Tandem vs Omnipod...i need the truth

@julespthomas, congratulations on your decision! I think you’ll be happy with your choice. The Diatribe blog posted a link to this new site, https://www.diabeteswise.org/, that is designed to help with decision-making. It’s pretty generic, rather than focusing on brand comparisons, but it might help you with some ideas about what to expect. Good luck! You can live a great life with T1D!

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My son has had TD1 for 4.5 years diagnosed at age 20. He was and still is into working out. He is in the gym 5-6 days a week lifting. He’s had the TSlim for 4 years and no issue. The bigger challenge was relearning nutrition to maintain energy level and how to get strength and muscle gains. That took him a couple years to perfect, but it’s absolutely possible. The TSlim is no issue working out. He golfs occasionally and no problem with swing. He also has played tennis, basketball and volleyball with the TSlim. He doesn’t play those sports as much as he did pre-diagnosis, but that’s less about the pump. There are pump belts you can get for added protection and stability. He likes the TSlim for small size, compatibility with the IPhone, easy to use and it works. His A1C is consistently 6.5 or below. I know nothing about the Omnipod beyond its features. Tubeless never was a big deal for him. It’s also a very personal decision. If the Omni works as well as the TSlim, I could definitely see why tubeless would be attractive, but as someone already stated performance is most important in the long run. Good luck and keep up with your sports. Regardless of which unit you go with, the real win is sticking with what you love to do. It may be more work, but it’s all possible.

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I’ll try to just add some new info.

Your insurance will only warranty 1 pump for 4 years. That means they will only help pay for that that warranty-able piece every 4 years.

DASH, if available to you, is via pharmacy and doesn’t have a 4 year lock in. There is nothing to warranty for 4 years as the controller (PDM) is free.

Classic Omnipod: buy the PDM cash for $200 from Insulet and now there is no warranty lock in since the warranty is on the PDM.

Do, get an Omnipod system and try them out.

Check with your insurance and tandem to see what the return policy is. I think it’s usually 45 days.

Omnipod (classic) let’s you loop. Check out www.loopdocs.org for that. It can be a huge help in managing.

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The four year warranty [under certain circumstances can be longer] is the Manufacturer Warranty, and pumps are not warrantied by health insurance companies - you could probably by insurance company replacement insurance from a casualty company.

Once your insurance company approves and pays for a pump, and you pay any DME co-payment, you own that pump forever. The insurance company will continue providing pump supplies for as long as you are using that pump and your doctor confirms active and proper use by writing / renewing a prescription.

As far as “looping”, as I already wrote on this topic, the Tandem has an FDA inspected and approved “loop” that has been tested and retested.

Loopsdocs, which you must build and test, comes with this warning:
Important

Please understand that this “LoopDocs” project:

  • Is highly experimental
  • Is not approved for therapy

You take full responsibility for building and running this system and do so at your own risk.

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Well I have the omnipod and I’m so glad I picked it !!! I dont like feeling like I’m tied down !!! The omni for me is great, alot of t1ds that I know have it. If you have anymore questions for me click the 3 dots and click the flag, then click the private message.

My pleasure. I’ve found the tubing is very secure - even if I’ve dropped my pump it stays in place so long I place it horizontally rather than vertically. But I do understand some people prefer to go tubeless so I hope the Omni meets your expectations if you choose it. Keep us posted!

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Hi Everyone,

I know this is kind of a dated post, but I wanted to let you all know that I appreciate you all taking the time to share your experience: good bad or neutral.

I’m currently on the 670G, but will have a t:slim in 9 days thanks to the Upgrade Program. Like many of you, I’m not happy with the accuracy and the life of the sensors and feel that this move is the best for me health wise.

I had no idea about Tidepool, nor did I know that OmniPod had an updated device! Good stuff to read up on.

Anyway, I hope you all have an amazing Thanksgiving Holiday. Thanks again for such an informative post!

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Hi Amber
I switched to Omni Pod this past summer and then on to the Dash system a few weeks ago. I am very happy with it and use the Dexcom G6 with it. I too had had enough of the 670 G and when it failed, I decided to make the switch. The DASH system PDM is a much upgraded version of their original PDM. The PDM is rechargeable and I find I only need to charge it about every 3 days (depending on usage)
Omni Pod will be coming out with the Horizon system hopefully with in a year. It will be their version of a closed loop system and will pair with Dexcom.
I saw T-Slim at a Diabetes conference last spring and while the pump itself looked sleek and I like the idea of computer upgrades, I wasn’t impressed with the tubing connections.

Let us know how you like it. As with everything, choices and change can make having diabetes more bearable.

Anne

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@Anne98, I am very interested in this info. Thank you! I have been using Medtronic 670 G for almost a year. I need to switch, but, don’t want to make another mistake. I’ll be researching the Horizon system. I wonder how much it will cost for me to switch. That’s an issue.

Dee
Everything is insurance dependent but Omni Pod does not lock you into the 4 year agreement (I’m not sure about Tandem)
For the Omni Pod Dash, the pods are covered under pharmacy benefits instead of durable medical. It costs me $75 every 3 months for a 3 month supply of pods.
The PDM is free. My suggestion is to call Omni Pod. They are very Helpful and / or log into their web site and they will get back to you. They worked with my insurance and got everything set up for me.

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Great. I will do that. Thanks again.

Hi Anne!

Had no idea about the DASH system either! I’m super excited with all of the latest technology that we Diabetics get to experience in this lifetime :slight_smile:

I agree 100% that tubing isn’t for everyone. I think I’m silly because I prefer tubing on my pump, but like wireless earbuds :smiley:

Definitely will keep updates on the x2. Thanks again for responding. Take care!

I was having the same issue with the Omnipod. I was able to change to a 5X concentrate and now get 3 days out of my PODs

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@Philnenn, welcome to this site! I am curious about the Omnipod and have watched some you tube videos about it. Do you have any trouble with it falling off? I’ve read that is a problem for some users.

I have used Omnipod for 4 years. No problem with falling off. I wear on upper arm. Maybe once a year I have had a pod failure

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Hello, I am 51 and recently diagnosed as a diabetic. I am using a G6 since may and it has been a good experience. I finally got my first Endocrinologist appointment yesterday and she told me I need to select a pump. I had previously decided if I needed one I would do the Omnipod. When meeting with my Dr. she said she would much prefer the tslim and not the Omnipod. Now I am deciding between the two. I really liked what you had to say and it made a lot of sense to me. At first, the tube, ruled out the tslim. However, now that I have been learning to cope with all of my newfound life changes the tube might make more sense for me. I have my G6 and I lose Bluetooth signal daily, Sometimes more often but I have a backup. I still carry my finger tester and strips so there is no panic. If my pump would lose that Bluetooth signal I am not sure how that would work. Sometimes I don’t notice it right away then when reconnecting it can take time. With Diabetes I have noticed minutes are much longer than they use to be sometimes. Waiting for up to 30 mins to reconnect then catch up with the insulin could be a major issue I would assume.

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Hi @Dolphinjer . Your question was directed to someone else but I thought I would chime in here if you don’t mind.
I use Tandem TCONNECT software on my iPhone - sometimes it’s just more convenient to see my numbers on the screen than it is to fish my T-Slim out of my pocket. Starting a couple of months or so ago(?) I started having occasional Bluetooth signal losses with my phone, even if the phone and sensor haven’t been apart. You should have readings so long as your sensor and receiver are no more than 20 feet apart - maybe you left the receiver in another room and that accounts for the losses? Just trying to help you rule out everything before you take the plunge. BTW, when I used a handheld receiver I found it fit nicely into A Vera Bradley ID case - I used a lanyard so it was always on me.
Why does your doctor not want you to use the Omnipod - and more more, how do you feel about their reasons? Doctors may have pumps they prefer but if you have the information you need about each of the options it should be your choice since there is typically a 4 year commitment for the tubed pumps.

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@Dolphinjer Hello Gerald, and welcome to the TypeOneNation Forum! Being that you were diagnosed at age 51, you are in the category that I [and others here] envy. Why? because by age 51, I had been dealing with diabetes throughout my growing years and long before today’s WONDERFUL technology - decades before Digital BG Meters and when a blood sugar test took days to get a result. But anyway, we welcome you to this Diabetes Thing and I’m looking forward to hearing your progress.

Unless there is something extraordinary, I’ll take isue with the doctor’s assessment that “you NEED a pump”. Personally, I lived with diabetes for 47 years before my first of four pumps and for years maintained an HbA1c in the range 5.7 - 6.4% without use of a CGM. I changed to a pump principally because I was running out of real-estate for 2,000 injections per year.

Enough of that stuff. My strong recommendation for your pump choice is the Tandem t-Slim x2. I make this recommendation knowing that you currently use a Dexcom G6 sensor system and that after you have time to study and learn YOUR body [not a textbook body] and how you react to a half unit of insulin and most of the foods you currently eat and enjoy, you can activate the Control IQ [CIQ] algorithm on the t-Slim for an almost “hands-off” insulin delivery experience - known as iAIDs [look that up] Note that I’m not a currently licensed medical professional, just a guy who has used many diabetes management techniques during 65 years of active life with diabetes.

This Tandem/Dexcom system will take care of your Bluetooth connectivity problem - that I don’t understand. I use the Tandem pump as my principal Dexcom Receiver and when the pump is attached to me it is never further than a “tube-length” away from the G6 Transmitter - except for when I take off the pump and swim out a half-mile. Al long as I come back in range within three hours, both the pump screen will repopulate with all CGM readings as well as the Tandem and Dexcom clouds. Also, you will soon learn that being without insulin for 30 minutes will not be an issue.

I’ve possibly included thought here that you didn’t readily understand; please feel free to ask ANY question about diabetes on this Forum. I, and others will always be here to respond. You are now on a lifetime learning curve with many other people.

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Hi, Gerald, and welcome to TypeOneNation! My daughter has worn both Omnipod and Tandem, and she strongly prefers Omnipod — which is good, because the Tandem just didn’t work for her. The bottom line is to use whatever method of insulin delivery works best for you.

An unreliable Bluetooth connection actually isn’t any different with Omnipod than it is with the G6. If you don’t have a BG reading for any reason, you can always do a fingerstick. Omnipod’s PDM (personal diabetes manager) is just a remote control for the pump. It doesn’t need to be in range unless you want to tell your pump to do something different, like give a bolus or change the basal program it’s been following. In other words, the Omnipod keeps delivering insulin according to the instructions you last gave it even when its PDM is out of range. So you wouldn’t be going without insulin just because Bluetooth went out.

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Hi @Dolphinjer. In the age of Bluetooth, it’s always possible to loose a signal for a short time. IMO, integration with Dexcom is the game changer feature. Omnipod will have that eventually, but who knows when. If I’m understanding you correctly, I think the main issue is pump settings. Regardless of which pump you choose, you’ll have to set up and test basal rates, correction factors, and insulin to carb ratios. Once you have those correctly dialed in, a “dumb” pump will do a decent job of managing your blood sugars. The t:slim adds that extra layer of help by making automated dosing adjustments based on Dexcom values. For many people, that extra layer of help results in 1 or more points of A1C improvement and much more time in range. If the pump loses the Dexcom signal, after a short period of time it begins to function as a dumb pump, using the settings in your active profile. You’ll still need your blood tester from time to time :slightly_smiling_face:. If I misunderstood your concerns, let me know.

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