Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by ginny-e on January 26, 2011 at 11:17am

Hi! So I used to be on tubed Minimed pump (10 yrs), and despite pod failures, and dealing with Omnipod's billing department ( I now order through Liberty), I still prefer the pod. One reason- when pods fail I know it, on the tubed system more often than not a kinked tube would result in highs before knowledge of the issue.

To troubleshoot the pod failure issue I pack back up needles and insulin for local trips (ie office day at work), since most likely I could run home to change if need be. If I am going to be in the field (I'm a field biologist), I pack extra pods and take those from seperate boxes in case there is a bad batch, in addition to the needles, insulin, and batteries. It seems like a lot of gear but in all reality it isn't too much - I just throw it in my pack.

For me the assurance of breaking a pod and just switching it out vs breaking a pump and dealing with that, plus possible cost is way easier. Also, I just like not having tubing, I can't tell you how many times I wouldn't adequately tuck the tubing in and it gets snagged on branches or something. There was a short adjustment period to not knocking the pods off my arms when walking through doorframes ( I never realized how close I walked to the frames) or toweling off- but I can't remember the last time I did that.

I agree it is incredibly frustrating to have the pods fail- but in all honesty they are quick to switch out- and I find them less painful than the old tubing system I was on.

Permalink Reply by Kati * on January 26, 2011 at 11:17am

Hi Pete! I was just about to post a similar topic! I was on the Minimed for around 10 years and recently switched to the pod. The first month was practically flawless, with some minor pod fails and knock-offs. But recently I've been running into some problems and when my PDM failed to turn on after a battery change I was forced to go back to the Minimed until my PDM was replaced. I loved the PDM features, downloading data, numerous basal rates, etc etc and the tube-less system! But I'm beginning to wonder if it is worth it to deal with high blood sugars.


For the past two months I have had several issues. After a pod change it often takes up to several hours for the the insulin to "kick in". I realize the absorption at a new site may take some time. I have tried giving a bolus directly after changing the pod, which often fails and I am replacing the pod and then trying to correct, correct, correct. There are no alarms/occulsions whatsoever and location of the pod does not seem to matter.

Also, I am experiencing the same when it comes to end of day 2/beginning of day 3 of the pod. My blood sugars run well and I just seem to hit a wall by day 3. My sugar will rise and despite numerous corrections, it does not come down until I change the pod.

It seems if I have a good start up with the pod and no "pod change highs", the 1st day through the 2nd run smoothly. Any suggestions anyone has would be great. I love the pod- but I also love good blood sugars. I'm stuck and am past the 30 day money back guarantee mark!

Permalink Reply by Romintek on January 26, 2011 at 12:15pm

I had trouble the first few months after I switched to the Omnipod. On pod change day my bg would go sky high. But then I read a post from someone that said she gives herself 2 extra units before she changes. I've tried that and I have tried giving 2 units after I change. The 2 units with the old pod seems to work best for me. I sometimes go a little low but I've found that eating something right after I change the pod and taking a bolus before I pull the old one off (bolus for foor and an extra 2 units) seems to work wonders for me. With my old tubed pump I dont ever remember that being a problem. I'm not sure why it is now. But the 2 extra units seem to have solved the problem so I am happy.

Permalink Reply by Pete on January 26, 2011 at 7:10pm

I have been pretty liucky with the post pod change highs. I try to always change pods after eating breakfast, so I have bolused with my old pod. I then bolus about .4 units with the new pod. I do not adjust my bolus for my actual meal (dont decrease it by .4units). I have noticed some higher readings if my last pod gets below 10 units and then I bolus. My typical breakfast bolus is 6-7 units, assuming no correction is needed. So my goal is to have about 15 units remaining before I bolus. I have read and been told that the pod does struggle a bit when it is around 5 or 6 units.

Permalink Reply by MelissaBL on January 26, 2011 at 7:23pm

I used Minimed for 8 years, then Cozmo for 1 year, then Omnipod for the last 2. I feel like the convenience of insertion, the tubelessness, and the PDM functionalities trump the pod failure issues.

I have had more kinked cannulas, mechanical failures, and occlusions in my two years on Omnipod than I ever did on the Minimeds or Cozmo, but I DON'T have botched insertions, kinked tubing, yanked sets, mangled tape, or infections from sites inadvertently left in too long. Usually, the pod problems are few and far between for me now.

Permalink Reply by MaryMary on February 3, 2011 at 2:32pm

My daughter's name is Melissa also and she has used every pump on the market except for Animas. Today we found out after over a month of waiting that our new insurance has agreed to cover the pods. It is BCBS of Michigan and is a new GM policy. They said that they use Medicare guidelines and therefore would not cover either the pods or her Dexcom. We now have approval for both, and are very happy that she can continue with this tubeless pump. We try to change the pods just before a meal and if she is not at target, then bolus a small amount. We have not had the issues with pod failures that some have had, but we do change a pod out early if she is not responding to corrections. Some people need to change every two days, regardless of the pump. When she was on a traditional pump, she always went low after we filled the cannula. Some people on regular pumps have highs until the new site settles in also. It really is a very individual thing.

Permalink Reply by Pete on January 27, 2011 at 2:35pm

Thanks for the feedback. It sounds like a few people are having very similar issues.

Permalink Reply by MidwestMommy on February 7, 2011 at 9:14pm

One of the BIG differences is that the pod alerts you to an error. We've been on Minimed for 3 years, and most of the time you have to guess if there is a problem. I have had 2 pumps replaced in 3 years, and have pulled a lot of infusion sets. We are trialing the Omnipod, and I am well aware of the pod issues out there, but I still think this system offers something really unique, worth putting up with a few bad pods.

Permalink Reply by MaryMary on February 8, 2011 at 5:57am

To be fair, you still won't know if you have a bad site with an Omnipod, and you can dislodge the pod a bit and not know it until your blood sugar goes up. It really is no different in that way than a tubed pump. My daughter has pulled a couple of just filled pods by catching it on something, because she can only wear it on her arms. Not sure what errors you are referring to? We have had just as many pump replacements with Omnipod as tubed pumps also. Things go wrong with the PDM.

Permalink Reply by Kimberly on February 8, 2011 at 12:20pm

I was on the Minimed for a few years before switching over. I don't recall having any technical failures with my MM522, but about every 3 days I would get bubbles that were 1-2 inches long. I did everything I could to prevent air from getting into the reservoir, but nothing worked. I would either forget to prime them out or not see them before they got to the insertion site and this would cause lots of high blood sugars. I never have this issue with the pod. And I have a teeny-tiny barely non-existent failure rate with the pod. All of my failures have been while priming, too, so I guess the angled cannula works well for me. I will never go back to tubed pumps for one reason - the clothing. I can now wear dresses and skirts with ease - I literally had to leave those items of clothing untouched in my closet for 2 years because the tubing really prevented me from putting the pump in a spot where I could reach it without flashing all my co-workers.

Permalink Reply by MaryMary on February 8, 2011 at 1:45pm

I totally get the clothing issues, and that is one reason that I was determined to fight for her to stay on this pump when insurance said that they wouldn't cover it. She finally has a couple of dresses instead of always needing two piece outfits and I didn't want her to have to give that up.
There are occasions that I do think that there may be some bubbles in the tiny bit of tubing that is in the pod or the remaining air that is left in the reservoir of the pod. All in all though, I think that this is the best pump out there right now and it will really take off once they finally come out with the smaller pods. I would choose Omnipod for myself in a heartbeat over a traditional pump if I ever needed one.

Permalink Reply by Kimberly on February 9, 2011 at 8:01am

Yeah - I'm convinced that I get bubbles in the pod line, too. But it's literally impossible for them to be 1-2 inches long so I'm not nearly as concerned about that. I'm just crossing my fingers that I don't get any of the issues that other posters on here are having with multiple pod failures (and pods already screeching upon delivery!). I'm wondering if the super-cold weather is the culprit. I live in Houston and although we've had supa-dupa cold weather for us, it still has barely gotten below freezing and I haven't had any problems with my latest shipments.

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