[Alice]

The PDM is a glucose meter?

[JediSkipdogg]

Originally Posted by Alice

The PDM is a glucose meter?

Yes...it has a built in Freestyle Flash meter I believe. The problem I hate though, is the PDM is so large it's hard to find a standard meter case for it. So then you have to have a case to carry test strips and a lancet device around still. So while it's a nice feature, I don't see it that great.

[Alice]

I usually ditch the meter cases anyway...I could probably use the cosmetic case I use now (one side pen and needles, the other meter, lancets) to protect the device.

Men definitely have a disadvantage in carrying all this stuff around! My purse weighs about 8 lbs...I weighed it at the vet last week!

[Dee]

JediSkipdogg, Why do you make comments about a meter you dont own?

The PDA you seem to think is so BIG is no larger than many pumps. The unit comes with two cases and and One has room for test strips and a lancet.

I use a small three zippered black makeup bag I got at walmart for about 4 bucks and it is perfect for one spare pod set, bottle of insulin, plastic bottle of test strips and a lancet device and the PDA. I take it to work every day and when the weather is cool I leave it in the car and just run on basals during the day.

It boggles my mind how negative this forum is about the Omnipod.

[JediSkipdogg]

Originally Posted by Dee

It boggles my mind how negative this forum is about the Omnipod.

ANd it boggles me how you think the Omnipod is the world's greatest invention. Yes, you like it, but gosh, you've gone beyond saying it's great to almost acting as if you are a sales rep. ANd sorry, that is heavily looked down upon on here, even if you aren't.

[Funnygrl]

Dee, out of curiousity, have you ever seen a standard pump? The POD part of it is almost the size of my Cozmo, and the Cozmo is one of the biggest pumps out there.



And the PDM is quite a bit larger than the pod.

Measures for PDM: 66x110x26
522: 51 x 80 x 20
Cozmo: 46 x 80 x 24
Animas: 51 x 77 x 18

I don't dislike the Omnipod. I think it's great technology. But I don't seem to have the jaded vision you have that it's miles ahead of current pumps.

And if you think I'm biased, I'm not at all. I've owned 3 models of pumps now (Cozmo 1700, Cozmo 1800, Paradigm 522), and liked them all for their own reasons. I have played with the Animas and Omnipod also. The Omnipod is VERY cool, no doubt. I loved the menu navigation, I loved the built in meter, the carb database, and the history set up. But it's sooooo not for me.

Given this forums history for fights over "pump bashing" I'm surprised more people aren't noticing your huge bias, honestly.

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by Funnygrl

I don't dislike the Omnipod. I think it's great technology. But I don't seem to have the jaded vision you have that it's miles ahead of current pumps.

I agree... What's the big deal about having tubing? Does the omnipod have any other "advantages"?

[panda1076]

If I may back up Dee here... I completely understand why Dee is so in love with his OmniPod. It really is an amazing product. I feel the same way as he does, and I have met several other people who use OmniPod who also LOVE it. I think people are just really happy with OmniPod and want to share their happiness. I felt that way when I started on it, and still do. I do try to limit my praise though to times when people ask questions about it But since you asked about other benefits, I will share my feelings

The one huge benefit I see is it is so easy to use. For example, changing your pod. you take a pod, fill it with insulin, press a button, put the pod on your body, press another 2 buttons, and you're done. I have never worn an infusion set and pump, but my brother wears a pump with tubing. And he is the most stubborn person, not interested in changing his ways, not interested in a new pump. Didn't even want a demo. But he and his wife both watched me change my pod one day, and they were amazed at how simple it was and how fast it the process was. Then the next day I watched him change his infusion set and reservoir. OMG. it had so many steps and took a lot longer than my pod change. Not to mention his first step was searching for a penny to unscrew some part of his pump!

Anyways, pod change is just one benefit I see, but there are others. Screen is big and easy to read. With real sentences. I have flipped through menus of other pumps when i was shopping around, and there's no comparison there.

And for me, the built in meter is a key benefit. I don't have to carry around a separate meter. You may think it's annoying to have to carry around the PDM, but it replaces the need for carrying around a meter. So it's a wash in terms of items to carry. And the thing on your body is smaller than a pump and easier to wear in many places. Also, when you put your strip in and do your reading, and it automatically integrates it into the suggested bolus calculator. I guess if you have cozmonitor or the MiniMed one where it wirelessly transfers, you'd get that benefit too.

Anyway, I love my OmniPod, and I love talking about ans sharing my experienes with others. Which is why I am on this forum.

[Funnygrl]

The penny is only needed for changing a battery, not a site.

[JediSkipdogg]

Panda...if I may comment a bit.

I agree the Omnipod is a great invention. It's still huge and in my opinion needs work on how much waste is produced. That's another story.

So both you and Dee have only used the pod? Give it 5 years and let me know how you like it. The reason I say that, and maybe you two have just been lucky, is that you will get bad insertions over time. When I first started pumping, they all worked perfect, then started having problems and hitting bad spots. Truthfully, what happens if you hit a bad spot with a pod? Didn't you just waste all the insulin in it and a highly expensive pod? Where with an infusion set, it's just a canula, which is only a $10 item (expensive, but alot better than whatever a pod costs.)

There is also the fact of needing to remove the pump or place it somewhere else. Say you play ice hockey or football. Where does one place the pod during a game so it doesn't get damaged or yanked off under all the padding? And so it doesn't feel uncomfortable? With a current pump, just disconnect and the infusion site is so small, padding won't matter pressing against it.

Lastly, yes, the PDM does have a built in BG meter. Isn't it a Flash meter though? For me that's no good because I've always noticed Flash meters read high for me, sometimes as much as 10-15% higher, but always higher than my One Touch meters.

With that said, again, I think the pod is great. However, the love from you two who have never tried another pump just isn't that valid in my eyes. I think tubeless pumping is the wave of the future, but with less throwaway parts and alot smaller design.

[Dewey]

Folks, this thread was intended to be about the OmniPod experience - meaning users' personal experiences with the Pod & its features, etc.

What I see happening here lately, is alot of comparing going on. If people want to compare pumps, that's what the other thread I started is for. Just remember, that each person's mileage varies & that each pump (OmniPod included) has features that are useful to the person that wears it. Everyone here needs to realize that what may work for them, may or may not work for others (i.e. I couldn't use the OmniPod for a few reasons....does it make it a bad pump? NO, but it just wouldn't work for me). Is Cozmo, Animas or MM the "best" pump out there??? No, but they're usually the "best choice" for the people who picked them.

I have had many pumps over the years - MiniMed 506, 7, 8, 11 & 12....Animas IR1200 & 1250 and Cozmo 1700 & 1800 models. I have a current favorite that I swear by (& everyone knows which one that is ). I think we just all need to be respectful to one another and not bash other pumps to make the ones we use look better - because in my eyes, that just doesn't work. I've noticed it happen across the board, with all models of pumps, so please don't think I'm pointing fingers here.

As I said before, feel free to share personal experiences in this thread with regard to the OmniPod in this thread, but please leave the comparisons to the comparison thread so that the subject matter here does not get off track. By the way, I suggested the OmniPod to a user in another thread, though I wasn't sure if the UK offers them there yet.

[Alice]

I've had no interest in pumps (due to tubing) until I became aware of the OmniPod. I became aware of it from this forum...not my endo's office.

So, for some like me, it will be a welcome entrance into the world of pumps. For others, it is just another pump.

I am surprised all the other companies haven't designed models that minimize the tubing in some way...for many of us, that is a turn-off on the pumps. Yes, I know tubing is "no big deal"...but just a pain.

I, for one, am happy that people are willing to write of their positive experiences. I'm sure if there were negatives about the OmniPod they would appear on this forum.

[JediSkipdogg]

Originally Posted by Alice

I am surprised all the other companies haven't designed models that minimize the tubing in some way...for many of us, that is a turn-off on the pumps. Yes, I know tubing is "no big deal"...but just a pain.

I think the main reason is because most pumpers don't like the "connected" feel. That's the number one drawback of a pump in my opinion. However, the reason I think other pump companies haven't caught on is because the Omnipod supports that "connected" theory 100%. You can't quick disconnect the pump at all. The Omnipod in a sense went into an area that most companies have said was not wanted by diabetics and pumpers. They tried the same thing Exubera did, however, it appears the Omnipod is succeeding.

With that said, Animas is working with Debiotech and creating the Nanopump. The current design of the Nanopump is one that uses no motors, but uses "bladders" that contract with electricity to pump the insulin out. This will greatly reduce the amount of power needed thereby reducing the battery space as well. Then on the front of the pump is a huge feature that deters many (like me) from the Omnipod. The Nanopump will be controlled via a PDM device, along with having buttons on the front to do simple boluses. That way if the PDM is left somewhere, a basic bolus can still be given. Animas has been working on this for quite a few years now, but has met a few drawbacks, however I believe they will come out ahead. I have no idea if MM plans on doing anymore pump designs. From the way it sounds with them, they are putting pumps on the back burner and working on their CGM technology now.

This post was in no way to discredit the Omnipod, just to say other companies are working on technology that is similar and hopefully the Omnipod 2 (or whatever it will be called) will be alot better and solve some of the current Omnipod problems. Remember, a first generation device has bugs and many people won't like them. I don't like ANY Of the current CGM devices out there, but I'm not opposed to them. Heck, I'm sure hundreds here hated the first BG meters. I know I did and I did visual strip reads until the One Touch Basic came out, prior to that no meter was good enough even though they had been out for almost 20 years.

[Dewey]

I think the biggest thing it all boils down to is "What works for one, may or may not for others." I for one, do not mind the tubing, and here's why:

I've had Diabetes for over 25 years, and have been pumping for almost 12. In that time (& prior to my time on the pump), I've seen technological advancements come a very Looong way - everything from meters decreasing their reading times from over 2 minutes to less than 5 seconds (in some meters) to pumps that were the size of backpacks (see picture):



The first pump I used did little more than administer x amount of basals & had no fancy features (the MM 506), but it did the job & did it very well. I then moved on to the next series & so on....In all that time, pumps became more "physically attractive" and had decreased in size to less than that of a pager or cell phone.

I'm Not trying to discount that it's great that the OmniPod is tubeless, but I'd like others to understand where I'm coming from & why I feel the way I do. I've had Diabetes for quite some time & have seen so many good advancements in that time, that I don't feel something like tubing should be discounted - especially when it's helping to "save a life" through better control. I also know that there will be more good to come in the future from ALL the companies (Animas, Cozmo, OmniPod, MM & hopefully more!) & am happy there are Good choices available for such a diverse group of people.

I think the OmniPod is a wonderful pump for someone who would like the benefit of being unattached, as the case may be and it offers many good features all the way around.

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by Dewey

I think the OmniPod is a wonderful pump for someone who would like the benefit of being unattached

I agree that it is a great pump for those that like it and I'm not trying to be argumentative, but how is having something the size of a pump permanently attached to you for 3 days considered "unattached"?

IMO, any pump is better than the alternative...