A day in the life of Myrthe with the Omnipod DASH® System

Myrthe Heida

Patient and blogger, Content creator and speaker for Insulet*

This morning I woke up with a nasty, low bloodsugar of 3.1 mmol/l. The kind of hypo that makes it almost impossible to wake up because your body is exhausted. I grabbed my insulin pump and lowered my basal rate to 0%. After that I stuffed my mouth with energy tablets. Soon I began to feel better. Just one look at my Omnipod DASH® PDM (Personal Diabetes Manager) and I saw my temporary basal rate lasted 14 more minutes. I also noticed I had no insulin on board and that my last blood sugar was 3.1 mmol/l. I checked my blood sugar once again. It was 4.8 mmol/l with an arrow upwards. Reassured and absolutely knackered I left my warm and cosy bed.

Type 1 Diabetes diagnosis

Eighteen years ago my mum took me to see our GP. I was five years old and got the diagnosis type 1 diabetes. Therefore I can’t remember anything about my life without diabetes. I do remember how different diabetes management used to be eighteen years ago. I injected at the same times every day and I wasn’t allowed to eat more carbohydrates than my doctor had advised my parents. Every morning I ate two slices of bread with cheese or peanut butter. For lunch I had two slices of bread with other low carb toppings and one slice of bread with chocolate sprinkles or Nutella. I thought it was annoying and unfair. I just wanted to eat what I wanted! Injecting at least four times a day was also a big deal for me. I hated needles and I still do.

After my 11^th birthday I switched to pump therapy. It was such a relief not to inject four times a day! However, changing my site caused me a lot of anxiety. Wearing a device like that was kind of cool, but at the same time I hated the design of my insulin pump. It was so big and hard to hide! I immediately tried to convince my doctor to create an insulin pump with a coloured screen, just like a mobile phone. He laughed at me and said that was something for the far future.

With just one look at my PDM I know the amount of insulin on board, my last entered blood glucose and my most recent bolus.

New insulin pump

After this morning’s low blood sugar, I realise how happy I am after being on the pump for a few weeks. The convenience of lowering my basal rate, how quickly I can see all the data I need to make diabetes management decisions, it all makes life with diabetes just a little bit easier. For a number of months I have been using the Omnipod DASH® System to manage my diabetes. That’s the insulin pump where the PDM looks more like a phone than a medical device. What I like best about the Omnipod DASH® is that there are no visible needles involved, the beautiful and functional design of the PDM and the fact that the Pod is tubeless! The Omnipod DASH® is a patch pump.

With just one look at my PDM I know the amount of insulin on board, my last entered blood glucose and my most recent bolus. My active basal rate is one swipe away. One more swipe and I see when my Pod ends and it actually ends today! Swiping on your insulin pump, how cool!

A beeping Pod

After a long day at work I got home and dropped down on the sofa. Exhausted but satisfied. I realised the low blood sugar of this morning cost me a lot of energy today. I turn on the TV, relax and start writing this blog. Until my Pod and PDM start beeping. For a while I forgot I needed to place a new Pod today! My boyfriend hands me a new Pod, the insulin and my PDM and within a few minutes the new Pod is placed on my arm. I write the last sentences of this blog, put my laptop away and fall asleep. Tomorrow’s a new day!

Love, Myrthe

This Omnipod DASH® System user testimonial relates to an account of an individual’s response to treatment with the Omnipod DASH™ System, user experience may vary, please speak with your healthcare professional.