Just changed to Omnipod Dash

Hi pump users
Four days ago, by choice, I changed to an Omnipod Dash pump system after 4 years of using a Medtronic 640G. I am now on my second Pod after having completed 4 days of use and have to say that so far I am extremely pleased I have made the change.
I had got really fed up with the irritation of the tube getting in the way and having to remove the pump from my belt just to enter carbo and BG figures manually - many times a day. And even if I had changed to a GCM system (either open or closed loop) I would still have had to enter the carbo figures manually and would need to find yet another site on my abdomen for the sensor, as well as needing to do finger prick tests. Plus there are a whole host of other reasons for wishing to make the change, which I embarked upon after researching all possible options.
I have also been using a Freestyle Libre flash glucose monitoring system for 5 years and find that it gives pretty good accuracy these days and is very easy to use with the Dash system, albeit requiring manual, but simple, inputs. The Omnipod and Libre are controlled entirely from a handset and iPhone (for the Libre) without needing to access either of them physically - i.e. massive flexibility. And the Libre is (very soon) to be available on prescription as Libre 2 and later this year Libre 3 should become a game changer (massive improvement) when it becomes licensed in the UK.
BG control seems to be extremely good, whereas I found with the Medtronic it was good provided the infusion set was not tugged accidentally, or no bubbles had formed in the reservoir. I know it is early days to make claims for the Omnipod but right now I feel positive that it was an excellent move.
So I would really like to hear from anyone else who has gone over to the Omnipod system so that we can exchange experiences and ideas on such things as to how best to do simple things like drawing down insulin into a syringe, which is something new for me.

h884 said:

Hi Mainsail.

I moved onto the Omnipod Dash on Monday. I changed as I was finding the set changes on the Medtronic very difficult due to arthritis in my hands. So far I have changed the pod twice and have found it much easier. Not sure if I can be much help.

Regarding drawing up insulin the main things for me are the following. (I am sure you have covered these things already, they are similar to the Medtronic set change)

Moving the plunger of the syringe up and down a few times to make it easier to move.

Injecting air into the insulin vial, similar amount to the amount of insulin you are putting into the reservoir. This makes it easier to draw up the insulin.

After you insert the needle into the vial push in the air. Now invert the vial and pull back slowly on the plunger till you have the amount of insulin you want to put into the reservoir. Then remove the needle from the vial.

As I said these are probably things you know and do anyway. Things get easier the more you do them and once you get used to handling a needle and syringe

Let me know if this any help.

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Thank you for your prompt helpful reply.
I am having difficulties due to being old and shaky but nonetheless it is easier than set changes on the Medtronic. The stage I am having difficulty with is the draw down of insulin into the syringe because, as you say, the plunger is stiff - so thank you for reminding me of that, I will try freeing it up by moving it up and down a few times although having now just tried it on the previous one it remains fairly stiff. The cause of my real problem is indeed partly the stiff plunger, plus also the fact that the needle is very short and it is very difficult to keep it engaged within the vial while I pull the plunger down. Yesterday I found insulin was spewing out as I was pulling so had to get my wife to hold the vial and syringe body while I pulled down the plunger. Very fiddly and I really need to find a method I can do on my own.
If I can get that sorted it will be a great deal better and much quicker than with the Medtronic Mio.

Jollymon said:

I was a pod person for about a month. I learned a lot. It was neat. But it wasn’t for me.

If you go through a site- or a pod failure, make sure to save the filling syringe so that you can suck the un-used insulin out of the failed pod. Do not waste this insulin by discarding it. Suck it out.

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Thank you Jollyman. Interesting. What did you actually not like with the Omnipod? Did it fail frequently or what? Or did you run out of suitable sites for placing it?

Jollymon said:

I have site issues. Too many cannula failures. With a pump with a separate infusion set I just changed it, and I’m good to go until it needs to be changed again.

I was excited for the pod for its angled cannula, and it’s shorter cannula length. But you don’t get to control the angle. Installing the pod was also super easy- like that a lot! But I had site issues, and couldn’t get them to last 3 days. For the failures that I had, I didn’t know to suck the insulin out of the pod. So I just sent them back to Omnipod full. And I ran out of insulin!

My pharmacy said I could not refill my insulin supply after I ran out. I had to wait a month. But I was out! It really sucked. I had to beg for a sample bottle from a doctor’s office. And that’s when I learned- you need to suck the pods dry with the filler syringe instead of loosing that insulin.

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Wow Jollyman, that's a really useful outcome to know about. I really do not want to get into sucking out unused insulin from the Pod. But equally I do not want to run out of insulin and I can see that could be a possibility. I will see how I get on for a month or so and report back.
I do hope there are other Pod users out there with experiences to share.

Maco said:

Hey, pleased to hear that your loving the omnipod. I’ve just started pump therapy & have the Medtronic 780G & I absolutely love it. To be totally honest I looked at a lot of pumps but not the Omnipod. For me it was the 780G’s automode linked with the guardian 3 CGM that did it for me. 3 finger prick blood tests per day for calibrations & that’s you done blood test wise. Sensor readings automatically show on your pump so when you go to bolus you don’t need to do any testing unless you really feel the need to test (for instance you don’t believe the SG reading).

Mobile app that links via Bluetooth is also fantastic, most of us these days always have a mobile to hand so to be able to quickly pick up my mobile & see what my readings are doing is a game changer for now. You don’t even need to swipe like you do with the Libre. Another big feature has got to be automode, automatically giving you your basal insulin depending on your needs & then also automatically correcting highs.

I’m hoping in 4yrs when I’m new an upgrade that Medtronic have the capability to bolus from your phone using there app.

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Hi Maco. You have been lucky to move straight onto a closed loop pump system which is not the case for everyone via the NHS. That sounds great so you must indeed be pleased.
I am happy with the idea of not being 'closed loop' because of the ability to ditch the tubing and simultaneously control the pump's action remotely. That has also been made possible by improvements in the Libre system arising from its better accuracy than was the case a couple of years ago. In fact I totally rely on the Libre without doing any finger pricking other than a very rare check. And the new Libre 3 will become a game changer because it will send continuous BG figures directly to a mobile by Bluetooth. And I have to admit to being a bit of a control freak such that I like to know what the pump is actually doing and why.

Maco said:

I’ve been quite lucky, I was on a pump around 10 years ago & I problem wouldn’t of moved back over if I hadn’t been offered a closed loop system. I’m a typical 26 year old that just wants to try live my life without thinking about being diabetic 24/7 which is where the automode becomes a massive help. Got to admit I wouldn’t move away from this type of system for something that doesn’t control my basal every 5 minutes for me or that cant auto correct because it really is a god send!

I know it varies from person to person but I absolutely hated Libre, I found accuracy shocking. I was often getting readings of 16/17mmol when I was actually 9/10mmol. Imagine completing relying on the Libre result for a reading like that, I would of had a huge hypo. The guardian 3 CGM for me is 1000x more accurate & even though I still blood test before each meal I could quite happily rely on the sensor reading because I’ve never found it to be more than 1/2mmol out of range.

Did the tubing on your 640G really annoy you?

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Hi Maco. If I had been given access to a closed loop system by the NHS that would have tipped the balance in favour of going for that. However that was not the case and I therefore needed to go for a system that was easy to use with a Libre, which I have found to be very reliable and accurate, which was not always the case. And the likely arrival of the Libre 3 later this year should improve it yet further.
The other factor that tipped the balance was being able to enter carbo remotely without having to access the pump itself, which I assume is still necessary with the 780G?
But yes I did find the tubing particularly irritating and even more so when one gets old and doddery - and often difficult when one needs to visit the toilet in a rush....! I also had numerous occasions when the infusion set got partially dislodged and failed to dispense insulin at the correct rate. Provided one notices (not always easy) that is fairly straightforward to correct by changing just the infusion set, but that is usually after having run high for several hours. I also found that bubbles gradually found their way past the plunger into the reservoir which leads to lower rates of insulin delivery but one does not know this until the next set change.
It takes months to find out such things. No doubt I will in due course find out both upsides and downsides for the Pod.

Hi Paul. Please do not think that because I have compared some of the merits and difficulties that I have experienced that this means I am unimpressed by pump technology. That is certainly not the case. Everyone's situation is different. What does and does not work for me would be different for other people. And the practical issues I have mentioned when using certain pumps are not actually that significant when taken against the massive benefit one experiences in being able to exercise much improved control over one's BG levels.
I have been a pump user for nearly 5 years, previously using a Medtronic 640G, ands even with the downsides I have identified - and that was prior to the introduction of closed loop technology as now available with the 780G - the benefits are enormous. Indeed up until recently I was entirely happy and extremely impressed by my 640G. But when one sniffs perfection it is hard to avoid striving for it.