Omnipod

[Surrey Sam]

I would love to hear from anyone that is using the Omipod pump. I'm meeting the rep next week and so I'm doing my homework.
All the research and information looks great but I would like to find out what it's realy like. Thanks.

 

[novorapidboi26]

I would love to have one of these, are they available in the UK (NHS funded)?

 

[Surrey Sam]

Yes they are available in the UK and subject to the same NICE guidelines as all the other pumps. SO!- there's no hope for me but I'm confident that my 11 year old daughter will be eligable- she's not 12 until August and she has additional difficulties. There are concerns over back up provided as they are an American company.

 

[novorapidboi26]

Yes they are available in the UK and subject to the same NICE guidelines as all the other pumps. SO!- there's no hope for me but I'm confident that my 11 year old daughter will be eligable- she's not 12 until August and she has additional difficulties. There are concerns over back up provided as they are an American company.

WOW, that's great, well that your daughter might get one, fingers crossed......🙂

 

[Pumper_Sue]

Sam, do a lot of research, there are more negative than good reports.(USA users)
The pod costs more than double that of a conventional pump over a 4 year period and does not have as many features. The pod is huge as well so looks as if you have a huge tumour when wearing it. Pods are easily knocked off as well.

 

[Surrey Sam]

Thanks Sue, I've heard that as well- although with regard to size they are suppose to be getting smaller. I thought they were quite small but then I'm not a pump user so have nothing to compare it with. Are you allowed to recommend a pump to me on this site? Didn't see that in the T & Cs!

 

[shiv]

I don't think anyone here would recommend you a pump per se, as we don't know your daughter like you do! We can of course share our experiences of different pumps though and the pros and cons we have found/read about etc.

 

[Pumper_Sue]

Thanks Sue, I've heard that as well- although with regard to size they are suppose to be getting smaller. I thought they were quite small but then I'm not a pump user so have nothing to compare it with. Are you allowed to recommend a pump to me on this site? Didn't see that in the T & Cs!

Hi sam,
everyone will recomend their own pump as that's what they are used to.
Your best option is to ask for details from each pump company.
http://www.input.me.uk/alt-insulin-pumps/pump-suppliers/ if you look at the link all the supliers are listed.

Sue

 

[Adrienne]

Hiya Sam

I can tell you what I think from another mum's point of view who has a nearly 11 year old going on 15 year old !

My daughter has been pumping for just over 4 years. We use the Medtronic sensor pump, we were just upgraded this morning actually to their most recent sensor pump the VEO.

We looked at lots. The whisper I heard about the Omnipod is that the consumables cost too much so could be a problem getting one.

Putting that bit aside I can tell you that my daughter in no way wants an Omnipod. They are huge. That was her description but I will vouch for that. I don't know your daughter and I don't know what other difficulties she has but for any young girl who sometimes may wear a tight top, t-shirt or something, you can't with an Omnipod. They really do stick out. If you go on You Tube there are clips of people inserting an Omnipod so you can see the size of it.

The other negative is that is of course hands free so there is a remote control. Now I know for a fact that that remote will go missing within hours of my daughter getting her hands on it.

If you were after a pump with CGMS attached then the only choice at the moment is the Medtronic VEO but Animas are bringing their combined pump out soon, within months rather than years. If you are not worried about the sensors (CGMS bit) then the choice opens up, there are Medtronic, Animas, Roche, etc etc.

Input are a great organisation but also try my lifeline www.childrenwithdiabetesuk.org You can join an email list on the home page and you can ask your question and you will get hundreds of replies from parents.

Good luck and I hope you can make that decision. 🙂

 

[Surrey Sam]

Thank you for taking the time Adrienne and sharing your experiences- I think I've just about watched everything about the Omnipod on Youtube now- fascinating and I have a long list of questions for the rep. Like you I would worry about my daughter losing the remote.. lots of food for thought. It's so lovely to know we aren't alone. Having now been type 1 myself for 29 years I love the fact that I can share ideas and experiences with other diabetics in a way that was impossible before the internet. You and your daughter have quite a story- it must have been tough balancing the sugars of a baby.Thank you again. Sam

 

[richardlee]

Sam,

Perhaps not the usual poster to this forum, but am actually writing to you from Hong Kong.

My 11 year old daughter was diagnosed last year with Type 1, and used a pen for the first six months. In January, I took her to New York and got hooked up to the Omnipod. There is no infrastructure here in HK, so it is not possible to buy here, hence the trip. We are now nearly two months into podding and are absolutely delighted with the results.

Perhaps to address a couple of the issues raised in the comments here. My daughter is very slight, and much like any 11 year old girl, spends all her non-school time in shorts and singlets (we get some sun out here on this side of the world). As far as the pod being unsightly, it has never been an issue for her. She wears it on her tummy, upper arm or thigh, and while its visible if you really look for it, she's never had an issue with it.

With regards to it getting knocked off, my daughter plays footie, netball, hockey, goes surfing and is generally about as active as you can get - in the two months, we have had one occlusion caused by sports, although she wasn't aware of an actual knock when it happened.

We have generally found the thigh to be the least good of all the various sites, and about 95% of the very few issues that we have had have arisen then...

She loves the fact that its wireless, that she can bathe in it and that generally, its not a factor when she's hanging out with her mates....
We've had no issues with losing the pdm - in fact, as the BGL monitor is built in, her kit is now about half the size of what she used to have to carry with her everywhere... the other great thing that I have found is that if there is a problem, you simply replace the pod, which while costing say GBP20 is not cheap, its certainly not the end of the world. I bought a spare PDM when we were in NY in case anything went wrong, but it is still in the box, and will hopefully stay there...

While we have not tried other pumps, I can certainly say that we are absolutely thrilled with the omnipod so far and can't wait for the new version , the 'eros', to come out later this year...

Finally, on the relative cost of the thing, I can't really comment, as insurance in HK does not cover pumps, so the cost is ours regardless of whichever one we use...

feel free to email me if I can answer any other questions.

regards

 

[Amanda102]

Probably a bit late with this reply, however... My daughter was diagnosed type 1 on 31.10.11 and initially on multiple injections. She was offered a pump but didn't like the idea of the 'wire'. Doing a lot of sport she felt this would be a hindrance. Our diabetic nurse mentioned that the omnipod had just been approved for use in the UK and said that my daughter would be eligible to have it. Within a couple of weeks funding was approved for her and we actually had it in time for our trip to Florida (Disney) at Easter. Verdict? it is fabulous!! I read a lot of reviews about it on the internet from the USA and was afraid there may be problems, but they have had it in the US for over 8 years and a lot of the initial problems have been ironed out.

My daughter loves everything about it. The wireless connection, the fact that she can sit down to meals and just input BG and carbs in her handheld with no injection, the versatility of the settings, the ability to easily correct BG between meals if she is a bit high, not having to remove it to shower or swim or do sport, I could go on!

She barely feels the pod on her arm or thigh and is only mildly self conscious of it at times, but in a few months there is going to be a new improved (smaller version) anyway. Also we have been told that the whole wireless pod thing will get better and better now as other firms are keen to compete for their share of the market in the UK.

We have had no malfunctions or issues so far and my husband registered with the UK based service provider yesterday and they were excellent. Our new supply of pods is on its way to us as I type!!

Hope this is helpful to anyone considering the omnipod!🙂