I just started looping this past week with Dexcom G6 and Omnipod Eros and thought I'd share my experience with the process so far while they're fresh.
Some things I didn't know before starting the process/things that surprised me/stuff:
- You have to spend some time on a pump first to fine tune your settings if you're not already on one. I had never been on a pump so I spent about 3 weeks pumping to make sure my settings were all correct. Our initial values were pretty close to what I ended up with so that part might be longer for some people if new to a pump.
- This one is probably going to be a bit controversial since everything I read said otherwise...I do not think it's something a person who isn't very comfortable with computers or tech should attempt. Everything I read said "it's not that hard" "anyone can do it!" "just follow the instructions!" I think if you have someone in your life who is technically adept who can help you, then sure give it a try. But it was more complicated then I was expecting based on how many people told me it wasn't hard at all. For someone who is a programmer it probably seems super easy, for someone who isn't...it's rather hard and complicated (in my opinion--I know many people disagree with this). I'm not trying to discourage anyone but I think this reality needs to be more clearly stated to potential loopers. I would say if you have any idea how to use a command prompt/terminal then you're probably fine if you're good at following instructions carefully. If you don't know what a command prompt/terminal is or how to use it, then I wouldn't attempt it.
- Similar to the point above, but this kind of thing is for someone who is confident making decisions about their diabetes/treatment. There is a very helpful and supportive community, but you need to be the kind of person who takes initiative in your daily diabetes care to do this. I can't say how appreciative I am of the people who took the time to make this accessible for the general population, but I think the attitude of "just follow these steps" is a little misleading. You need to have a firm grasp on how your body and how diabetes works before going down this path.
But with that in mind...
- So far it has already had a big (positive) effect on my daily life and mental health
- I can actually sleep at night now and so far every morning have woken up in range
- I've gone almost an entire day without even looking at my blood sugar when I'm busy working/only have small snacks since I'm not getting any alerts and it's adjusting automatically. Honestly I almost cried when I realized how long I went without thinking about my numbers.
- Eating/dosing is so much less stressful
- I'm really lucky to have an endo who is very supportive of it and got help from the pump educator/nurse in her office
Money stuff:
- I had the startup cost of the omnipod since I wasn't already pumping, for me that was $330.49 (1 PDM, bought outright, and 45 pods), this is with insurance covering 90%
- $99/year Apple Developer account
- $150 x 2 Riley Link = $300 (people don't tend to include 2, but it seems like a mistake not to have a backup, so maybe not essential for someone tight on money but realistically you should factor this in if you want to be able to use the system reliably)
- Other considerations: I already had a macbook (you need this) so I didn't have to spend extra for that & now since I use only one insulin I have one $15 co-pay versus $15 x 2 per month (but that's more about a pump versus looping)
- I already have been using a Dexcom, I pay $94.69 for a 90 day supply of sensors plus $53.64 for 6 month supply of transmitters, so not a new cost but related I guess, this is with insurance covering 90%
TLDR: Looping isn't easy but 1000000000% worth it, you (and your partner) can sleep now.
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