[jelmore]

hi, i am 22 yrs old and have just recently become eligible for a new insulin pump. i have been doing some research and came across the Omni Pod. i am new to this forum so idk if this is a topic that has already been discussed before but as i will be stuck with whatever decision i make for the next four years so i want to have all the information i can get. i am a college student and ride horses everytime i have a spare moment. i am a very active person and must admit the tubing is a real pain sometimes. i have a real talent for snatching it out. has anyone used the omni pod? i am currently using the animas 2020 and so if anyone can give me any information on any of the pumps you've used or are using i would greatly appreciate it.

thanks in adv

 

[Strawberry]

I've used an OmniPod for 2-1/2 years and switched to a traditional pump (Medtronic Revel 723) when I became eligible for Medicare. Since there is a wide difference in our ages, I don't know if my opinion will be important to you.

At first I liked the OmniPod, especially the part where there was no tubing. Then I began having issues with the PDM (personal diabetes manager). Over the course of my time with the OmniPod, I went through 5 PDMs. I also had problems with the pod itself quitting during the priming process was complete. One Sunday I had 5 pods fail, one right after another. I was on the phone with their tech support when three of the pods failed.

If you decide to go with the Pod, be sure you have good insurance because it is not cheap. One of my favorite places to wear the pod was on my arm. If you decide to get the pod, my advice would be to wear a spandex sleeve of some kind over your pod when you go horseback riding. Horses can be inquisitive and might decide to nibble on that 'strange smelling thing' on your body.

There is a OmniPod group on tuDiabetes, and you might be able to learn more about the experiences of other people who use the pod.

OmniPod Users - TuDiabetes

To be honest......I liked the pod a lot, but Medicare does not cover it and I could not afford the expense of failed pods and/or failed PDMs. Best wishes to you and Welcome to the forum.

 

[jelmore]

thank you for the information it really was helpful. i wear my infusion on my arm (just recently started using my arm b/c of so much scar tissue on my abdomen) and i do have a horse that likes to play with my tubing so the sleeve idea is really helpful.
thanks again for taking the time to respond

 

[LyleB]

I have been on the OmniPod for 5 months now. I really like it now that I have it figured out. I had a lot of bad pods to at the beginning. After talking to someone from work that uses it, I gained a few pointers. Now I haven't had a pod fail in several months. I like the idea if having the meter and the pump un the same unit. It lowered my A1C demo 11.6 a year a go to 7.2 last month. I keep a lot tighter control which I hadn't been able to do with shots. I am a true believer in the system.

 

[LyleB]

By the way. I first started on my arms but have gone to my stomach and back. I use "Mefix" tape over the pod to help secure it. I kept bumping my arm and knocking it off. Haven't tried the legs yet but will some day.

 

[Will-Sandy]

I was looking at the Omnipod but it is not approved in Canada/Ontario yet