For those of you who don’t have diabetes or don’t have
children with diabetes, please feel free to skip this post.
We’re coming up on a year since my son, Christopher, went on
the OmniPod insulin pump and I thought I would write a review about it.
Quick background: Chris is 10 and was diagnosed with type 1
diabetes nearly three years ago. Prior to the pump he would have to get daily
injections of insulin after every meal he ate.
The decision to go on an insulin pump was a no-brainer.
Wearing a small device on your body versus multiple invasive injections? Yes,
please! The choice of which pump to use was just as easy.
It goes back to when we first met a representative from
Insulet, the makers of the OmniPod. He showed Chris the device and demonstrated
the ease of use. That’s all it took. He wanted one. I preferred this pump
because it’s tubeless and we wouldn’t have to worry about the tubing getting
caught on something and possibly ripping the canula out. Ouch!
You will need approval by your child’s endocrinologist to go
on a pump and approval from your insurance carrier first.
The OmniPod insulin pump is a great piece of medical
technology. It’s small and lightweight and goes virtually un-noticed by others
when worn under clothing.
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| OmniPod insulin pump - the pod attaches to the body. |
What insulin pump? That’s muscle from working out!
The accompanying Personal Diabetes Manager (PDM) (which
doubles as a meter to check blood sugar) also manages valuable information like
basal rate, carb count, and the amount of insulin to give. With the push of a
few buttons it delivers your insulin via the small pod attached to your body
discreetly all while looking like a small hand-held device. Little Man works it
like a cell phone pro.
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| PDM (with fingerprint smudges) |
My only small complaint is that the adhesive could be
stickier. I’m not talking super glue tight but enough for active, sweating boys
in the summer. To combat this issue we sometimes apply a liquid adhesive or use
a tape dressing.
One of the best things about the OmniPod is that the pod,
itself, is waterproof and can be worn in the shower or pool (perfect for us
pool-worthy peeps living in the desert). The PDM, not so much.
So far, we’ve been very happy with the OmniPod. It’s given
Chris more control over his diabetes and lessened the hassle that comes with
all the necessary equipment needed to manage this disease.
If you would like more information about the OmniPod, go to
their site - https://www.myomnipod.com/.
Also, check out their blog, Suite D at http://suited.myomnipod.com/. It has advice, personal
stories, and it’s where all the cool people (and fellow pod wearers) hang out
and talk diabetes shop like, Olympic skier, Kris Freeman, and snowboarder, Sean
Busby, to drop a few names.
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