I’ve worn and Omnipod, Omnipod Dash and a Tandem with Control IQ. I’ve never had as good of control as I’ve had now, on the latter of the three. If you go with Tandem, I’d dich the clip it comes with and purchase a NiteIze Hip Clip off Amazon (they’re for mobile devices, but greatly reduce the bulk of the Tandem). The tube is annoying, but you do get used to it. I refer to it as my “tail”, it’s like a piece of me now, and I no longer get out of bed at night without grabbing for it. The times I long for the tubless are in Summer, when I’m on the water, or when I want to take a bath. The Omnipod would just be there, the Tandem I have to unclip. There are waterproof-like bags, but they aren’t fully waterproof and in my experience a pain in the a$$ to deal with and bulky as can be. Also, when you unclip the Tandem, there’s an exposed needle at the end, so it’s hard to deal with where to leave it (ie I wouldn’t want it just on my beach towel while I’m in the water or in a locker at the pool). There’s also a opening at the site, which they do provide caps for, but like 2 per month supply so save up on those if you care to cover that hole, which I’d recommend doing so in lakes, oceans, and public pools, but I never do in the shower or bath anymore. For the needle end, I thought about trying a toothbrush cap, because it has a little hole for the stem, perhaps that would work, but I haven’t found a solution yet, and as far as I know, most people don’t worry as much about it as me.
The Omnipod at least when I had it had only one cannula material (plastic) and one canula angle. The Tandem you can choose different materials (ie steel or plastic) and different angles for different locations.
The Tandem seems to hold steady BG wise after a site change. With the Omnipods, I’d usually have to bolus after a site change or I’d go high, but it was never consistent in how much.
IMHO those are the biggest differences I noted between the two. If my control on the two were similar, I’d go for the Omnipod because it’s a little more convenient. However, my control has been MARKEDLY better on the Tandem, which I attribute mostly to the Control IQ technology, which I believe there is now an Omnipod with similar technology. When it comes time to renew, I’m not sure what option I’d go with if I had both (I currently don’t have an option to purchase the Omnipod 5, as it’s not available in BC Canada).
Another consideration: a pump, especially a tubed one, can be very mentally challenging to accept. I’d urge you to commit to giving it a 6 month try if you start to feel emotionally upset by the change, because that does go away. I had a VERY hard time accepting the tube mentally, and now it’s never a thought other than a mild frustration, but SOOO worth the progress I’ve made.
Cheers!
