Happy New Year! Its been a while since I've done a blog post...so here's to hoping I'm productive enough and write more blog posts this year!
I'm a Medtronic pumper, however, over the past two months I've been using Omnipod for a clinical trial I'm participating in. Through my experience of using the Omnipod I've noticed some disadvantages and advantages about it....so thought I'd share it.
The Omnipod consist of a PDM (personal diabetes management) and a pod.
The PDM is both a blood-sugar meter and your "remote control". All communication to the pod is done through the PDM....boluses, temp basal, carb ratios, ...pretty much everything.
The pod is basically the pump. Unlike Medtronic, the Omnipod is tubeless, which is something I've personally love about it. The pod holds up to 200 units, with a minimum requirement of 80 units. In my personal opinion....it is slightly bulky but is a relatively small size and you can easily be discrete if you want to hide the pod
The biggest disadvantage I'd say about the Omnipod is the PDM. I'm not the biggest fan it. It's large, bulky and pretty old school. The buttons are annoying to press and make a squeaky sound. If I want to just carry the meter on me without my diabetes bag (which I do often) it barely fit in my jeans pocket and make the pocket so bulky. However, Insulet is working on a new touchscreen PDM...which I think will look super cool once its out.
Comparing it to the Medtronic pump, I like that you can bolus from the pump...which stays on my 24/7. Unlike with Omnipod, you can't bolus from the pod. This may not be a disadvantage for many...but for a forgetful person like myself who always leaves her PDM in the car, at work, or at home it might be a slight disadvantage. While the pod still administers basal insulin if the PDM isn't nearby, you can not bolus or put a temp basal without the PDM.
Changing out the pod has to be every 72 hours (+ 8-hour window) ... now, this is definitely a good thing for insulin sensitivity and skin integrity. With the Medtronic pump, the pump continues working after the 72 hours (3 days), therefore many change their site every 4 days rather than 3. However, with Omnipod...the pod alarms at 72 hours and gives you another 8 hours before the pod expires and stops working.
Now while this hasn't been an issue for me, many of my fellow ponders have complained of having issues with their pod due to static. During the winter weather, the static electricity results in pod failures. This often happens when wearing wooly fabrics over cotton. Hearing about pod failures taught me it is really important to carry a syringe or a spare pod with you at all times because if a pod fails (which doesn't happen often) ... then you can extract the insulin in the pod using a syringe or change out your pod.
Inserting the pod is super straightforward and easy. The pod self-primes. Requires no inserting of needles or pokes. All is done automatically by the pod. My only comment in this area is, while the pod inserts the cannula it makes a "loud-ish" sound.
While the pod is recommended on certain areas of the body...compared to Medtronic, you can be very creative in which areas you apply the pod. While the back of my arm is my favourite, I've used my calf, love handles, upper and lower back upper ribcage and abdomen. Be creative! To add on, being able to rotate my pod to so many areas has kept me insulin sensitive and avoided a buildup of scar tissue. This results in better blood sugars!
Comparing the Omnipod to Medtronic, I love the tubeless feature. It has brought so much ease not having to worry about any tubes. The Omnipod is also waterproof....and while the new 640G Medtronic is also waterproof, I'm not too sure if I would want to swim or shower with a tubed pump, but, with the Omnipod its no hassle at all!
Lastly, and probably the top reason I like the pod is I get to design it and make it look fancy. I always say, if I have to wear it, it better look good! Overall, I'm a total fan of the pod and enjoy the features it provides! I would totally stick to the Omnipod.
I'm a Medtronic pumper, however, over the past two months I've been using Omnipod for a clinical trial I'm participating in. Through my experience of using the Omnipod I've noticed some disadvantages and advantages about it....so thought I'd share it.
The Omnipod consist of a PDM (personal diabetes management) and a pod.
The PDM is both a blood-sugar meter and your "remote control". All communication to the pod is done through the PDM....boluses, temp basal, carb ratios, ...pretty much everything.
The pod is basically the pump. Unlike Medtronic, the Omnipod is tubeless, which is something I've personally love about it. The pod holds up to 200 units, with a minimum requirement of 80 units. In my personal opinion....it is slightly bulky but is a relatively small size and you can easily be discrete if you want to hide the pod
The biggest disadvantage I'd say about the Omnipod is the PDM. I'm not the biggest fan it. It's large, bulky and pretty old school. The buttons are annoying to press and make a squeaky sound. If I want to just carry the meter on me without my diabetes bag (which I do often) it barely fit in my jeans pocket and make the pocket so bulky. However, Insulet is working on a new touchscreen PDM...which I think will look super cool once its out.
Comparing it to the Medtronic pump, I like that you can bolus from the pump...which stays on my 24/7. Unlike with Omnipod, you can't bolus from the pod. This may not be a disadvantage for many...but for a forgetful person like myself who always leaves her PDM in the car, at work, or at home it might be a slight disadvantage. While the pod still administers basal insulin if the PDM isn't nearby, you can not bolus or put a temp basal without the PDM.
Changing out the pod has to be every 72 hours (+ 8-hour window) ... now, this is definitely a good thing for insulin sensitivity and skin integrity. With the Medtronic pump, the pump continues working after the 72 hours (3 days), therefore many change their site every 4 days rather than 3. However, with Omnipod...the pod alarms at 72 hours and gives you another 8 hours before the pod expires and stops working.
Now while this hasn't been an issue for me, many of my fellow ponders have complained of having issues with their pod due to static. During the winter weather, the static electricity results in pod failures. This often happens when wearing wooly fabrics over cotton. Hearing about pod failures taught me it is really important to carry a syringe or a spare pod with you at all times because if a pod fails (which doesn't happen often) ... then you can extract the insulin in the pod using a syringe or change out your pod.
Inserting the pod is super straightforward and easy. The pod self-primes. Requires no inserting of needles or pokes. All is done automatically by the pod. My only comment in this area is, while the pod inserts the cannula it makes a "loud-ish" sound.
While the pod is recommended on certain areas of the body...compared to Medtronic, you can be very creative in which areas you apply the pod. While the back of my arm is my favourite, I've used my calf, love handles, upper and lower back upper ribcage and abdomen. Be creative! To add on, being able to rotate my pod to so many areas has kept me insulin sensitive and avoided a buildup of scar tissue. This results in better blood sugars!
Comparing the Omnipod to Medtronic, I love the tubeless feature. It has brought so much ease not having to worry about any tubes. The Omnipod is also waterproof....and while the new 640G Medtronic is also waterproof, I'm not too sure if I would want to swim or shower with a tubed pump, but, with the Omnipod its no hassle at all!
Lastly, and probably the top reason I like the pod is I get to design it and make it look fancy. I always say, if I have to wear it, it better look good! Overall, I'm a total fan of the pod and enjoy the features it provides! I would totally stick to the Omnipod.
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