I started on Omipod 5 a week ago. Today my PDM controller went crazy on me. It glitched all day. Then restarted itself. I worked with a messed up screen for a while. Then the screen got better, 3 hours ago it stopped working completely. They are overnight shipping me a new PDM controller. I’m supposed to change my pod tomorrow morning. I have to use my Novolog for my insulin delivery at dinner time. Tomorrow I have to figure out how to put the Basal and bolus settings back in. The trainer did it when I was training. Needless to say this is not impressing me. I’m thinking of chucking the system and going back to daily shots. I think I’m sorry for asking about Omnipod! #NOTHAPPY
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I understand how frustrated you are. But you may want to reconnect with why you wanted a pump in the first place. There are some nice things about it. But they can also be frustrating, for sure.
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There are pluses and minuses to all the treatment methods. So you have to figure out what works best for you.
If the omnipod was working correctly, you might like it better. The best thing would probably be to give it a chance with a functioning PDM. See if you like it when it is working.
If you get a new PDM and it works, but you still don’t like it, then you have made a much better decision.
How long ago were you diagnosed?
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I was diagnosed in 2010. I have genetic liver disease it caused my pancreas to stop working because of the damage to my liver. No there is no cure for PBC (Primary Biliary Cholangitis. I take meds to slow down my liver damage. I asked to try an Omnipod after seeing it on TV. I got it last Thursday. It worked just fine until this morning when the PDM controller stopped working. It is restarting itself all day and night. I had to resort to ,my Novolog for my mealtime bolus. The pod is due to be changed tomorrow. That is not going to happen. I contacted customer service, they are sending a new PDM to arrive tomorrow before noon. I’m not happy this happened one week into trying the system. I am very good at maintaining my Glucose levels and A1C at 5.0-5.6. Not a very good start to a new system. I did not say I was giving up on it, just not happy about this.
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Chris, this is not a very good start to a new system. I know why I wanted to try Omnipod 5. I’m not happy one week in I’m having issues with a faulty PDM that is not letting me log on and constantly restarting itself. I did contact customer service about it. I sent the representative a video of what the PDM is doing. Understand I have my diabetes well under control since 2010 when I was diagnosed. I must explain, I have genetic liver disease called PBC (primary biliary cholangitis. The disease causes my immune system to attack and damage my liver. There is no cure and it causes the pancreas to stop working. There us no cure I take life sustaining meds to reduce the damage to my liver. I am good at managing my diabetes. I keep my A1C between 5.0-5.6.
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Yes. When i realized what my phone options were for omnipod 5 i almost couldn’t believe it. I sent a snippy message to the sales rep. But then i remembered that I’ve been waiting for this product for 32 years, and I’m essentially an early adopter. I just decided that I’m going to try to maintain a posture of early adopter enthusiasm throughout any frustrations that arise.
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The pod itself is no problem. The PDM controller I did not expect to glitch in the first week of use. I can’t use the app because I use an iphone not an android. The customer Rep was very nice about it. I was texting with him as I was on the phone with customer service. I was annoyed but I kept my temper in check. For me this is an experiment to see if the system is right for me. Its not very impressive that I had trouble with the PDM the first week. That was disheartening and I lost some confidence in Omnipod. I got the new PDM controller this morning. Hopefully this one will not glitch. My son is a cyber security specialist and coder upon looking at the PDM controller when I first got it said the PDM controller is a cheap android that has been reprogramed by Omnipod. When I told him yesterday about the glitch he said, he expected some problems with it but not this soon. Now for me its a we’ll see with the new PDM controller. Honestly I hope it works out this time. I decided to go with Omnipod after seeing it advertised on TV. I thought it would be more convenient than carrying around pens everywhere. My oldest daughter lives in a different state, last year when visiting her for two weeks I had to drag my pens in carry on while flying. Not only that finding a place to dispose of all my needles. Anyway I’m just rambling now. I’m disappointed but not giving up, I just needed to vent a bit.
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I wanted to try Omnipod 5 after seeing advertisements for it on TV. I started the system last week. It was going fine until the PDM controller glitched and stopped working. without that I can not control my insulin. I felt disappointed this happened in the first week. I wish there was an app for my iphone but as of now there is not. I wanted to try it because I get tired of dragging around pens everywhere. I travel because my daughter lives in another state, I thought its easier to fly without dragging a bunch of pens with me. My son is a cyber security specialist and coder. When he first looked at the PDM controller he said, its a cheap android reprogrammed for use as a PDM controller. He didn’t have a lot of confidence in it but it is what it is. The Omnipod Rep was very nice and texting with me while I talked to customer service. I was annoyed this happened the first week trying it but I kept my temper in check. I’m disappointed but not giving up on my month long trial (that’s the amount of time I gave myself to decide if I like it). I have to say, I do like it but I can’t have glitches like this that will effect my insulin delivery. Hopefully this new PDM controller will work fine for longer than a week.
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Like I said @Josephine, I get it. All variants of the diseases that cause the use of insulin are intensely frustrating, and having the tech let you down in the first week is really a pain in the ass. When my son started pumping we had many setbacks, including pumps dying unexpectedly, sets being occluded, trial and error to figure out which set worked best in my son, sets getting ripped out, etc etc etc.
Ultimately, the pumping was worth it, but it was anything but a smooth ride in the beginning. Many other people decide that the pains of the tools aren’t worth it. It just seems a shame to give it up after only one week. That is my 2 cents. Spend it how you will.
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You can always return the system and try a different pump. I had Minimed for almost 20 years, then wanted to try the Omnipod. For several reasons I couldn’t stand it, so after a month I returned it and got the Tandem pump. I LOVE IT.
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Allison, I got a new PDM yesterday. I posted something on that. I was disheartened that within the first week of trying Omnipod 5 I had a PDM failure. Without the PDM I had to go back to the needles. I’m glad the company made good but, I never expected to have a problem like this in the first week. This is why I was on the fence for so long about insulin pumps. I felt like I was in more control of the needles the only problem with that is i travel to see my family in other states, it is a royal pain in the A$$ to drag all the needles and pens with me through airport check in and such. I’m giving it another chance with the new PDM.
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Chris, I am not giving up after a week. If I was I would not have contacted the Omnipod 5 Rep and Omnipod customer service. They moved fast on it and I got a new PDM yesterday and set it all up. That gave me some confidence in Omnipod 5 support. I expected to have some glitches but to have the PDM delivery system give out in one week left a bad taste in my mouth. I did make a post on Omnipod 5 customer service acting fast. I am giving them one more chance. We’ll see where it goes from here. Like I said I give Omnipod 5 praise for acting so fast to help me. I feel good about that.
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No matter what you end up using, you should always have a backup. So if you end up using the pump, you should still bring your basal insulin and needles and pens as a backup. If you go back to MDI, you should have spare needles and spare pens for travel.
But one alternative would be to mail the needles to your family ahead of time.
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Eric, yes I understand to have back up needles at all times. I talked with my Endocrinologist about this when I first inquired about Omnipod 5… I realize systems fail. I never thought 7 days in the PDM would fail. My son is a cyber security specialist and coder. He fixes cell phones in his spare time. He looked at the PDM when I first got it, his remarks were it is a cheap android reprogrammed as the Omnipod 5 PDM. He would have fixed it for me but he did not want to violate whatever Omnipod 5 had as insurance to provide a back up. I’m happy Omnipod 5 customer service jumped on it and overnighted me a new one. That gives me confidence in the company. Anyway Omnipod 5 is getting a second chance for acting so quick on this problem. The alternative of mailing my pens would entail overnighting them. I was told by my pharmacist they can only be out of refrigeration for 72 hours it might take longer than that to mail them from Florida to Connecticut or Philadelphia.
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The Dash PDM was cheaper still, makes the 5 PDM look “new and improved”…it seems like Insulet is behind the eight ball to complete and roll out apps for a variety of phones with FDA approval also slowing that down. Once they do this the majority of users will probably leave the PDM at home in the box and control the pods with the same phone they use for the Dexcom G6.
As far as backup supplies are concerned, one other thing I always do is carry multiple extra spare pods. I want to be prepared for several pod failures in a row, even though that is very unlikely and has never happened in the several years I’ve used Omnipods. FYI I’ve accidentally ripped two pods off over the years scrambling through crowded airports, so it is essential that backup gear for insulin delivery is in the carry-on, not checked baggage.
One thing I hope your endo stressed is the big difference between a pump failure with short acting insulin as your basal and being on MDI with long acting basal. Now that you are using a pump for your basal, any failure will allow your BG to skyrocket quickly, meaning you need to react within a few hours to a pod failure or knocking one off, etc.
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Seconding @Eric but adding that I carry sufficient pens for both the 'pod and MDI; the 'pod uses much more insulin than MDI for me because I lose a whole lot of insulin on every pod. I did try getting prescriptions for both vials and pods; I find the vials easier to use with the pod and my inner environmentalist doesn’t like the extra materials in the pen. My insurance company nixed that by refusing one or other prescription because I had the other. Just get pens.
Getting a long acting insulin is no problem whatsoever, except that even with a minimum refill amount I have to throw the things away because they go out-of-date. Explaining the concept of needing a stock that, if everything goes right, I will never use is not worth the effort; when your prescription comes up for renewal (assuming you are still pumping) get a prescription for 300IU per month (10IU/day) and fill it as required to maintain 2-4 pens within their expiry date.
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The Eros PDM was DIY; it held some Insulet electronics and, on a separate PCB, some Abbott electronics. Earlier versions of it had a reliability problem which led to the PDM failing when the AA batteries were changed. This caused pod loss. Insulet were perfectly happy to send a new one, even though I’m sure the Eros PDM cost them a lot more than the Dash PDM.
With the Dash PDM, well, I just kept getting new ones. At the end of the day I believe most of the issues were actually software issues, however I do suspect the underlying 'phone hardware had a deficiency in its battery charging controller (BMS). The 'phone was one that could be bought for $25 on Amazon; full retail price. The advantage to this is that it costs Insulet a lot less to send out a new Dash PDM than it does to have their customer service (typically very very good) talk to you for an hour, a lot lot less. My inner environmentalist cringes.
If you want to give your son apoplexy ask him to check which web sites (“DNS queries”) your O5 PDM contacts when connected to wifi. The Dash PDM attempts to contact one in China once a day; I say ‘attempts’ because that web site is blocked in my local network. I don’t know if the PDMs will log in to “open” wifis; the UI to the Dash PDM suggested not, but there is no guarantee and there is some evidence (unproven, just a possibility) that the Dexcom G6 does this so it may be par for the course.
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It is MUCH easier to carry needles and pens on a plane than pump supplies. All of those infusion sets/cartridges/pods/CGM stuff/whatever you’re using take up space, as well as the backup syringes/pens/vials. I can’t imagine taking a break from my Tandem pump now (I know it will keep my blood sugar great overnight so I sleep much better) but I am discouraged with the waste it generates and how much space my pump and CGM supplies take up when traveling. It is what it is though, and I’m happy with my choice. Hopefully you’ll find what works for you.
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In the USA Tsa precheck is an enormous help, at least with the Omnipod which does not show up on US airport metal detectors (TSApre gets takes you through the metal detector not the mmwave stuff). The G6 doesn’t show either.
I’ve only once had a problem with supplies, that was before the 'pod and before TSApre. The official might have been having a bad day, or just high BG. These days I just put the pens into a bag (use a gallon one, they don’t care - they’ve seen insulin pens before 
The needles go into another bag with the replacement pods, G6 inserters go into a third. I don’t carry a spare transmitter.
This does all go in carry-on, but then the only other things in there are my camera, my MS Surface and various spurious leads and power supplies, couple of ear buds, 'phone for the 'pod/G6, agéd kindle paperwhite. Pretty much carry-on is a bag of tech.
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Getting through security is not a problem for me - it’s the copious amounts of extra stuff I have to plan for and pack in my bags!
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