Lyle's new insulin pump

As promised in my posting before, I said I would discuss Lyle's new insulin pump he's been using. I wanted to consult the "expert", aka Lyle on the pump before I put I posted anything on the blog.

  The pump is called the Omnipod. It's a little white pod about the size of half of a deck of cards. It's completely wireless and he sticks the device to himself with adhesive that's on the back of the pod. The pod works wirelessly and it has another device that looks almost like a cell phone that he uses to check his blood sugar, give himself insulin and check carb counts for food.

Omnipod



Personal Data Manager



The Omnipod is something neither me or Lyle ever imagined to help him manage his diabetes. It's so small, convenient and easy to use that I really think it will be something he's able to use for a long time. When I first met Lyle he was so against using insulin pumps to manage his diabetes. The main reason was because they didn't fit into his lifestyle. Most pumps have tubing that runs on the outside of the body. All of the tubing for this pumps is internal and he doesn't have to worry about pulling it out or breaking it. 

He's been using this pump for around a month and even though things aren't completely figured out with it, we still have a pretty good grasp as to how to use it. So far, he's really liking it and we've gotten good reports from his doctor that it's working well too. It's nice for him because he always has the pump connected to himself and he doesn't have to take insulin pens and needles into restaurants or family gatherings to give himself a shot after eating. Also, the pump gives him a small amount of insulin all day long, so this is supposed to help his sugar levels be more stable.

As with anything, this pump is going to take a lot of time and patience but I'm so proud of Lyle for trying something new and giving it a chance. It's a big lifestyle change for him because he's changing the way he's done things for the last 18 years! It's also nice that he's having to "relearn" some things because it gives me a chance to learn more about his diabetes too.

For anyone who's a diabetic and insulin dependent I would highly recommend the Omnipod. It's working well for Lyle and he really finds it easy to use.