dont need to carry it with you all the time. It is the best available technology in my mind. Downsides are having to change it every 2 days but that does not take long. I ski a lot and fall a lot and cant imagine what would happen with a tube pump. Its expensive … i lost my insurance so have to pay on my own but the freedom is worth it. Tom
Hey Grace! I got the omnipod in October, and I love it. I’m 17 so it makes my life so much easier. It’s so discrete and most days I can’t even feel it. I would really consider getting the omnipod!!
Hello grace, my daughter turned 11 in January and she was diagnosed with T1D when she was 9 yrs old. She was a MDI for over a yr. she finally made her decision got her first pump in November and she got the omnipod (she named it Ollie) for short, some people name the devices! She loves it! Whenever we had mentioned a pump she would have a panick attack the tubes for some reason really frightened her. The freedom she has with the omnipod is amazing, she has began to play sports again, basketball and swimming! Her two favorites! She stopped before because of the injections and getting in a bathing suit made her self conscious from the all pricks… but just the little time we have had it, I personally cannot say how much we love the being a podder!! She isn’t tied down to anything. But ultimately it is your decision, and not one pump fits all!
Hello grace, unlike shariza, we’ve been very unhappy with Omnipod. My daughter loves the tubeless portion of it, but the service we have received has been beyond horrible, unlike her first pump from Animas. I hope you get better service than we did.
I have been an omnipod user for the last 3-4 years. I only wear the pods on my upper arms and change them every three days, alternating between arms. I have zero scar tissue from the omnipod. The weight has never been an issue and honestly, when ItTell people I’m wearing it, I have to feel my arm to know which one has it on. It’s very easy to forget it’s there!
I would never, ever go to a tubeless pump after wearing this. I know the artificial pancreas is coming, but I will wait until there is a tubeless option (even if it means wearing two devices, such as a CGM)
Switching from pens to the omnipod, my control has gotten 1000% better. I was super anti-pump for many years, feeling like it would be an inconvenience to wear a pump, but the tubeless/waterproof omnipod is perfect for me and I love it.
