omnipod insulin therpy pump? any1

[char nd jay]

hey guys,

after some debates we and our dsn are thinking of putting courtney on a pump as her controll is rubish (she dosnt really eat much )
shes recomending looking into the omnipod as its wire less and the canulars are hidden as shes only 2 and half ! although accu check are bringing out wireless ones next year!

so iv been looking into it on the net and it looks gr8! dose anyones lo's use it or use it them selfs id like some more info about it from a parent users point of view with it ?

if we get agreed by the dr n dsn on the 20th oct we will be doing the papper work and hopefuly sorting out a trial our other choise is the accu check comb but the canulars are obusouse i bulkey pump i think shed yank them ! witch is why i like the look of the omnipod !

many thanks

 

[ebony321]

Hi,

I'm posting to bump you up in hope someone who uses an omnipod can answer for you!

I've read into them and they do look very good though.

Hope all goes well for you and Courtney when you have your trial!

 

[leggott]

hi,

both my kids are using the Omnipod and we love it! I haven't got any experience of any other pumps, but we like the fact it is tubeless.

Pods will perhaps be a little large on someone so young, although they are making them about 33% smaller by the end of this year.

Feel free to PM me for any more info. Also check out this blog http://www.ardensday.com/
This chap has a daughter who has been on the omnipod for several years and I believe went on it at the age of 4.

 

[char nd jay]

hi

thanks for your replays ,

i wanted a bit more info on the meeter/hand held bit everything iv read is mainly about the pod witch i think looks gr8 that its water proof and no tubeing even if it is abit on the big side ! its a smal conasiquance if u ask me!

so could you tel me about it and like what it dose iv never seen or used a pump in person x

 

[leggott]

We trialled the pump before we got one. They basically fill a pod with a saline solution so you can go away and use the remote control device and get used to it.

The handheld device is also the blood glucose meter and has a display which is very user friendly.

As with all pumps there is a lot of work at the start and lots of night time testing, but hopefully the benefits will out weight the extra work involved.

 

[char nd jay]

is it true that you cn input how many carbs you are going to eat at a meal and it will tell you/suggest the insulin dose to be given ? x

 

[annettekp]

You can with our Animas 2020! Its brilliant as there is no working out how much insulin to give the pump just does it for you. It does the same if you need to correct a high blood sugar - you just tell the pump what the reading is and it then works out the insulin. Simples!

 

[leggott]

Yes, although the pump has to be programmed by you and or DSN which is the hard part! You must be prepared for testing through the night (possibly hourly like Ii did) and the occasional period of fasting or eating non carb to check that the basal ( background insulin is correct).

Once you have figured this out, then when your daughter eats you enter the carbs for that meal. The pump will then calculate the required dose making an adjustment for a high or low bg. You can also extend the delivery for meals like pasta or pizza etc, so that the food has time to be digested before the insulin kicks in. The omnipod allows you to delay by half hour intervals up to a maximum of 3 hours. You can also deliver some of the insulin up front as well which I'm sure is a feature of all pumps.

Having a wireless remote is great when out especially at parties. You can stand behind them and keep zapping them as they are eating instead of having to give them a few injections because they are eAting a lot of there are several courses.

It's great at night too. We always check our kids when we go to bed and if their bg is above 7 we can give them a tiny correction. When they were on injections we could only ever correct if they were above 10mmol and then give them half a unit. Doing this late at night was always stressful and when giving such tiny amounts you never knew how much insulin actually went in. Now we can give them tiny amounts as little as 0.05 knowing we can reduce their bg without over correcting.

 

[jamesstout]

i've been on thepump for about 1 1/2 years now. i love it to death. for what i do (full time cyclist) it works very well.

are you guys getting pods on the NHS? because i'm now without a rouce for the pods, obviously i already have the PDM but ypsomed seem to be doing a pretty poor job of promoting the pod, none of my doctors have heard anything about it!

 

[leggott]

We are extremely lucky and get the pods and PDM on the NHS.

Our area had not heard of them either, until we mentioned it. My nurse then got in contact with the rep and was impressed. Since my kids have gone on them (may and Aug), I know of 2 other families to get them.

I think our PCT liked the fact that the upfront costs are significantly lower than a normal pump, although the long term costs of the pods make it more costly in the long run.

My husband who also has type 1 would love one but we don't think he would be eligible under the NHS to get one and we could not afford to self fund.

 

[Arden's Day]

Hello all!

I signed up for your board just so I could say that I 100% enjoyed being referred to as "This chap".

My daughter has been using an OmniPod for years. I can say without hesitation that it is a wonderful choice for managing type I diabetes.

May you all be well!
Scott

 

[sugar2]

Well, the last chaps post was simply smashing!

I have an acucheck Combo, and love it. It does calculate you dose etc...but I agree, for a tiny child, one without tubes would be better...I assume you are talking about the tubing when you say wirelsss? My Combo is bluetooth..which is wireless in an IT sense, but has tubing..not very 2 year old friendly, but would be fine for a 4 year old up I would say?

 

[leggott]

Hi Scott or should I say 'chap'!
Just wanted to say how much I love your blog and can always relate to your fantastic posts. I spent a long time researching the Omnipod and found your blog very helpful when selecting our pump.

I agree it is a fantastic piece of 'kit' and whilst I appreciate it may not suit everyone, it has been life changing for us.

Keep up the good work!
leggott