HELP NEEDED!

Hi, I’ve been using Omnipod since last August, it’s my first and only pump because I couldn’t handle tubes. It’s not quite as sophisticated as some others, I believe, but it’s so discreet I often forget where I’ve put the pod. If you phone them on 0800 011 6132 they’ll send you a dummy one to stick on and try for size. Next best thing to having a pancreas on my book

Hi @Becca6510 I use the omnipod which is my first pump I be on it since November my blood sugar levels are in the normal range it does take time to get the Basel right but I will never go back

Hi I have been on the 640G since Feb. Tubes dont bother me at at. I caught and pulled the cannula out today, 2nd time I have done it. Getting it set up first of was a pain BUT with the DSN and Medtronic reps help I got it sorted in the 1st month! A few weeks ago I had my first HBA1C done and it was the lowest for 30 odd years.....after 48 years of injecting not jabbing myself a minimum of 4 times a day is brilliant.
Have a look on you tube at both of your choices....loads of reviews on there

I am using the 640g and have to admit I have the smallest length of tubing and wear a pump belt, unfortunately sometimes even when I try to tuck using away it will still show, and sometimes catch on doors but that's a minor issue compared to how incredibly useful the device has been, I can adjust the basal setting for exercise, have 7 ratio settings to manage my basal levels over 24 hours so my control is finely tuned, can take it off for showers or short swims or sometimes even when I do a short run, I haven't used anything else though.

I should add that the Omnipod pods are waterproof so you don’t need to remove it for showers, baths or swimming. You can put in different basal programmes for different activities, time of the month etc, and the pod itself (which is changed every three days, each lasts up to 80 hours) is super quick to fill and put on - I can do it in less than three minutes now. It inserts the cannula automatically, within its own footprint, no more painful than a finger prick. It works with dresses as you don’t need a belt to clip it to, just stick it on and forget about it. The little remote control is a bit clunky, but it’s easy to bolus or do other stuff (temp basals, blood tests as it’s also a blood meter) discreetly.

I’ve got my HbA1c down to non diabetic levels with the fine control it’s given me, that could have been the case with any pump though. Well worth the leap.

I have no experience of the OmniPod or the Medtronic.
So what am I doing responding to this thread? Bear with me and I will explain.
After 12 years of injecting, I was approved for a pump. My choice was Animas Vibe, Animas Vibe or no pump. As I had nothing to compare it with, I decided to go for the tubey Animas. For 3 years Pumpy and I had a love hate relationship. I loved the control it gave me with my basal levels and the small bolus increments. I never caught the tubes enough to pull anything out. Few people commented on the pump. I hated that I could never hide it and have it close to hand to give myself a bolus. I rarely wore a dress because they had no belt to clip Pumpy to. Occasionally, I would wrap it around my upper thigh but sticking my hand up my dress in polite company just wasn’t considered ... polite.

Pumpy and I have been together for three and a half years. If anyone suggested taking a pump away from me, I would defend Pumpy resolutely.

Pumpy is due to be retired and I was told the choice for replacement is Medtronic 640g, Medtronic 640g or no pump.

However, as I had commented about Pumpy getting in the way during exercise (and I exercise a lot, including running to my diabetes appointment), when my CCG was approached for a cheap patch pump trial, it was offered to me.
I am now one week into a month trial of the Medtrum A6. Whilst the tubes rarely bothered me, being tube free is liberating. I still check Pumpy is attached to my belt when I stand up. I still grab for Pumpy when I go to the toilet. I still imagine which hand is going to hold Pumpy as I get dressed. But I don’t need to. Patch (the name I have given my trial pump) holds on without me. I can wear tightish (but not “tarty tight”) t-shirts without a bulge. I haven’t tried a dress yet but it will be nice to just be polite without thinking.

Patch does not come without his issues. When I stick him on, he is there for 3 days and there is no chance to move him. I have to think 3 days ahead to make sure he is not in the way of my climbing harness and work out, approximately what I am going to wear to decide whether he goes above my waist, below my waist or on my arm. With a tubey pump, I always had the control with me. If I wanted or needed a bolus, I could get Pumpy out from wherever he was trying to hide (polite company allowing). With Patch, I have to remember to take the PDM with me. I haven’t forgotten Patch’s pet yet but I fear I may.

So, whilst I have no experience of either of the pumps you have on offer, I have experience of more than one pump and a pump of each type. Given the choice, if that was all I had to consider I would go for the patch pump.

Other things I would consider are: bolus and basal step size (what is the minimum dose I can give), number of basal profiles and how easy it is to use in sunlight. The latter is after 3 years of struggling to give myself a bolus whenever I ate al fresco.

Good luck with you decision ... and sorry for wittering on.

Hi. I've been on Omnipod for 4 months now and I wouldn't go back either to injections or a tubed pump. I don't really see any advantage to a tubed pump over Omnipod, other than if you had any absorption issues with the site then you could change them over at less cost to the NHS. I stick mine on and then pretty much forget about where it is until I need to bolus and you need to wave it about close to wear it is located to pass over a signal. I do a number of sports and I haven't manage to dislodge one yet so they definitely hold fast for me. My a1c has also improved significantly and it is getting better all of the time, not to mention the quality of life it gives. Big thumbs up for Omnipod!

Forgot to mention, the 640g is also old technology now with the 670g being released. Whilst there are some problems with the 670g it is essentially a closed loop artificial pancreas and can take some of the control away from your own brain. More importantly, because Omnipod is essentially disposable (other than the PDM), if the technology changes then, you will quickly be updated to the latest version for no additional cost. Now that Tidepool has declared a partnership with Omnipod then it is likely that there will be an approved closed loop artificial pancreas available to Omnipod users in the next year or so. If you wanted to do a DIY loop after you have gained some experience of pumping, then the equipment is now available to do this. This option wouldn't be available for the 640g and you would be stuck with it for 5 years (or the length of your NHS contract)

Hi, I have just got a new 640g and really like it, it's an improvement on my Animas Vibe. I thought it would be quite big, but it's fine for me to wear the same way I wore my Vibe, tucked in the front of my bra.

Having said that, tubey pumps can be annoying. The cannula has got caught and pulled out several times, once by my kid! I would recommend you wear *any* pump under your clothes if possible if you have young kids. It could affect the way you dress, if you like low-cut tops or deep v-necks. I could wear something tight if I wanted to though.

The 640g has a (limited) remote bolus capacity - you can setup preset boluses and do this from the meter that comes with it, so you may be able to carry it somewhere you don't need regular access to (e.g. on a pump belt under a dress).

I think I'd go for the Omnipod though because you could run a loop with it.

Omni

Hey @Becca6510 , sorry, I haven't checked in here for a while.

I have a 640G. It's my third pump, and I like it a lot. My first pump was another Medtronic, second was a Roche which I disliked and was relieved when it broke and had to be replaced.

I can't comment on the Omnipod, having never used one, but I would seriously consider one when my 640G is up for replacement. I can see the attraction of being tubeless. I never had a problem with tubes before, but I now use anchor tape to avoid disturbance at the cannula site and thus reduce irritation. While it does make the infusion site a lot more comfortable for the three days, it means I can no longer disconnect and reconnect quite as easily as I used to.

So based on my experience, I would say it might depend on how likely you think you are to become irritated (physically, not mentally) by a cannula being occasionally tugged at. Weigh that up against the bulk of the Omnipod?

After another week of my patch pump, I have some more negatives
- there are less places to put a patch. Given the patch is bigger than a cannula, there is less space on my body to put it a couple of inches from the last spot. This could lead to scar tissue build up... like if you inject in the same place every day. Probably not such a problem on a larger body.
- when the patch is in place, the bulk is there for 3 days so I have to think ahead what I am planning to do and wear. For example, my climbing harness is bulky around and above my waist so I have to make sure the patch pump will not be under the harness if I am going to climb in the next 3 days. With a tube pump, the cannula is less bulky and the pump can be moved day to day or even hour to hour.
- with a tubed pump, the controls are with you all the time you are wearing the pump. With a patch, the controls are remote so you have to remember to take it with you.
- the patch must be changed every 3 days. You can't decide to eek it out to a 4th day because it is not convenient to change. A tube pump can be changed between 2 and 4 days as long as you have enough insulin in the pump.

I still favour the patch but it seems to take away a bit of spontenity and require a little more planning.

Edited to add a little more information about me which may not be relevant to others.
I am pretty slim with little excess fat for a cannula. This limits my sites.
I am very active and, as activity in areas just injected increase absorption rate of insulin, I cannot locate my pump or cannula on my arms or legs.
Anyone similar will also need to consider type of cannula. With a tubed pump you have a choice of angle and material of cannula. With a patch pump, you have no choice. Thankfully, the Medtrum cannula seems to suit me. But worth checking out if you are considering a patch pump.

@DCUKMod i am sharing my experience as I believe it may be of interest to the op.
They can decide for themselves.

I wear an Omnipod and have never had a tubed pump. I never wanted a tubed pump and latched onto the idea of a tubeless pump.I use my whole stomach area to rotate where to put it, the Omnipod can really go all sorts of "unapproved" places. I like mine right under my bra, but I use my sides etc. It sometimes smarts a little if I don't have as much of a fat layer where I put it, but once I put it on I don't feel it anymore. I wear my Dexcom on the back of my arm, I commonly keep that on for quite a bit of time. (I have sensors that go over 20 days)

You can get it wet, I use the decrease basal when I snorkel, that way I still get some insulin for energy and after I'm not too high from getting no insulin. It's easy to add small amounts of insulin without having to put in BG level or carbs. You can if you want too, you just don't have too. I gather some/one ? of the systems out there don't let you that easily.

I remember when my type 1 endo showed me hers on her body and she started patting all over to find it. I find myself doing the same thing, you forget where it is!

The drawback is it's not linked to the CGM, there are aps to do that and even to set up a closed loop system on it. I hear it's going to be able to officially communicate with the Dexcom end of the year maybe? But who knows.

The Omnipod makes you change it every 3 days, although you do have 8 hours after the "expiration" to change it out, so a little bit of wiggle room, if you have enough insulin in it. Right now I have 9 different basal rates set into it, that is more than most people but I do like to drop between 2-3 am and then I have dawn phenomenon so I have lots of adjustments in there for that!
And a pump lets me do that!

Hi @Becca6510, you must be iver the moon to have finally been granted a pump.
Now the next hurdle is choice !!
I have a tubey pump made by Tandem, which can be linked to DEXCOM cgm and later this year in Oz will be linked to a loop function.
My point about your choices is that as mentioned by @helensaramay, you have to remember not only the patch of the Omnipod but also to carry the PDM.
I am guessing it woukd like caryying two mobile phone size packets with you when out ( mobile phone plus PDM.)
Effectively you swop a larger one-in-all pump plus tube/cannula plus mobile phone for a smaller patch reservoir on skin but having to find room on one's person, or with a bag/belt attachment or whatever for two rather than one mobile phone size packages.
I am be incorrect with the sizs of mobile phone vs PDM, but it woukd be interesting to hear how Omnipod wearers deal with this, including remembering to always carry their PDM with them, and not lose it !!
Best Wishes on whatever you chose.
PS i believe Medtronic pump is waterproof, as is the Omnipod patch, not sure if the PDM is though.

My Omnipod PDM doubles up as a blood meter, so of course I carry it anyway - the one time I forgot it was the day of my uni interview... it becomes second nature to remember it after a while, like phone and keys. It’s not waterproof.