deciding on a pump and overwhelmed
Hi everyone! I am new here, and would LOVE some advice. I am about to go on an insulin pump, and the choices seem SO OVERWHELMING. I've narrowed it down to two I like that are available in Canada where I live, the medtronic Veo and the Omnipod. both seem very different.
I'll be honest and say the tubing scares the crap out of me, I am worried that I'll feel constantly on a leash and hooked up like an iv patient.I know thats pretty much the case anyway, but I have a hard enough time running with my iphone/ipod case hooked on my pants, the headphone cord drives me nuts.
Then I think the omnipod seems a good idea, and I can stick it on my lower or stomach back so its less visable, but am worried that it will be like sleeping on a lump. I wonder if you stop feeling it after a while?
I actually dont know anyone with even t1 diabetes, and the one friend I tried to talk to told me that if I went on a pump that my husband would feel like he was hugging a hospital patient, (yes, they are a moron) so at this point I am desperate to find someone who has a pump to chat with.
I know my doctor is leaning towards the Veo because of the continuous moniter option, but I dont think I'll be buying it because of the cost and my extended health care doesnt cover it. however, my plan only covers one pump for every 5 years, so it makes the decision even more stressful knowing it could be hard or expensive to switch if I make a wrong decision.
anyway, I would love some advice if there are things i dont even know to ask. I've had one medical rep visit my house, and I am waiting on the other to visit as well.
thanks!
-Ree
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Zoe on -
I have heard the omnipods are not too reliable, and they are quite large to have sticking into you! (Some people love them, though). I have a Ping and I discovered that once I figured out some logistics, I don't even notice the tubing.It;s one of those things like shots that everyone dreads, but then discovers is no biggie. Sometimes I even pat my pump to make sure it's there. I use the longer tubing which allows me to feel less tethered because I can just put it down on the bed our counter when getting dressed.
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Permalink Reply by Zoe on
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Nope. I tried the "putting it under the pillow" thing but immediately me and my cat were tangled as I move around a lot. So I hook mine to the waistband of thermals in winter and sleeping shorts in summer, tuck in the tubing and swing it around to my back as I sleep in my side or stomach. Works fine.
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Permalink Reply by Denise Bevard on -
nope--no tangles here, clip it to my nightshirt :-)
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Permalink Reply by acidrock23 on -
I have an MM and agree with Zoe that it just took a few days and I had the hang of it. I wear belts, which makes it relatively easy, and just belay the stray loops neatly around the loose end of the belt and then tuck that into a belt loop and it's very secure.
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Permalink Reply by Nell on -
No, you do not get tangled while sleeping. some lay the pump on the bed and it becomes automatic to move around with it. but I clip my pump to my pajama waist and tuck the tubing into my pjs. There is no tangling. Though I am a female, I do not wear dresses/skirts and always have my pump clipped to my waist. The tubing is inside the clothing, regardless of where you wear it.
Yes, in your early days, you will pull out the insertion at least once on a door knob or something. But that is part of learning and it will rarely happen again. My tubing has occasionally gotten hooked on something but I always catch it before yanking out the tubing or pump. You will rarely drop it but they are pretty tough. Once in a great while you may break it but you will have a warranty for 4 years. By the end of year 1, or before, you will be such a pro that you won't worry about dropping it or tangling.
There are too many advantages for the tubed pump vs Omnipod to even start listing them here. My opinion, and from reading many, many posts about the pod.
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Permalink Reply by Denise Bevard on
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I got an omnipod demo, it was larger and heavier (even empty) than I had imagined. My sensitive skin did not like it, so I went with a minimed to begin with, then switched to a animas ping to get smaller dosing and better CGMS (IMHO) in the dex. I don't even mind having two separate units and really like the remote option from the meter. so if I had to choose between omnipod and MM i would go minimed--you get used to the tubing really quick--at least I did
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Permalink Reply by earthling on -
Hi Ree
Yeah, a pump is a tethering thing. I didn't like it at first. But I got used to it, and the better control was worth putting up with it for me. I know how to sew, which helps. So I made "sleeping shorts" from soft fabric with pump pockets on each leg - a pocket with a buttonhole for the tubing to go through to the inside. Makes sleeping easier, since I roll around a lot. I also use a Ping from Animas and like it. The first few months were a very steep learning curve, but there's great help here (which I didn't know about at that time - you're ahead in that respect). Anyway, good luck figuring it. Change is hard!
Ping is waterproof, which is good if you swim.
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Permalink Reply by EllasMom on
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My daughter is 7 and she wears the Omnipod. It was our first choice because of the lack of tubing, but we wanted to try it out first. We stuck a demo one on her to wear for 3 days and both my husband and I wore one with saline and lived as a T1 Diabetic for 3 days.
My husband wore his on his arm and forgot it was there. He's a firefighter, so very active - he did whack it a couple of times, but it stayed put. I wore it on my back fat. Other than when I was driving (leaning against the driver's seat) I also forgot it was there. My daughter wears it on her bootie and has never complained about it being in the way. Because she's so active, we do proactively add some hypafix tape over the pod as we've found the pod starts to separate from the adhesive backing by the third day.
We all loved it so we didn't demo anything else. I would suggest trying to demo both pumps and go with the one that fits the best with your lifestyle. All pumps are going to have their quirks, their advantages and disadvantages, so really it comes down to what works best for you.
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Permalink Reply by Re on -
Thank you everyone! I am trying a demo of both. I am hoping that some difference will make itself really obvious to me and make my decision.
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Permalink Reply by christy on -
I have the Medtronic Paradigm Revel 523 and I love mine. My CDE gave me the demo for the Omnipod and a few things I just really did NOT like about it. One it's size...I thought the thing was huge, bulky...and harder to wear with clothes than the Medtronic. Also I did not like to have to constantly have to keep up with the extra gadget to be able to bolus with it. That there to me is far worse than being attached to my pump via a tube. But you are also talking about someone who will sit there ipod or iphone down, and two seconds later forget where on earth I put it. Finally just the overwhelming number of times I hear people discussing Pod failure. It just did not to me even seem like a logical choice.
I've heard that many times people say about tubing... feeling leashed or something along those lines. Really I don't even notice the tubing. It doesn't bother me at all. I have the longer tubing, so it gives me more options to where to put my pump, and just tuck the excess tubing into your pocket or inside your waist band or whereever. It really is nothing like toting along an IV pole. After a while you kinda forget you even have it attached to you.
In the end though you have to make the choice that's right for you, for some tubeless is a really big priority, and they seem to not mind what all I consider negatives of the Omnipod. Try demo's and get a good idea of comfort, and just how its going to fit into your life. Good luck, keep us posted.
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