Why I chose OmniPod

I guess I kind of just said I wanted to use the Omnipod and never actually said why. Why is very important to me (the question in general).

When I was in the hospital, a nurse came in to give me some “instructions” and the doctor on my case requested that she give me information on insulin pumps. The education wasn’t that great… it may have been better than I remember because I was really sick. She handed me a print out with a list of insulin pump models and some fuzzy pictures. Omnipod was not on the list.

I was assigned an endo (yes I was assigned an endocrinologist while at the hospital, one who never came to see me, I didn’t have the option to research and whose office never called me when I didn’t make an appointment) and the nurse circled a pump on the paper and informed me that it’s the one that Dr. Mystery preferred. I was under the impression that my doctor and insurance company would be choosing my insulin pump should I decide to use one. How wrong that all turned out to be!

Thankfully when we moved, I got in at the Cleveland Clinic and the endo that I now see ask if I was interested in pumping and I said yes. That’s when she said, “There are different pumps that you can choose from, we’ll send you over to the diabetes center to talk about them with a diabetic educator.”

The CDE I met with gave me information kits on three types of pumps, she told me that each pump had different features and that I should research them and see what features would be most important to me. And I was welcome to email her with any questions. The Omnipod stood out right away. There weren’t any tubes!

As I learned more about all of them, I became more sure of the pods. I had visions of getting my tubing caught on things which really freaked me out. I had some vanity issues too. I didn’t want something clipped to me all the time and I wanted to wear dresses. The more I read, the more I wanted the Omnipod, it seemed like the smallest interruption to my life.

So I requested a demo pod (the demo had no needle and no cannula) to see what it would be like to wear one. The biggest complaint I had hear was that the pods were bulky, but when I pulled it out of the box, we were surprised by how small it was. Before making up my mind 100% on the Omnipod, I went to the Intro to Insulin Pump Therapy class and checked out the other types. None of the pumps appeared to be horrible, but the Omnipod still lead the pack with the features that I wanted. I also really appreciated that I wouldn’t have to see the needle.

I ordered the Omnipod and started using it in mid December. I like it and my numbers are much more stable with since I switched from injections.

Omnipod and Insulet Corporation did not know I was writing this post, they did not request that I write it and I am not receiving any type of compensation for writing this.