Today I do not have any device attached to me. There is nothing in my pocket or clipped to the waistband of my pants. For the first time in five years.
When I first went on the pump five years ago, the only options I really considered were Minimed and Animas. I believe OmniPod was very new at that time and I hadn’t even really heard about them. I was new to the diabetes online community and had very little knowledge about pumps. I sought out information from both companies and when Minimed was the first to get back to me, I went with them. Since then, when Animas came out with the Ping pump, I spent a little time with their rep getting to know the Ping and decided to switch. I’ve been using the Ping (mainly) for two and a half years now. And I have been happy with it. I was even happy with my Minimed when I used it. I never really gave much thought to being tubeless. The tubing never seemed to bother me much. I got used to it pretty quickly.
More recently however, I started thinking about how nice it would be to be able to control all my insulin delivery from my Ping remote, instead of just the boluses. And how frustrating the clip on my pump has been, having to replace it three times in the past few months. How much more convenient it would be not to have to disconnect for showers. The idea of the pod became much more appealing. I’ve received demo pods from OmniPod in the past and I found them to be a bit too bulky. However I wanted to use the system to really get to know how it works. And so last night I was trained and set up with a trial of pods and PDM.
It’s only been about 17 hours with it but my first impressions are so far very positive. By far the biggest difference is not being tethered. I cannot even explain how different it feels to not have something in my pocket. Not having to finagle the pump under my chin while dressing. Not having to worry about keeping the pump clipped on while pulling down clothing when using the ladies room. Not having an attachment on my body while sleeping. The little things that you just get accustomed to. My pump has been like an extra limb. And with the OmniPod, it feels like that limb is now gone! It is so exhilarating. The pod insertion is incredibly easy compared to inserting an infusion set. All you have to do is stick the pod on your body and the PDM does the actual needle inserting and priming for you. And it really doesn’t hurt more than an infusion set. The PDM. This thing is great. Yeah it’s larger than most meters these days and beeps pretty loudly but I control every aspect of insulin delivery with it. And that’s pretty darn cool. It also has a wide variety of data available on it, unlike other pumps and meters. Such as trends, graphs of BG readings and averages with goals of BG readings. It also lists last BG, last bolus amount with times along with current basal, temp basal amount and duration if applicable on the status screen.
The only downside so far are the pod itself is a bit bulky to be honest. I’m still getting used to that but it’s not horrible. It doesn’t feel so uncomfortable that I want to rip it off. I’m wearing it on my lower back so I do feel that it’s there but again not like I can’t stand it. And it also delivers boluses pretty darn slow. I took a pretty large dose this morning for breakfast and thought there was something wrong with either the pod or the PDM because it took so long! But I was reassured by the OmniPod clinician that it does delivery slowly. Phew.
Generally I was not looking to switch pumps at this time. However I may decide to do just that in the next few days if my experience continues to be a pleasant one.
Sidenote: OmniPod did not ask me to do this trial or compensate me in any way for it. Nor did they ask me for my review. I facilitated the trail on my own accord and the opinions expressed here are those of my own experience.
The Girl with the Portable Pancreas 
I’m on the OmniPod, too, and I really like it. (It is my first pump, though, so I don’t have anything to compare it to.) Down side is that it only tells you the insulin on board if you had previously done a correction. If it’s two hours post-meal and you forget that you might have a couple hours left of active insulin, it doesn’t remind you of that.
I turned the sound off for the BG meter on the pod and for bolus alerts, so it doesn’t beep at me anymore when starting to bolus or when I check my sugar. Makes it easier to be discreet in public.
I like reading your view having been using a pump with tubing previously because I started off on OmniPod and don’t have that experience. One of the main things that attracted me to the pods was the tubeless aspect because I’m not at all graceful and I had nightmares of ripping out tubing during daily activities.
Odd question, but do you actually feel the insulin for boluses? My trainer told me that I wouldn’t but I definitely do.
Happy podding!
Awesome!! Good luck & I hope it works out for you!! I am super curious now to do a similar trial (as I keep saying!! lol) I know most people who use the Pod absolutely love it. The only “bad” thing I’ve heard (from a few people) is that it stops working. Basically its no longer effective for them. Now I don’t know the circumstances surrounding why its stopped working or if it could have been prevented or possibly circumvented. I would suggest possibly reaching out to those people and researching that a little bit before actually making an investment. (Sorry, not trying to bring you down, but I think its important to know all the facts when making such an important decision)
Yay! Hopefully you don’t have the issues I had (skin irritation, ripping off the pod because I ran into a doorway, pod errors, etc), because that’s what made me switch to the Ping. To be honest, I miss the tubelessness of the pod and not having to juggle things around when I’m getting dressed. And I DEFINITELY miss being able to roll around in my sleep and not have to worry about the tubing! Good luck! 🙂
The thought of being wireless is just so darn appealing. I am really interested to get your opinions after you’ve worn it awhile.
I’m not sure if you do this already or not, but the biggest tip I can give for the slow insulin delivery is to give a bolus before eating. I know it’s hard to know eaxctly how much you’ll eat before you actually start eating, so I generally give myself a bolus for 25 units (because it’s really rare a meal is any less than that) and then if I need more I can take it. If I’m at a restaurant, I’ll take the couple units as soon as I order, and then take the rest during.after eating, once I know how much I’ll really eat. This way you already have some insluin going in your system while you wait for the rest of it. This also really helps with bs spikes after eating. Can’t wait to hear more about your thoughts on it!
I love the thought of no longer being tethered. The only reason I did not go with the OmniPod was the size. It’s a personal thing, I think. But the way you described not being tethered made me give it a second thought. Can’t wait to hear more and see what you decide! Keep us posted!
I’m back to using the Pod after a year hiatus (I also went with the Ping and hated it, but that’s another story).
I’ve found some great sites for the Pods including mid-thigh and back-of-the-arms. I pretty much use those two locations exclusively during the winter. In the summer, when shorts, skirts, and dresses come into play, I tend to use (in addition to the two spots mentioned above) my upper thighs and the top of my butt.
Overall, I’ve found the Omnipod to be the best pump system. I’ve used Minimed and Animas, and I just don’t see myself going back to tubing.
Also, Insulet is just waiting for FDA approval for their smaller profile pod.
My son is on the Omnipod. He loves it. I wish that they would make sizes though… for different cannula sizes. I think a longer one would better for my son. His pump instructor told us about this tape that is exactly like the stuff that hooks on the pods… If he uses it over the top to hold it down he has less cannula issues. It holds it in better and down better for how active he is. It is called HYPAFIX.
My warranty is up at the end of the month. I feel like I am thinking through the same type of decisions that you are right now. I’ll be following along closely.
I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoy reading your blog and your tweets. I’m so happy to have found the DOC. Reading all this good stuff is making such a difference in my attitude (in a good way of course!).
I love the Omnipod! The tubeless system is the only reason I ever considered returning to the pump because I hated the tubes on my old Minimed. There are a few things to learn on the Omnipod, like your personal best sites, but once you’ve got it down, the system is so freeing!
My warranty is up and I’m trying to figure “it” out myself and like Sara, I’ll be watching!
We just switched our son (3 yrs old) from the Animus Ping to the Pod for all the reasons you list – and at just about the same time. Fingers crossed for all, and I’m curious to hear how it goes for you! Hopefully well!