As Arden grows, new sites appear

If I’m being honest I couldn’t find one healthcare professional to say that using the OmniPod for Arden was a good idea.  They said that she was too small and that her body style would be counterproductive to the way that the OmniPod inserts it’s cannula.  The people that work for Insulet (Omni maker) disagreed and most importantly I disagreed.  

I wanted Arden to use the OmniPod for a few distinct reasons.  Of all the insulin pumps on the market I found it to be the most forward thinking, it takes the best advantage of available technology IMO, it’s BG tester is made by Freestyle and we use and get consistently accurate BGs with Freestyle and it doesn’t have a tube.  Plus, when you choose you have to choose wisely as your insurance company won’t tolerate switching pumps as the are very expensive initially.  

I’m am elated to be able to continue to report that we made the right decision.  Now that Arden is getting bigger her arms are now wide enough to support the pod though as that growth spurt gave us a new site with one hand it took away another site with the other.  Arden now has even less body fat on her abdomen, which is to say she has none - but that’s okay because we gained the arms. 

Looking back I think that what health professionals weren’t aware that the OmniPod will take a bit of extra planning for a few years until Arden gets bigger.  It will be slightly more difficult to find good sites but it is not impossible or even difficult to use on a small child.  What I could tell them now (and am telling all of you) is that the benefits that the OmniPod provides far exceed any impediments that it carries.  I can’t imagine sending Arden to school if she was still getting injections, I think that scenario would have been a total failure, I think we would have seen constant lows and that her ability to learn would have been crushed by the demands of her care.   Arden has a great insulin delivery system and she isn’t tethered to a pump control unit by a tube.  For my money (well for Blue Cross’s money and my copay) you can’t do better then the OmniPod.  I wish I could give one to every child that wants an insulin pump and can’t afford one.  It’s a life-changer.

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Sophia's Mom

I just discovered your blog and I love it, thank you!  My Sophia is 2 3/4 (she'll be 3 in July) and she was diagnosed at 21 months, just over a year ago.  We started Omnipod a month ago and it is amazing.  For anyone considering it for a child, don't hesitate because of body type.  Sophia is extremely thin (28 lbs and 39 inches) and we have had very few issues with finding good sites.  Her A1C was 9.5 in February and I expect it to be around 8 in May.

Monday, April 19, 2010 - 04:17 PM