OmniPod 5
Transformative or a Tease?
I’m an OmniPod user and was immediately happy I made the switch when Animas went out of business. Within the last year I “upgraded” to the OmniPod 5 and don’t quite know how I feel about it. I was using the OmniPod Dash before and had gotten into a groove where my average blood sugars were in the 100s. I was really proud of myself, but was still facing the ups and downs and monitoring my blood sugars like a hawk. Switching to the OmniPod 5 seemed like a dream come true. It would be the first time I would be using a closed loop system and I couldn’t wait. Adapting to a new medical system is always an adjustment, and I didn’t expect anything less with this switch; however, this is not entirely what I expected.
Although I am making it sound like I’m completely unimpressed with the new system, I’m not. There are some positives like, I’m getting more sleep, I’m able to exercise better, and I’m not always a slave to eating. Let me go through some of the pros and cons:
Pros
Previously, I suffered from waking up in the middle of the night with lows. This would happen on average about three times a week and I always accredited it to the fact that I generally exercise in the evenings, sometimes only a few hours before bed. I tried to adjust my schedule so I was exercising earlier in the day, but no matter how hard I tried, exercise always got put off to the evenings. Then I would try to adjust my basal rates with a temporary basal rate throughout the night, but my blood sugar would fluctuate too much and I wasn’t entirely sure when and for how long the lows would hit. Now, I have almost zero issues with a low at night. I am sleeping a million times better and as a result have way more energy through the day. I’m also not stressing about changing my exercise schedule because my pump has been handling it.
I also used to struggle with low blood sugars during and/or immediately after exercising. My body has always seemed inordinately sensitive to activity. I could walk for five minutes and if I didn’t prepare, my blood sugar would start to drop. The OmniPod 5 has this incredible feature called “Activity” that when turned on, keeps my blood sugar at 150. It’s not perfect, but generally if I turn it on about 30 minutes before any planned activity then I don’t suffer from significant low blood sugars. I also like to use this feature if I’m expecting a low later in the day after exercise, in the middle of something around meal time and know I won’t be able to eat immediately, or am hungover. There are a number of instances when I am swamped at work, trying to get something completed by a rapidly approaching due date, and just don’t have the time to think about food until I’ve completed the task. While I understand I have an excuse to bend the rules or make adjustments when need be, when possible I want to live my life as if my diabetes doesn’t dictate it and the OmniPod 5 system has helped me do that a little more than before.
Cons
Why is my blood sugar always hovering above 120?! Not just why is it at 120, but why is it hovering between 120 and 150? Previously, I worked VERY hard to keep my blood sugar between 90 and 120 and my hard work has paid off with a 5.5 A1c. With this system, while it’s nice not to have to monitor my sugars like a crazy person, I am definitely higher than I want to be. I’ve had to adjust my approach to boluses and corrections to, sort of, overcompensate for the higher rates. However, that doesn’t always solve my issue. Maybe I’m just dumb and my settings are off making my blood sugars higher, but I can’t figure it out.
Also, why won’t my closed loop pump address my high blood sugars enough? I’m sorry, but I don’t have time for four hours of dealing with a high and feeling awful. What I’m about to say would make my endocrinologist cringe and is not the approach anyone should take lightly, but I used to aggressively give myself insulin for a high and then suspend my pump (with a temporary basal off) if it was dropping too fast or going too low. Sometimes I would even have a small snack to offset the over correction. My hope with the closed loop system was that it would do this for me so I wouldn’t have to think about it or worry, but no. Usually the system will suggest I don’t give insulin for a high because of the insulin already on board. If I follow this suggestion it takes forever for my blood sugar to come down and it doesn’t always come down far enough - and I regularly eat healthy and exercise. I’m still in the process of figuring out the best hack for this. Right now it means giving more insulin, but how much more?
While these are issues that not everyone is fortunate to be blessed with, they are my reality. I’ve always strived to keep my blood sugar in the best control possible so I may live a long and healthy life. I think that is what most of us want. I’m just not entirely sure how to do that with the OmniPod 5. Overall, I like this system because it addresses my low blood sugars in a way I can’t. Also, I can turn the closed loop system off and just use my programmed basal rates, but I’m really trying to give this innovative system a try because if done right, it could truly be life changing.
Should you have tips, tricks, or suggestions, they are welcomed - I know I can’t be the only one dealing with these this!
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That bump is my pump!
Young, Dumb, and Full of Ketones
Have any of you just gotten flat out furious at your diabetes for holding you back? Dumb question, of course you have. Well here's a story for ya…
If you are familiar with the old “scene” scene, then you may have heard of the “When We Were Young Festival” that happened in Las Vegas Nevada on the weekend of the 21st, October 2022. Well, if you are very familiar, then you probably heard that the first day of the festival was CANCELED due to high winds. Which yes, there were high winds, this was true. Anyways, one of my best friends and I drove all the way from Los Angeles, to Las Vegas, which is about a 4 1/2 hour drive.
We get there, check in at the lovely Wynn Hotel, just to find out our festival we have been excited about for a year was canceled. So we ran around Las Vegas, trying to make the most of our time there. I don’t think I had a bite of food for over 12 hours, barely any water, and was very actively running around. My CGM was running out of time, and although I felt fine, something hit me. I was with a friend who isn’t diabetic, as most of my friends are not. She can do that. She can run around for a day without worrying about food or water (although I do not recommend this for anybody). However I, as a type one diabetic, need to be in constant alert about my condition. My body starts to feel a certain weakness as I can tell it is becoming Ketonic from lack of nourishment (Side Note: Ketones are glorified by people trying to lose weight and products trying to promote that. A person without diabetes can handle Ketones just fine. However, with type one diabetes, Ketones can be deadly.).
Any who, long story short, I started to not feel well. I needed food, I needed water, I needed to rest for a second. My body's alerts were going off, and I knew I needed to set aside the shenanigans for a moment and take care of myself. My friend also noticed that I was feeling off, and immediately took me to get food. This brought up many feelings as I am also getting older, which is strange to come to terms with. Not only am I feeling old by going to a festival called “When We Were Young”, but I am noticing that I can’t be as irresponsible as I used to be with my health. I realized that taking care of my condition, even in a simple way such as making sure I eat an appropriate amount, is all a part of the game. Also, I must note that I am extremely lucky that I do not have any major health consequences from living the way I used to when I was actually young, with type one diabetes. Most people are not so lucky.
All in all the trip was absolutely fabulous. We got tickets for the second day and the festival was amazing, as were all of the bands that I was waiting so long to see. My friend and I were both feeling old by the end of it after standing and jumping and moshing for 12 hours. Once I paused to take care of myself, I felt much better. I felt better because it was an eye opening and humbling experience and motivated me more to live and embrace a healthy lifestyle that I need to continue to thrive with diabetes.
