Is It Time to Give Up MDI? My Omnipod or t:slim Possibilities

Back in January of 2018, I went off my Medtronic insulin pump that I wore for over 12 years and went back to MDI mixed with Dexcom. During this past year, I’ve had ups and downs with loving and hating MDI. I’ve been asked so many time, “how could you give up a pump to go on MDI?” and the answer has always been simple:

I love the freedom of not being attached to something and my A1C is pretty much the same as it is when I was on a pump.

Tresiba + Fiasp = Awesomeness

Tresiba has worked wonders for me and Fiasp was great for me as well. However, I can’t always be on those two insulins because my insurance dictates which insulin I have to use. So, if I can’t use a Tresiba – Fiasp combo, then my insulin management is not as great on MDI as it is with a pump.

One of the main reasons that I gave up the pump was that my sites fell off or leaked way too often. This was due to the fact that I used too much insulin. My sites were getting about 150-180 units a day of insulin which was just an overload.

This is also why I could never use an Omnipod, because I’d be changing it out every day and a half, not feasible.

I still love MDI, but I have been thinking, maybe it is time to go back to an insulin pump.

I have been wearing a Dexcom all year and the G6 for about a month and a half and I absolutely love it. For that reason, I do not see myself going back to Medtronic and starting back up on the 670G.

So, that leaves me with an Omnipod or t:slim insulin pumps.

You might be saying, “But Chris, you just said you use too much insulin for an Omnipod.”

You’re right, I do, so, I would do thing a little different.

Omnipod with MDI

I’ve seen and spoken with people who wear an insulin pump for the basal rate and then use MDI to bolus when extra insulin is needed. That is one option for me.

But, what I actually think the best option would be, and I don’t even know if this is possible to do, but instead of using the Omnipod for basal insulin, I’d still use Tresiba (which I love) and then use the Omnipod for just dosing bolus insulin at every meal. That saves me 4-5 shots a day (including correction boluses) and still gives me the freedom of not being connected to wires.

My goal in 2019 is to cut my insulin in-take in half. I’m going to do that by losing weight, eating better and doing a myriad of things to help increase my insulin sensitivty, causing me to use less insulin.

t:slim with Basal IQ and No MDI

My other option is to go full blown back onto an insulin pump with the t:slim X2 Basal IQ and combine my insulin regime with my Dexcom G6. This will create the downside of having to be attached to something again and having to worry about infusion sites falling off or leaking because of an overload of insulin, but, if I am able to lower my insulin usage, like I mentioned above, then I should be just fine.

I love the idea of using t:slim Basal IQ.

The most positive thing about this, is the fact that I have these options. The fact that I have the option (hopefully my insurance company agrees), to be able to make these decisions is awesome.

What are your thoughts?

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