Hi @Tee25 . As promised, I did start on the Omnipod 5 Thursday afternoon. I practiced with a pod using sterile saline a few days before - I only did one but it was helpful for me to learn to navigate the PDM (I have an iPhone and it’s not yet compatible). I don’t actually mind using the PDM but I’m not crazy about the way the device itself is set up. But I’m getting used to it.
Now as for the pod, which I’m sure you’re really interested in - so far it’s going well. I had read that people run high the first two or three pods, as the system is learning to “read” your body, so I was expecting that. My daytime numbers were under 200 from about noon on yesterday, but I was in the 200s overnight - sometimes the mid 200s and it took a long time to come down. I forgot to turn on my Dexcom alerts so didn’t realize until I got up; so I didn’t take a correction bolus around 7:00 and it didn’t stay coming down until noon.
My trainer told me the system corrects conservatively as you’re starting, to prevent over-doing it; so while I would have liked a faster response as far s the overnight adjustments, I’m keeping in mind that it should be better in future.
With Tandem I used T:Connect to see my graphs and history and share my account with my doctor. I had Dexcom Clarity running in the background because I’m a very visual person and preferred the the ones on TConnect. Using Clarity with Omnipod is going to take some getting used to
You use the Glooko app to share your activity with your doctor and I’m getting used to it. Glooko reads from Dexcom and I believe links to various pumps. I’m waiting on the code from my doctor’s office so I can link my account (or whatever you call it) for her to view.
I used Activity mode yesterday and it worked like a charm. I was setting it on my TSLIM about an hour before leaving work as I tended to be dropping then and usually still ate a snack before driving home. I set the one for the pod an hour before leaving, and numbers were good and steady, and safe to drive. And with the pod you must set a duration for the mode - with Tandem I frequently forgot to turn it off, so this is helpful.
Off to a good start! Just having to get used to carrying a spare bottle of insulin with me in case I need to start a new pod.
I have to laugh at myself - out of habit I still reach for my pump when I want to bolus, and go to grab it when I’m getting out of bed. Now I have to grab the PDM instead - old habits do die hard!
I’ll keep you posted!
I called Insulet tech support on Sunday regarding my numbers, which had been running consistently in the low and mid 200s. I expected higher numbers at first but thought the system would make some conservative changes crazy about that but was tolerating it as the system learned my body. As I said before, many new users find they run high the first couple of pods during its learning process.
Anyway, tech support told me that the auto adjust technology does not start working until after 3 days and one pod change. I don’t recall that in the reading or training but it covered a lot and I may have forgotten. I changed out my first pod Sunday afternoon and sure enough the numbers have been much better. I did have a high overnight but my correction bolus brought it down and my numbers have been really good! Glooko’s time in range is on a weekly basis and you can’t select specific dates as with TCONNECT - at least in the app. So since my first 3 days were high they’re affecting my overall TIR, but my graph shows I’ve been in it I would say 90% of the time! And my total daily dose is less as well.
Today I change my pod and I’m sure for a sensor change sometime in the next 24 hours. The pod and sensor are supposed to be in a direct line of sight - I usually switch my sensor from left to right and it didn’t matter much where I placed it, so this is going to be interesting🤔…
I placed Pod #3 while I was at work yesterday - first time doing it away from home but it went well. By the way, at home I put my vial of insulin in a foam cushion sleeve, but I was worried that would not be enough for carrying it in my purse. You cannot pre-fill the pod so you have to take your insulin with you, unlike Tandem where I took a filed cartridge with me on days I would need to change. Anyway, if you’re ever looking for supplies, in addition to Amazon check out Etsy - crafters and small businesses sell there and have some unique stuff. I got this 3 piece holder and chose purple and green.
The pod is working very well for me! I forgot to bolus for lunch yesterday and was in the mid 200s and rising. Tandem’s corrections took a while to get me back - typically a couple of hours at least; but I was back to normal in an hour! I’m really liking this - it’s working well for me.
I’m not going to lie, your story about it is making me really tempted in trying it. I go back in for my quarterly endo appointment in October so maybe I’ll ask about changing it then! I’ve only been a podder for pumps, so I’m super used to carrying around the vial. Extremely interesting (and cool) that you could prefill with your old one though! One question I do have, do you have to fill the syringe fully for the pod or are you still okay if you go over 125 or whatever it is? Currently when I do pod changes I fill the syringe with 125-150 units otherwise I have to discard a ton of insulin at the end of the 3 day window.
The pod takes a minimum of 85 units to fill. My 3 day total is less than the syringe holds but I don’t recall its maximum.
Results vary but I read a lot about users running high the first pod or pods. I just posted a response elsewhere on the forum so you can read my comments there, but do speak with a rep/trainer about the reasone. Things improved markedly for me with the second pod - for some it takes more - and have been pretty consistent since.
I see my endo next week - I’m not sure but I think I’m get first PODDER!
@wadawabbit @Tee25 These are great conversations! I started with a new Endo in August, who I really liked, and mentioned that I wanted to try a pump in the future but wasn’t overly excited about tubing or carrying an extra device. Her team (she works at a research hospital here in Boston) was part of the Omnipod 5 trial. Her comments were exactly what you would expect - people either loved it or they hated it with very little in between.
I am with Taylor, Dorie’s comments make me want to try it. I don’t mind the shots but my TIR is only in the 70’s right now and I have days where I can’t get below 180 unless I use double my normal dose (that is another issue for my Endocrinologist.) Doris, please keep us posted on how your usage goes.
Quick question - can you fill you Pod by using a Kiwi pen or does it need to be a vial? Just curious since I’ve only used a pen.
THanks!
MF
I’m so glad you’re loving it! One other question I have but not sure if you’ve run into it or not yet. What do you do if you get a wonky dexcom sensor? I mean I know you’d switch out the sensor but does it have so much control that if you’re sensor is falsely reading low or high that it either goes into over drive or suspends? That’s my major concern. I am actually psyched to hear about how well peoples overnights have gone though as I would love to wake up less 
So i originally did MDI for the first 7 years with diabetes. When I switched to a pump, my prescription just changed over to vials of humalog or novolog. I now just have syringes on hand in case of pump failure and then I have back up pens of basalgar in my fridge that I usually fill a couple times of year (usually because I will take a pen or two for trips etc throughout the year and then of course just need them on hand in case the PDM ever broke down.) in my 10+ years with the omnipod, I’ve only had to replace my PDM I think 3 times and insulet and my omnipod rep have always been great about getting it replaced asap. I’m sure this response has been even better with the dash system, I just have the original PDM because my insurance makes me go through huge hoops to get anything and my endo and I decided it was worth waiting for the 5 before pushing for a system upgrade with insurance.
@Tee25 , if you’re going to bolus and your sensor reading is off you have the option of inputting your fingerstick result rather than using the CGM value.
@MFBarry I too was wondering if you could fill via a pen. I do keep then as backup but have only used vials to fill from so far, so I don’t know if it’s possible. I did try filing my Tandem cartridge that way and the amount I thought I had filled was way off, but that may have been user error, so I’m going to stick with my vial and the kit at least for now.Your trainer can tell you is it is possible.
The pod comes in a package with a small syringe and needle you use for the fill - having it in one place is very convenient.
I don’t know what happened yesterday - I was in the mid 170s before breakfast yesterday. I would have bolused earlier had I looked before, but was under time constraints so my insulin didn’t get much of a head start. Omnipod usually brings me down smoothly and within an hour or so, but I was running high all day. That’s all to say, Omnipod won’t prevent the occasional mystery roller coaster ride. I changed my pod last night and was in the 150s overnight and now. I’d course I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know - just wanted to make sure you stay grounded as you read my experience.
Of course that happened two days before see I my endo, but nevertheless in sure she will be pleased with my overall results.
I saw my endo yesterday and she was very happy with my results. She did say the low end of my range - 130 - was high, but I explained that I set it there until I saw how the system worked, to avoid going low. Now that she’s seen how it works I’m going to lower it. I’m not sure if she’s had patients on the previous versions of Omnipod or was just speaking anecdotally, but she said she didn’t care for the prior ones and was glad to see and hear how well things are going for me.
BTW, unlike Tandem (and Medtronic?) there is no sleep mode. The auto adjust technology is doing its thing because I’ve only gotten a couple of overnight alerts. With Tandem I got frequent low alerts (I know, settings, settings) but I’ve only gotten 1 overnight low and a couple of highs since my second pod.
While there is no sleep mode there is one for activity, and you must set a duration up to 24 hours. I find that very helpful as I sometimes forgot to turn it off before.
A couple of “I wish” items - these are personal preferences but sometimes it helps to know:
The fill syringe is marked in 50 unit increments. It’s not very big to start with - short and fat, so I guess you can’t mark very much. Still, I would like to have a better idea just how much insulin I’m putting in. You must fill at least 85 units to start the pod so the 100 marker ensures you’ve done that. But if you use say 40 units a day it would be helpful to see where the 120 is. Of course I try to draw out a little more than I’ll need over 3 days, but I don’t want to waste much.
The fill syringe is short and fat, which might be awkward for people with large hands or who have issues with manual dexterity.
I would like to know how much insulin is in my pod as time goes on. Tandem lets you know after the first 24 hours or so (as I recall), and you could see the number drip down. Omnipod does not show you anything until you get to your last 50 units. Just a pet peeve of mine.
Thank you for telling us about your journey. I am starting the Omnipod 5 next week - leaving injections. I hope it goes as well!
I hope you’ll share your thoughts! You may have to post through the first pod (hopefully not many more) to see how it does. I hope it works well for you!
New learnings: while you must start a pod with no less than 85 units (it will beep to let you know), my trainer tells me you can use it until you get to 0 units. I don’t know how much actually remains in the reservoir after that so proceed with caution.
And once you get the 3-day notification to change your pod, you can continue for another 8 hours - if you’re okay hearing it beep every hour until you change. So if you loaded too much insulin you can continue for a while. It is not recommended to siphon out insulin to re-use.
Thank you for the advice!
Please be sure to verify things with your trainer. If you find tips I would love to see them!
I will. I am meeting with the trainer on Sept 8th. I will pass on anything new that I learn.
Somewhere in my research I read something about “screaming Omnipods” - If they fail they emit a very high pitched sound.
If the @moderators will allow it I’m attaching a link to a YouTube video on how to turn it off; if they need to delete the link just look up “screaming Omnipod” and you’ll find a number of instructional videos to choose from.
I haven’t encountered it yet and hope I never do, but just in case…
I checked with my trainer who said typically this only happens if you fail to deactivate a pod before tossing it out. After 3 days it will start alerting, thinking it’s still attached.
Dorie @wadawabbit thank you so much for updating us so often about how you’re doing with the omnipod! I’ve enjoyed reading how you’ve been doing with the new pump and comparing the features you mention to my tandem pump. I hope the transition continues to go smoothly for you! (As smooth as anything related to T1D can go 
)
My pleasure @6yGodsGr - and BTW, I love the name you chose to use.
A few more thoughts - my shared experiences with Omnipod are going to be stream of consciousness - my thoughts as they come to me, rather than organized postings:
My time in range is very good and improving. All I can think is that Omnipod’s algorithm (don’t ask me the details) works better for me. According to Glooko my TIR has been 82% this week, up from 79% last week. I’ve had a couple of big highs, and a few lows but nothing I couldn’t handle. Those were user error: there’s only so much any pump can do if you forget to bolus or take too much insulin. That said, I find Omnipod starts correcting highs much more quickly than TSLIM: I might have had to wait 2-3 hours for a high to start to come down with TSLIM: with Omnipod I’m coming down within an hour. And while TSLIM might over-correct (I know - settings, settings), Omnipod has brought me back to normal without going too far. I’m also finding I recover from lows faster: with TSLIM it could take a while for me to start “feeling normal” again - sometimes 45 minutes or more. With Omnipod I start feeling better, sooner.
Now remember that’s just my experience. Hopefully yours will be similar but you just have to see.
A random thought: I’m getting used to the Glooko app but am not in love with it. It doesn’t have the same type of graphs T:Connect provided: and while While T:Connect was powerful enough to let you see various reports and slices of data in the app itself, with Glooko you have to log in to see certain things, and if the same type of graphs are available I haven’t been able to find them: T:Connect had bar charts which I found helpful, but I haven’t found those in Glooko. Rather than try to explain specific differences - which might be more confusing than necessary - I’ll just say check out the Glooko app for yourself, even before you start Omnipod. Glooko pulls from Dexcom (or Minimed’s CGM, I’m sure) so you’ll have real data to view and compare with T:Connect or Minimed’s software.
Also there is a lag time between readings and when they show on Glooko. Below is a screenshot from when I tried syncing. And here’s the confusing part: I’m not even sure if syncing brings current readings into Glooko (if not, why sync?). I guess I need to get some training. It’s just not as intuitive as T:Connect. I may be able to find what I’m looking for in Dexcom Clarity - it’s just that T:Connect worked so well for me I was hoping to have a similar experience with Glooko. I hope that makes sense.
Well, that’s enough of my ramblings for now. If I haven’t said it before, some of my thoughts may not apply to you; but if they do, please remember they are not official proclamations about Omnipod but my personal experiences, which may not be the same as yours. So use them as discussion points with your trainer and perhaps your doctor.
