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Permalink Reply by Tom T on February 7, 2011 at 8:27am

The thing of most concern with a 12yo and the pod is that it takes up a decent amount of surface area. I'd request a 'free' dummy pod from Omni and put it on her for 3 days and see how she likes walking around with it on. If she doesn't like it, then you might not even have to go down that road. If she does, then maybe it's still something to consider. While there are some issues, most people have good experiences with them. I've only tried it a few days myself (and liked it), so others are better equipped to address that...

Animas is an excellent product and a great company. If there is any way to arrange for her to get a trial for a week or two (from her doc or from your local rep), then it's definitely worth trying. Borrow (or buy) a decent clip/harness that is suitable for her daily activity/routines/sleep and she probably won't mind the tubing as much as she thinks. It might change her mind on it.

I don't know if there is a bad choice here. They'll both have their growing pains. The pump is AWESOME. It really provides a lot of convenience. But that convenience can lead people down the road of pushing things to the limits...just what teenagers are best at!

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Permalink Reply by Will D on February 7, 2011 at 8:35am

jojo
Go with the Omnipod. Why not? I have had one for a month now and it's great! No tubing, you don't have to haul around something with you. You only need the control device for meal time. I too was worried before I got it after reading all the stuff on this site. But I went with it and have yet to have one problem. I know i will most likely experience some of the problems discussed but you can't let it stop you. Only advice i can give is to try it out. I was in your shoes a little more than a month ago and I can't imagine what it would be like if i had to have tubing and a pump attached to me all the time! Especially when sleeping! Good luck

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Permalink Reply by Unicornzzz on February 7, 2011 at 1:00pm

First, I would call both the Animas company and the Omnipod company and have them sit down with you and your daughter to help you make an informed choice. I would let her have input on which pump to use. Now with that having been said here is my take on why I think a girl might want to choose a Ping over an Omniopd.

Every girl loves to accessorize her stuff and make it personal. Let her know with the Ping she can choose the color of the pump, different color infusion sets, she can choose different color skins. The screen on the pump is color. Let her know that each time you do an order she will be in charge of what color she orders. If your daughter wants the Omnipod because it uses a remote let her know that the Ping uses a remote also. Let your daughter also know that Ping is getting ready release a remote with a color screen on it in the United States.

Go to 50/50 pharmacy and they have cool cases that she can carry her ping in. This site is geared to children. She can get a Diabetic bracelet that matches with a pouch. The also have a cute stuffed monkey on a pump

Go to www.coolmedid.com and get her a bracelet that matches her pump skin.

If your daughter is fashion conscious let her know that it is a lot easier to hide the infusion set under clothing than it is the Omnipod. I just wear my pump on my pants like a cell phone. I just tuck the tubing into my pants or a pocket and away I go.

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Permalink Reply by Kate on February 7, 2011 at 1:13pm

I agree that you should contact both companies and demo each before making the decision. I am going to play devil's advocate on Unicornzzz's comment above (although I do agree with a lot of what was said!).

I have heard lots of great things about the Animas. But it is not the right choice for me. I chose the omnipod because so that I will not have to be attached with tubing. That's a big deal for me. The pod does not have to be disconnected to swim or bathe. Insertion is EASY (it does it by itself and feels kind of like a little rubber band snap)! If accessorizing is a selling point - there are skins to accessorize the pdm and you can stick sticker all over the pod!

Yes, there can be issues with the omnipod. I've had some :) However, their customer service has been sympathetic and empathetic to me.

Until there's a cure, there will be lots of less-than-perfect "solutions". I hope you find the one that works best for your daughter! It's a big decision - Good Luck!!!

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Permalink Reply by kestrel on February 7, 2011 at 1:02pm

Has she actually seen the pods?  I agree with Tom T that she may not want to use the Omnipod once she sees them -- I know I had that reaction!  They're bigger than you might think (after all, they hold the insulin).

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Permalink Reply by jojo on February 7, 2011 at 2:21pm

Thanks everyone. Good info. She and we want to do whats right for her health and safety, but she is almost a teen and she is the one with the diabetes , so i can understand her reason for wanting a tubeless pump. Saw that there are 2 new tubeless pumps on the horizion, The Solo and the Jewel. very cool and very slim. but they dont come out till maybe next year. The research goes on. Oh one good thing , my insurance will cover 100%, with a few parameters being met.

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Permalink Reply by Jan on February 7, 2011 at 2:35pm

My niece has used both. There are pros and cons. One con to using the Animas Ping is that your daughter is 12, will be going through puberty and teen years and girls can often use more insulin at this time of life than when they are grown. Animas ping only holds 200 units and they can use 60, 70 units a day. With ping you also have to dial in the bolus amount which takes more time, but that is not a huge issue. Pro with Ping is it is more waterproof and you can use the remote to bolus, check on things, and leave the pump in her pocket without pulling it out. Minimed, easier to use, you will go through less button pushing and screens, don't have to dial in bolus (I don't consider these dealbreakers). Minimed Revel and Paradigm holds 300 units so don't have to change out insulins and reservoris on day 2.5 at times she is using a lot of insulin. Revel also lets you go up and down incrementally on ICR. Instead of changing the ICR from 10 to 11; you can do 10.1, 10.5, etc. This is a very good feature. You can't go wrong with either. I would try to get my hands on both models and play around with them to see which your daughter likes best. Your diabetes educator may be able to help you out with this. Minimed is going to come out with a tubeless pump in 2011 or 2012. I would not choose Omni Pod because I keep reading people are getting boxes of bad pods. Though some have never experienced problems. Minimed has let us upgrade in the past when a new pump comes out so you may be able to upgrade to their tubeless. But if your daughter really has her heart set on the Omni pod, I would try it. If it does not work out, the other pump companies let you trade in your warranty for a much lower price than a new pump.

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Permalink Reply by jojo on February 7, 2011 at 6:25pm

thanks jan, forgot about the whole puberty thing, yes she will definitely need more insulin at that point. thought that most pumps held 300 units. thanks for the clarification.

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Permalink Reply by Unicornzzz on February 7, 2011 at 5:55pm

I agree with all that has been said. I just wanted to play devils advocate trying to point out the good things about the Ping. I would call the MM rep also and have them meet with you and your daughter.

Please remember each pump has its advantages and disadvantages and it is up to the consumers to decide what is important to them.

I did Google decorating the Omnipod. I think that it would be quite fun to have a decorating the Omnipod contest.

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Permalink Reply by c on February 7, 2011 at 8:26pm

I would go with the Omnipod. For a girl, it is easy to hide and without tubes she won't worry about getting it caught on things.

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Permalink Reply by DeeJay on February 7, 2011 at 9:41pm

I wouldnt recomend the omnipod at all. Omnipod is an AWESOME idea with the whole tubeless thing but your Endo gave you that look for a GREAT reason! LOL! When I talked to my Endo about the omnipod she gave me the same look. I think we all should give omnipod a few more years to allow for imrpovement of their system. I chose the Medtronic Minimed Revel 723, I only take 28 units a day but it holds 300 units. I havent had any issues at all with it. I think its best for first time pumpers to go with an insulin pump with tubing that has experience like Minimed and Animas. Im apart of a small diabetes club where i live and 3 of our members had problems before 2 went back to minimed and the other one is working on switching to a Ping. if you like omnipod go with Animas because it has the meter remote feature.

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