So I’ve been researching different pumps because I’m thinking of getting one. I really like the description of the Omnipod and my health care (Kaiser Permanente) just started covering it. I know it is tubeless which I like, but I was wondering if there are any pros and/or cons that I have not heard about.
I have never used a pump before. I have been on pen needles and syringes for the three years that I have been Diabetic.
all pumps - all of them - have similarities. I am pretty sure if you go to the Omnipod website you can get a “free sample” which is an actual POD without the pump and reservoir inside it. Then you can glue it to yourself and see what it might be like, especially while sleeping.
the other universal advice about pumping, is to get the book “Pumping Insulin” by John Walsh and Ruth Roberts.
good luck.
I love my Omnipod! I’ve been on three different pumps and this by far is my favorite - I love that Omnipod has no tubing. I don’t have to sneak out my pump from under my clothing to bolus. That’s translated into real change in my blood sugar control.
I have been on my omnipod for about 2 weeks and so far love it! It is a little werid to have something always attached to you but most of the time i forget it is there. I have only been diagnosed since last september but I can already see a huge difference! good luck and definitely look into getting the chance to try it out or sample it!
I have had mine for about 5 months now and i love it. I enjoy that its tubeless and water proof. That was the big seller for me. I’ve never had any problems with it. The only complaint i might have is the pod is bigger than if you went with the tub so depending on how you sleep, it can get in the way. Just depends on when you are willing to deal with. Hope this helps and good luck (:
I’m piggybacking on this post because I’m thinking of trying the Omnipod as well — I’ve been using Medtronic, but my pump is out of warranty and my insurance would presumably cover an upgrade. I am so sick of dealing with the tubing, etc. — I’ve used Medtronic pumps for well over a decade, but it seems like I’ve had more hassles with that lately than ever before — but I do have some concerns…
I found the below post from a year or so ago about the Omnipod malfunctioning every so often and emitting a blaring alarm that can only be silenced by inserting an unbent paperclip into the device to reset it? Has Insulet resolved this issue with the newest model, or are folks who upgraded still experiencing this? I am a fairly private person, I like to have some control over who knows what about my medical condition…the idea of something like this happening in public sounds like one of my worst nightmares.
http://t1n-migration.10uplabs.com/groups/omnipod_users/forum/topic/bellowing-omnipod/
I’ve also read that there are some unnecessary alarms and such built into the Omnipod system that are impossible to deactivate, even for adult users:
Can anyone speak to how it compares with Medtronic’s alarms and such? Part of the reason I’m growing weary of Medtronic is that these are getting to be so annoying (at least with the Paradigm 523 model). Omnipod is marketed as being user-friendly, etc.
I’m also loath to give up having integrated CGM and insulin delivery. But aside from the tubing issue, the other reason I’m looking for a change is that the Medtronic Enlite sensors are not working so well for me (to say nothing of the Soft-Sensors before that). I think it’s time to give Dexcom a try. It appears there is currently no way to use Dexcom and Omnipod at the same time without carrying around two different wireless devices? Although there is a Dexcom app that can apparently be used to see CGM results on a smartphone, I gather that the receiver still has to be nearby the sensor (in other words, you can’t just leave the receiver at home and keep tabs on the CGM results on your phone)? Now that the Animas Vibe is now integrated with Dexcom, I’m thinking it’s more practical to go that route, but I hate the thought of committing to a whole new pump system that still uses those annoying wires when I know there’s an alternative.
Hey John81 that was my post, about the bellowing omnipod! Yes, it bellows at you if it is trying to tell you something and you aren’t listening to it. Truth be told, the bellow I wrote about (the one that won’t stop) doesn’t happen very often - in fact that time I posted was the last time I got a bellow from the pump and I think that was well over a year ago. And I think that happened because I let it run out of insulin. It does beep at me if I am getting close to when I am supposed to change my pump site or if my insulin levels are getting low. And I guess the annoying thing about the beeps is also the reason I love the omnipod. Let me see if I can explain this 
- it’s annoying that sometimes when it beeps at me I am nowhere near the pump, and the only way to get it to stop beeping for good is to go back to my pump and see what it wants. But what I love about the omnipod is exactly that! That I don’t need to be near my pump. No tubing!! So what I try and do is be better about knowing when I should change my pump site and just doing it already, instead of letting it get down to the wire and dealing with the beeps. Hope that makes sense…
Thanks, Theresakathleenc. I’m glad to hear that it’s rare that this happens, but what concerns me most is that the alarm can’t be silenced without a MacGyver-esque work-around (i.e., the paperclip). I feel like Medtronic has been moving more in the direction of these kinds of non-user-friendly safeguards with each “upgrade” as well, presumably to minimize their liability, but this sounds especially punitive. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve ever run out of insulin in my pump at work, etc. in over a decade, but as an adult I know that at 4 p.m. or so, my life is not going to be in danger if I don’t go home early to change my set. I guess the good news is offices tend to have paperclips, so in that scenario I could silence the alarm and finish out the day, but still.
Anyway, I have signed up to get a free demo kit of the Omnipod and I am going to give it a try…probably on a weekend, though, and a less busy one at that, so that I can minimize the risk of something like this happening at an inopportune time.
Hi! Just joined so I could post to this – treatment history going back: 3 mos Dexcom, 2 yrs Omnipod, 2 years Minimed/sensor; 4 years Omnipod; 5 years Minimed; 13 years MDI (shots). Love love love my Omnipod! Change every 2-3d, skintac plus tegaderm. Alarms rarely (usually cold insulin during pod change or bending over after a bolus w pod on belly), but Minimed was so much more problematic. I love being able to live a fairly normal tubeless/wireless life. Loved being able to just walk into the swimming pool on Memorial Day. Now with the Dexcom, I finally feel like I have an accurate sensor that I can actually depend on (I know - fingerstick before treating high or lows – but 99% of the time spot on). My #s have no reason to them so Dexcom lets me know if I’m heading into trouble. Can’t wait for Dexcom & Omnipod to get together, the remote for Omnipod is bulky, Dexcom is beautiful, but is missing some of the supporting information (custom tags, extended bolus, suspend temp bolus) of the Omnipod.
Ami-one yes, I completely agree! Wearing a swimsuit without wondering if in the heat my sweat covered and now slippery pump and tubing will just fall out in public! I’ll add to that - same idea - running and working out is so much easier. And wearing a dress! When I got married 11 years ago and was on a minimed at the time (no offense minimed) I remember my elaborate hookup with the pump stuffed into my garter on the inside of my leg for the day… One last thing - forever I was stuck buying pj’s that had to (1) have a pocket (for the pump) and (2) have a drawstring waist (so the pump wouldn’t slip out). Now I can wear whatever I want for pjs, even a nightshirt!!
no need to add anything else to the above… but I’ll still chime in anyway… yes… it is awesome.
If you want to silence a screaming alarm without a paperclip or anything else, just stick it in the freezer for a few hours. It’ll stop screaming and you don’t have to resort to MacGyver antics!
Ive been on OmniPod since 2006 – about when it came out. I refused to get a pump for years because I didnt want the wires, so when i heard about OmniPod, I was so excited. The pods themselves have gotten thinner since I started, which I’ve noticed a difference in being able to hide them.
If you want to read more about issues/happy times with OmniPod, look through some posts on my blog: www.iamatype1diabetic.com