Posted on by Lorraine

Carrying Case | OmniPod & More

I’ve found myself many times balancing Caleb’s OmniPod case on my leg, having just stopped in the middle of the grocery story, the amusement park, the baseball field – you name it – to check a blood sugar right then and there with no place else to rest it.

The PDM does not fit in the space meant for it when it has the skin on and well the skin is made to protect it, but it’s not all that protected when it’s just resting on the clear plastic/elastic strap that’s meant to keep it safe but no longer can.  Are you feeling my quandry?

We’ve been using a new case (pictured here) for the last couple of weeks, and I’m quite pleased.

Case packed with all the essentials

I’m able to fit all of Caleb’s regular stuff in this one place. The angle of the picture doesn’t properly show it, but there’s a two inch rim around the entire section where the PDM is so nothing falls out. There’s even room to spare. You could include an extra Pod and a vial of insulin or a small tube of glucose tabs, even a glucagon kit. Another thing you can’t see well in the picture is a movable divider between the PDM and the Multiclix.  This can be removed or moved within the case to tailor to what you need to pack.

This is the case that goes wherever Caleb goes.  It has all the must-haves, especially when I add the glucose keychain on the zipper pull.  It’s neat and tidy.

At first I felt a little vulnerable without those elastic straps holding each piece in its proper place, but I’ve found the rim on this case precludes that need. Nothing falls out.  Have I mentioned that already?

There are three things, however, that I think could improve this case:

1. Color, pattern, decal, colored zipper – something with color. Anything with color.

2. A zipper compartment would be great for the small things. I put all those little things in a snack sized ziplock bag and tucked that in the mesh pocket that closes with a velcro patch.  It’s slightly more cumbersome to access, but I rarely need those things in there, so it’s not a problem.

3. A less slippery fabric or some rubber stoppers/feet on the back of the case. It’s slippery just like all the black meter cases out there.  So even though nothing falls out of it, balance and coordination are still needed to make sure the entire case doesn’t fall off my leg.

If you like to keep your PDM in the carrying case when you check your sugar, this case isn’t for you because of that rim. Caleb or I always bring the PDM to his blood drop rather than bring the blood drop to the PDM, so it’s not an issue for us.

Neat and tidy

Both the carrying case and the keychain are from ReliOn and are sold at Walmart. The case is $7.99 and the key chain is $1.82.  The case also comes with a nice flat cold pack if you need to keep your insulin in it.

Happy Podding and/or carrying! 🙂

23 Replies to “Carrying Case | OmniPod & More”

  1. Thanks for the review, Lo : ) I have a diapak but it’s sometimes just too big/bulky to carry (even tho I have classic ( ithink) so its a prettty small one). I saw this one at Walmart yesterday and almost got it…did get the keychain though! ; ) couldn’t say no to something so neat and nifty for under 2 bucks : )

    1. Jess – I have the Diapak too (for all the backup stuff) and it is BIG! I’m thinking of getting another one of these to replace it.

  2. Pretty neat case and at an excellent price. And have I been living under a rock? I had no idea about the glucose keychains!! It looks like it hold two glucose tabs? I think I need to pick a couple up right away – one for my keychain and one for the zipper of my meter case!

  4. Great post Lorraine! I agree, I always have to do a balancing act when it comes to the PDM in that case! And taking on and off the protective silicone case drives me insane! It doesn’t fit into the OmniPod case -did no one at INsulet even think about this when designing it? It boggles my mind sometimes. This case looks perfect – I am going to get one. And you cracked me up about the blood – G does the same thing with bringing the PDM/strip to her finger and not the other way around. Thanks for the great info and post!

  6. I am sooo getting a glucose key chain!!! NOW that is handy. The case looks cool too. ..I would need to see it in person, but like the lip so the lancing device isn’t rolling off the edge and hitting the floor. Great post and thanks for the insight!

  9. I’m definitely checking that out! I went all crazy on my OmniPod case with my not so great sewing skills for the same reasons you mentioned. I managed to cut some rigid plastic placemats to the size of the sides of the OmniPod case and then insert them under the fabric of the case, and while I was in there, I detached one side of the elastic loop for the PDM and used the excess elastic to lengthen it so it fits the case with the skin. It worked great for a while- but the thing looked like Frankenstein when I was done sewing it back up and sadly, it’s not holding well… 🙂 Time for an upgrade?

  10. Hey Lorraine! I am pretty new to the diabetes world. My son was diagnosed on July 28 of this year (his 15 month birthday). I just wanted to say I’ve enjoyed reading your blog and because of all the information you have posted, we are hoping to get him on the OmniPod. We did a trial last week as far as I’m concerned it should work well for him. I just wanted to know, from your experience, is there anything I should be concerned about with the OmniPod especially because he’s so little??

    1. I’m new too. My 9 year old daughter was diagnosed on May 3, 2010. We are also looking at the different insulin pumps including the Omnipod. I have heard that the pod easily falls off if you sweat a lot or bump it agaisnt a chair or corner of wall and once it’s off, the insulin is wasted. Also, customer service is not that good (I emailed them 2 weeks ago with questions and they have yet to reply to me.) I find that choosing a pump is very hard and overwhelming! Let me know what you decide. Thanks!

  12. very nice, Lo…i may need to venture over to WallyMart myself…but that place scares me…the merchandise is piled so high!

  13. I’m with Karen that I knew nothing about the glucose keychains either! And here I thought I knew of everything that came out lol. That seems like a very handy case to have but color would be so much better! I just ordered a case from accuchek (even though it fits the Ping meter) in pink + although I love the color, the placement of the elastic place holders makes me have to move the meter to insert the strip. I also LOVE the cases from Myabetic and Stickmedesigns but those are a bit bigger for the every day carrying around. I may have to check this one out. Thanks for the info!

  15. My 9 year old daughter was just diagnosed this past May. We are now just starting to look at the different insulin pumps. I LOVE the idea of NO tubing and the self automation insertion of the Omnipod but of course I have heard of a few cons re: if you sweat a lot, the pod easliy falls off and then the insulin is wasted, pods are easliy bumped off if you hit a chair or corner of wall, customer service is not good (I actually emailed them 2 weeks ago with questions and they have yet to reply to me!) Are you still happy with the Omnipod? Would you recommmend it? Any information would be very helpful. Thank you.

    1. Hi Jan!

      Thanks for your comment. I just emailed you about your specific concerns. We personally don’t have any of the issues you mentioned and are very pleased with OmniPod. My email goes into a little more detail. 🙂

  16. Wow – Thanks for the recommendation. I’m the same way. My daughter has used the Insulet case for over a year now and she’s even dropped it once coming out of the bag which cracked the screen. They asked why I did not purchase the bumper case. Well, we have it, but it won’t fit in the bag with the plastic strap. Great idea!

    For those who have posted who are interested in the Omnipod, we love it! Not that she hasn’t had an issue with the pod getting bumped or coming off, but it was on a rare occassion. She has been in soccer, swimming, etc. and never had it fall off because of sweat or water. Also, the telephone customer service is great! They answer quickly and have always been very helpful. I have heard the tubing on any pump can disengage, so I don’t see that as a downside for Omnipod! Ok, that’s my sales pitch!

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