Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Steve D on January 8, 2011 at 11:18am

Cassidy - I would suggest that you dont wear the pod when doing gymnastics, it would probably get in the way (same as any pump), as for tight clothes, it would most definitely show, depending upon where you wear it. Most people prefer (especially youger omni folk) on the arm, so again, it just depends. You need to have at least 3 areas that you are comfortable with wearing it, in order to keep the proper rotation, 3 days each site. I use both arms and my abdomen usually, and also my calf and upper butt. I would imagine the latter locations would not be acceptable to a 14 year old female, am I right? Theae are the things that need to be considered when making this decision!

Permalink Reply by Brad Ringer on January 8, 2011 at 11:59am

With all the rolling and body contact (I'm thinking about whipping around those uneven bars), I think the pod would not be a great choice. If you landed on it, it would hurt. (Did you see the guy on Dancing With the Stars who landed on his microphone pack?) If you landed hard, it would probably break the pod's exterior (which is plastic) at a minimum.

The pod would also show under snug clothing. I'm an old guy and I wear loose shirts, so nobody really would know looking at me that I was wearing a pod. If the pod starts beeping like it does at the end of the three day cycle, then I would get some wierd looks.

There are other people on this group that do sports, but they tend to have less contact, like soccer, basketball, cycling. The way the pod functions makes it impossible to remove it for gymnastics and then put it back on. Once a pod is taken off, it cannot be put back on and any remaining insuling in the pod should not be reused.

Permalink Reply by MaiaJane on January 8, 2011 at 4:18pm

Hey Brad, thought I would let you know that I have run pods over with a Ford F450 and the pod remained completely intact (and alarming with more ferocity than I've ever heard...) I've hit them with a hammer, and even then it took a couple good swings to even effect the little bugger.
Its pretty unlikely for a person to to break the actual pod BUT from experience I know putting that much pressure on it would dislodge the cannula/cause occlusions and leave a pretty burly pod-shaped bruise

Permalink Reply by Janet Ballone on January 8, 2011 at 12:20pm

I too would not suggest OmniPod for you at this time. I think the best thing for you is the Pen. You do not want any body apparatus getting in the way of your gymnastic performances. And yes, if you fall on it, it can break and cause bleeding and you would have to change it immediately... not something you want to do while performing. Just my opinion and good luck with whatever you choose. :-)

Permalink Reply by barbraann on January 8, 2011 at 5:01pm

If you wore it high on you abdomen (just under your bra line) center, it wouldn't show much and the chances of you hitting it there are slim. If you go with any other pump you would have to disconnect when you compete and re-connect when you're done and then it would really show, you'd have to wear it some where and be able to access the tubing. Probably the pens would be the easiest but I personally think the pod would be great. You can get a sample one, and maybe more if you can get other adults to order for you, and wear it and try it out before you decide.

Permalink Reply by Carolyn Deans on January 8, 2011 at 6:28pm

Yeah, as others have said, I would suggest a different pump. I doubt it will ruin anything if you land on it, but it's just a big thing to have attached to your body all the time. With any other pump, you can disconnect for an hour or two, leaving just a very small site on your body.

The OmniPod is Huge - at least compared to normal girl arms, which is the only place I'm comfortable wearing it, because it ALWAYS shows - and at least on your arms, it looks like it's supposed to be there (as opposed to a strange large lump on your thighs or butt).

For sports and gymnastics, you can at least take another pump off during physical activity and just have the small infusion site, which won't show at all under clothes. With my old (Minimed) pump, I could hide it much more easily than with the OmniPod, even though it's technically larger - because it would fit in a pocket or in my bra. With the OmniPod, you have a huge lump on exactly the spot where your site is.

With most normal jeans or pants, the pod WILL show if it's on your calf or thigh or any part of your butt. I have an OmniPod and I wear it about 1/3 of the time (when I can wear it on my arms). Rest of the time, I use my old, outdated MiniMed pump.

Hope this helps. Good luck with your decision!

Permalink Reply by cassidy smith on January 9, 2011 at 10:52am

thanks for the help! i kinda figured that it wouldnt work out to well with gymnastics, but i have my practices 3 days in a row, so would it be possible for my to wear it and then switch to shots the days i have practice? or would i have to stay on the pump at all times

Permalink Reply by Janet Ballone on January 9, 2011 at 6:17pm

I just think that would be a lot more work for you than just continuing with what you're doing. I know for me, when I go for my checkups, my doctor downloads all the information from my pdm to get accurate readings of the previous 3 months. I'm not sure if you can just wear it part time. You should talk to your doctor about it. Good luck.

Permalink Reply by FHS on January 10, 2011 at 9:40am

There is a gymnast featured in the Customer Stories section on the Insulet website.

http://www.myomnipod.com/customer-stories/emily-leBert/

Permalink Reply by Serena on January 21, 2011 at 10:37am

Hi Cassidy, My daughter is 16 and has been using the OP for almost 3 years. She's played softball with it, including sliding into bases, Tae Kwan Do, swims, has climbed trees, horses around with her friends, etc. We've had pods come off and float in the pool, and there have been a couple of times that she's taken a good hit and dislodged the cannula. Hurts a lot for a couple of seconds/minutes, but it hasn't stopped her from using the pod. She prefers the pod to shots any day. Why don't you order the trial pod (no cannula, so not an exact feel) from insulet and wear it during practice to see how it might feel. The other concern you might have is finding a good site. The best sites are ones with a little bit of fat -- if you're a competitive gymnast, you might not have a lot of options for pump sites.

Oh, and the tight clothes question -- yes, it does show sometimes. When my daughter wears it on her back, right above the waistband of her jeans, it's barely noticeable, but every where else you can see it.