I am happy to report, I got my new Omnipod PDM controller in the mail today. I just want to post that I am grateful to Omnipod 5 customer service and Reps. I got the new PDM controller, set it up with the settings the my Omnipod 5 trainer sent me and it is all go to go! I have a new pod on. I hope this controller does not crap out in a week. If it does I know Omnipod 5 will help me. That makes me feel good about the company. If you are interested in trying Omnipod 5 just know their customer support is wonderful!
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Are you using it with a CGM, i.e. the Dexcom G6 (the only one it supports)?
jbowler, not yet. I wanted to see how I felt about Omnipod 5 first. I saw my Endocrinologist on Thursday, we talked about getting Dexcom G6 CGM. She said I will be getting a call from Southern Diabetes to set up getting Dexcom G6.
My understanding is that you will then need a 'phone which supports the G6 app and the Insulet PDM. That might be fine, but you might also consider just buying an S10 (or one of the other supported 'phones) on Amazon.
I did this when Insulet announced the O5; I had swapped to an iPhone because Insulet seemed to be supporting Apple with the Dash, but with the O5 I immediately went to the kPhone. Compared to the cost of the rest of the stuff a 'phone is cheap (not quite as cheap as the ones Insulet use - the kPhone cost me about $200 - but still cheap.)
I should add, I do not use the O5; not because I didn’t want to, I just haven’t been able to get in to see an endo for over a year. I use AndroidAPS with the Dash pods, which works just fine (TIR 70-180 close to 100% for the past month or so since I started) but has the disadvantage that when I forget to stay close to the 'phone everything stops working.
The Omnipod 5 Rep informed me that the Omnipod 5 PDM controller links to Dexcom G6 CGM. I don’t need an app besides I use an iphone so right now there is no app linking to iphone. All my devices are covered by Medicare. I don’t have to do or buy anything. It has all been worked out with Medicare. I see my Endocrinologist every 3 months. I have other health issues going on. I have a genetic liver disorder called PBC (primary biliary cholangitis that is what caused my type 1 diabetes to start with. My damaged liver caused my pancreas to stop making insulin. I was put on insulin pens. I’m closely watched by my doctors. I got curious about Omnipod 5 after seeing it advertised on TV. I was set up with a Rep who dealt with Medicare and I started my trial period. I was told if I decide to stay with Omnipod 5 it works best with the Dexcom G6 CGM. When I give my final go ahead for Omnipod 5 Southern Diabetes will contact me about getting the CGM. I don’t pay for any of my medications Medicare does.
You need an app to activate the G6; what the rep told you was correct but maybe slightly incomplete. You need a compatible phone for the G6 activation.
@John58, others; please correct me if I am wrong, you know I find this whole shebang very confusing.
The question of the day is whether the Omnipod 5 PDM can start a Dexcom G6 sensor/transmitter without using the Dexcom receiver or the Dexcom phone app. I have not tried starting a G6 sensor/transmitter that way but I doubt it would work. But starting the G6 with the G6 receiver will work, and once the G6 is started the BG data can be read by the OM5 PDM with no phone app needed.
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My Omnipod 5 PDM has a section on it for Dexcom G6 CGM. I am sure if I decide to go with Omnipod 5 the Rep or Southern Diabetes who supplies Dexcom G6 will go over all that with me when they call. It is my understanding the Omnipod 5 and Dexcom G6 communicate with each other and it all connects on my Omnipod 5 PDM I do see a set up on Omnipod 5 PDM for the Dexcom G6. Either way I will get it all sorted out, I’m not worried.
It cannot; the O5 manual is completely silent on starting the G6, instead it says that the G6 has to be started following the manufacturers instructions. The O5 manual is, however, very firm on using the G6 receiver along with the O5 system, see my post in one of the other threads on this topic:
I’m not going to repeat that post here because there is much more information in the whole thread.
It is unfortunate but it does make sense that the O5, either the app or the O5 receiver, can’t activate a pod; neither app nor receiver talk to the G6, instead they talk to the pod which talks to the activated G6 sensor. The pod communication with the sensor is passive; it doesn’t stop or start the sensor. If the pod could do either of those things it would be a major extra factor in safety.
The question that remains is:
But remember that not only the manual but also all the Insulet representatives say, consistently, that the G6 receiver cannot be used with the O5 system. Now I suspect you must be correct; the O5 is completely agnostic on the issue of how to start the G6, however if it is started from the receiver it is going to be necessary to free the receiver slot up before the pod can connect. That’s going to require a period of disconnection, the 2 hour warm up may be enough, but maybe whatever starts the sensor has to be there to finish the job after the 2 hours?
Logically it should also be possible to do manual mode with the G6 receiver; that sounds like something you might have tried @John58. The problem is that if the pod ever gets to know the transmitter ID it’s going to sit there trying to grab the receiver slot from the G6 receiver. That’s a point you made before. Insulet are definitely against using the receiver even in manual mode:
I’m sure Insulet are simplifying, but given the convoluted and restricted setup the 2-slot G6 design has created I can see why they would want to simplify!
Drawing in another point from that thread, and your own post in yet another thread, while the O5 receiver does get and make available the CGM data Insulet reps are saying this:
The rep at Omnipod said that the Omnipod controller doesn’t replace the receiver - it doesn’t give you glucose level alerts and you can’t start/stop a sensor with it.
That’s from @Lethean’s post on the first thread. Apparently the O5 does give a 55mg/dL alert but it is said (same thread again) that it doesn’t give any other BG alerts and it doesn’t give lost signal alerts. This is somewhat strange; AndroidAPS in comparison gives lost BG reading alerts, lost pod connection alerts (I guess that’s really a lost phone alert; actually quite useful) and so on.
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Does anyone know what the magic formula is to get the Omnipod PDM to charge on a different charger than the one it came with? I’ve tried plugging mine into several different USB-C chargers I have, ranging from 7.5w to 65w, and it only makes the charging tone/bong when I use the the one it came with. I also tried leaving it plugged into the 7.5w one for several hours, to see if it was actually charging, and it was not. Anyone else having this issue?
I plugged mine into a number of different chargers without issue.
I did change over to use the magnetic dongle thing though, causes a lot less stress on the USB port itself, and makes it easy to ‘plug in’.