My OmniPod demo kits (yes, kits… for some reason they sent two) came in yesterday. My sensor died this morning, so I had some extra real estate on my hip to try it. And lucky (?) for me, I was home all day due to illness, so plenty of time to admire… or whatever.
First, this is apparently the “slimmer” version of the Pod. The Pods used to be a lot bulkier. I mean, they are pretty big to begin with… I can only imagine what they were! There is a good half inch protruding off of my side, covered by a sweatshirt. But imagine if I were just wearing one of my dance shirts or something. My hubby made the observation that at least with the wired pump, you can conceal it a little bit better. This is just stuck to you for 3 days.
Secondly, I know they said that the demo Pods are just that – Pods with no working parts. The self-inserting cannula is only inserted when you tell your little PDM to do so. I kinda wish I could have tried out that feature too. Because there’s nothing like jabbing yourself with a needle you can’t see after you’d committed to buying it for the next 4 years.
Next, I tried sleeping on it because that’s kind of a sticking point with me. If this plastic shell is going to be a attached to me all the time, I can’t throw it to my side or in a pocket while I sleep. It wasn’t horrible to sleep on. But – again, without having a cannula jabbing me in the side like some of my Quick Sets do, it’s hard to tell what this would be like on a night to night basis.
Verdict: Eh. I dunno. I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt because the wireless thing is actually really handy. But it’s features probably aren’t really for me.
What’s next? Well, I’m still waiting for Tandem to respond to my fax, but I am starting to wonder if they actually received it. I also found out that, even though the Asante Snap is based out a Northern California town, the four week trial is not available to people in my region… which is Northern California. Huh. So – maybe the Ping?
See Jen Dance 
For me, inserting a pump set was much more painful than the pod. It feels like a finger stick. The cannula on the pod is much smaller than the cannula on the silhouette, but that’s just the one I used. I’m not sure if you can get smaller ones. I also don’t feel anything when I’m sleeping.
Also a tubed pump is much larger than the pod, so I’m not sure why you would think it would be easier to conceal. Not only would you have the pump set, but you also have the pump. So there are two things on you, not just one. But if you take the pump off when you dance, then yes, the pump set will be smaller. Basically, the pump is bigger than a pod, but the pod is bigger than the set. Hope that makes sense!
It does. And I’m sure it works great for those that use it. I just don’t think I’d be able to conceal it as easy. When I perform, I disconnect the pump, leaving the set nub behind, so it’s easy to conceal. I also am pretty petite, so any extra bulk on my stomach or back is pretty noticeable, whereas I can move the wired pump (within reason) to my pockets, under a dress, strapped to a garter, etc.
So – my thoughts were mostly how they’d fit into my lifestyle.
I can’t imagine a tubed pump would be very comfortable dancing with. I’ve gone running with it and it flops around a lot. I like the Omnipod because it’s very stable, even if you can see it.
Although if you are already planning on disconnecting while dancing, then I guess having the pod is not a benefit for you. I have to run with my pump because I need the basal the whole time. I can’t go without insulin at all. So the pod is easier to run with. But if you’re thinking about just regular clothing, then I guess that would be fine. Personally, I loathe garters and pumps are uncomfortable in my boobs. I basically only ever wore my pump in a pocket, so I felt it really limited my wardrobe because I didn’t like it anywhere else. The pod is barely noticeable any more than the CGM is noticeable and so I just find it easier to get dressed because I don’t have to hook the pump anywhere. It just stays put no matter what.
Your diabetes [devices] may vary?
Definitely. 🙂 Was just chiming in with some thoughts about my experience.
I didn’t realize you had already decided against the Omnipod. I was trying to help address some of your concerns, but I guess I misunderstood. Good luck with whichever one you choose!
Yeah – there were some programming things I wasn’t as excited about. (Because, if that was okay, I’d just stick with my current Medtronic model – sans the whole out of warranty thing.)