Change to Dash Omnipod

holdem

Well-Known Member
Messages
126
Hi, i have been using the omnipod pod for many years now. I think the pods are called Eros. My machine essentially is a blood glucose meter and the machine that delivers my insulin.


I am being told that this is being discontinued soon and that also i am out of my 4 year window of having it so if it was to break i would not get a free replacement.

They are recommending i go onto the Dash system. I am not sure what the upsides are.

Hss anyone had experience of the two and if so what is the positive and negative?

I keep hearing people say its slimmer but it looks slimmer but larger if that makes sense so essentially like having another phone in your pocket. It also doesnt test your sugars so i will need an extra bit of kit too in my pocket which to me seems like a step backwards rather than forward.

Am i missing something and or does anyone have experience with any other tubeless pump which may be better?

Many thanks in advance.
 

In Response

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,374
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
does anyone have experience with any other tubeless pump which may be better?
I have no experience of OmniPod but I have Medtrum which is a different tubeless pump.
With only experience of this, I cannot comment if it is better but it is managed either via a small PDM or a phone app.
I use my phone. As I also have a Libre, most of the time, I just use my phone for readings and dosing. Libre and Medtrum do not talk to each other. Nor does the PDM have a way to read blood sugars so I have to manually enter my current blood sugar.

Medtrum have just released the Nano pump which is pretty small - I think it is smaller than the OmniPod from what I have read. I like it but then, I didn't have the choice of the OmniPod because it was too expensive.
 

holdem

Well-Known Member
Messages
126
thanks for your reply. So are you saying you can use your phone to control the medtrum fully? As in you do not need a sort of additional handset.

That sounds like a giant benefit. How often do you have to change the pump is it every 3 days like the omnipod?

thanks
 

JaneC

Well-Known Member
Messages
201
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
I've been using the Omnipod for nine years or so and moved onto the Dash a year ago as am hoping it’ll be a more natural transition when Omnipod 5 comes out which might be next year so I can start looping so that’s one benefit for you. The PDM is basically a cheap phone that is smaller and easier to program than the original PDM but as you know, it doesn’t have the blood testing incorporated as the original did. It doesn’t matter for me as I use the Libre with Xdrip and a Contour 1 for blood testing to calibrate and double check readings on occasions. The PDM is a bit cheap looking and isn’t perfect but it’s ok, it does need charging every few days though. Hope this helps.
 

searley

Well-Known Member
Retired Moderator
Messages
1,880
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Dislikes
Diabetes, not having Jaffa Cake
I have the tandem... but played with omnipod apart from not having integrated bg meter in general use not much difference it's just the controller is a locked down android phone.... I guess this is cheaper for Abbott than producing their own handset

But it's time to see what other devices your hospital offer and decide from there

But if you are happy with omnipod going dash won't make much difference to you
 

holdem

Well-Known Member
Messages
126
I've been using the Omnipod for nine years or so and moved onto the Dash a year ago as am hoping it’ll be a more natural transition when Omnipod 5 comes out which might be next year so I can start looping so that’s one benefit for you. The PDM is basically a cheap phone that is smaller and easier to program than the original PDM but as you know, it doesn’t have the blood testing incorporated as the original did. It doesn’t matter for me as I use the Libre with Xdrip and a Contour 1 for blood testing to calibrate and double check readings on occasions. The PDM is a bit cheap looking and isn’t perfect but it’s ok, it does need charging every few days though. Hope this helps.
Thanks i find the omnipod whilst somewhat bulky pretty easy to manage. It isnt glamorous but kind of does what its there to do. I trust my libre 2 when im in a good control zone but when im at the extremities i doubt it and need to double check with a blood test.

Ideally there would be a system that is tubeless which allows you to dose from your phone and then you could carry a slim blood testing kit around with you.

I seem to recall as a kid i had one for a while i think it was called exac tech which was shaped like a very slim line pen. Something like that would be great.

I think movie to the dash is only going to be a backward step for me from a quantity of objects in pocket perspective!
 

holdem

Well-Known Member
Messages
126
I have the tandem... but played with omnipod apart from not having integrated bg meter in general use not much difference it's just the controller is a locked down android phone.... I guess this is cheaper for Abbott than producing their own handset

But it's time to see what other devices your hospital offer and decide from there

But if you are happy with omnipod going dash won't make much difference to you
IVe spoken to my hospital about the medtrum and they say they have had no patients on that system yet. I think they are pretty relaxed and willing for me to make my own choice but i cant see any upgrades from the original omnipod. I think i am going to drag my heals a little and wait hopefully for the omnipod 5 to come out.

Many thanks for all your messages.