Omni Pod Check In

So I've had the Omni Pod (insulin pump) for over a month now and I told myself when I first got it that I would give it some time and then really make up my mind about how I felt about it all. Well, the jury has reached their decision and .... I. LOVE. IT. Of course there are pros and cons, but in my case the pros totally outweigh anything negative that I have to say about it.

There are lots of things I love about the Omni Pod pump. I love the flexibility it gives me to eat whenever and wherever. If I am out in public I no longer have to worry about getting out a needle and pulling out a piece of skin from my stomach, arm, or leg to inject. Talk about minimizing exposure in public! Now all I do is press a button on my Omni Pod and just like that insulin is being injected into my body and no one else has to know or see the process happening.

I also love that I can change my basal rates throughout the day. Typically, a non-diabetic produces insulin 24 hours a day to keep blood sugars stable and then more is produced when you eat. Depending on the time of day and your activity level, any person is likely to need a different basal rate of insulin throughout the day. Before the Omni Pod I gave myself 1 injection a day of an insulin called Lantus that would work for 24 hours, slowing releasing insulin into my body at a consistent rate. Now, the Omni Pod does the same but as it turns out at certain points of the day I need more or less of this basal insulin, and the insulin pump allows me to do that. In turn I have experienced so many less high and low blood sugars.

My favorite part of the Omni Pod though has been sharing my experiences with family and friends. I had been really worried about attaching this "thing" to my body and having to explain it, but it has actually turned out to be a neat experience to share with so many people. My two favorite reactions have been from my Dad and from a child at the Child Development Center I work with.

When my dad was here a few weekends ago I offered to show him how I change the pod and we even dissected an old pod to see the components inside. We were both intrigued by the engineering of the pod and it sparked a lot of dialogue between the two of us. I appreciated so much his interest in this part of my life. It's nice to know that something that can be such a pain in my life can bring me closer to people I love.

And then just yesterday I was in a 3-year old classroom helping a teacher give a little boy some asthma medicine. He was very apprehensive about using the inhaler in front of his friends and I decided to show him my "medicine" and took off the sleeve of my jacket to show him the pod attached to my arm. I told him how I needed medicine every day and how it helped me feel better, even though no one else I knew had to use medicine like this. He didn't really say much but the look in his eyes and the smile in his face said it all ... and he took his asthma meds like a champ after that.

While this disease has so many physical components to it, it's really the emotional side that needs tending to on a regular basis as well. Today is a good day and I am feeling so confident in the decision my husband and I made to try the Omni Pod.