Getting my pump! A few questions....

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lauraw1983

lauraw1983

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hi all

Loooong time no see....however I got a letter last week that my insulin pump funding is now available! 🙂

I am very pleased about it of course, however a few things have been on my mins,just looking for people's experiences and some reassurance I think....

Holidays. Beach/sun/sand holidays.....how do you deal with these? I'm worried about the insulin getting too hot, about the pump getting damaged or wet etc....or worse stolen or something if it was left in a bag too? I have two young children & don't want to always be thinking of diabetes on holiday, I want to be able to pop in and out the pool with them as I always would have done?

Wearing clothes like tighter dresses etc....where the hell does the pump go? I know it's not THAT big but you don't want it "ruining" the look of a nice outfit or dress etc? I'm aware it sounds vain but it's genuinely playing on my mind - I do want a pump for better control to solve my stupid basal needs but I also don't want to hate it because it's a "constant reminder" if you know what I mean.....

Any advice appreciated, hope you are all well xx
 
Not being a pump user, I can't offer any useful advice - just wanted to say how pleased I am to hear that you will be getting one! 🙂
 
Northerner said:
Not being a pump user, I can't offer any useful advice - just wanted to say how pleased I am to hear that you will be getting one! 🙂
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Ah thanks Northerner! Me too, it'll be close to a year since I joined the list by the time I get it which is much better than the 3 year wait it used to be up here!

How are you?
 
Ive not been on a beach holiday with my pump yet but it would be a simple case of disconnecting the pump. I say simple, for me it is with the my particular model.

You could then reattach it and give yourself a little extra to compensate for the basal you missed out on during swim time.......

I think the worry of it getting damaged/wet/stolen is valid but not something you can really totally get rid off. Just make sure you have bags that are secure and always be mindful, as you would with any expensive gadget.

You will probably want to bring some injections with you also, in case there is a problem.

As a man I just stick mine in a trouser pocket or clip it to my belt.

Woman can use there bra for things like dresses I think, but obviously I have no real experience......
 
lauraw1983 said:
Ah thanks Northerner! Me too, it'll be close to a year since I joined the list by the time I get it which is much better than the 3 year wait it used to be up here!

How are you?
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Nice to see the situation is improving 🙂 I'm fine thanks, still no basal since April 2012! 😱
 
Hi Laura,
many ladies tuck the pump between boobs, others use tubi grip and pop pump in that on their thighs. Loads of fancy bags etc are also made for holding a pump. Enterprising peeps also sew pockets into their clothing just for the pump.
There are waterproof bags/cases to pop your pump in. Heat simple solution don't have the tube or cartridge in direct sun and you will be ok. You have to remember pumpers do live very happily in hot climates without a problem.
Damage/stolen insure it. Always carry spares with you which include pens and or syringes.
You can leave your pump off for up to an hour, so no problem in and out of the pool. But if it worries you that much then revert to mdi whilst on holiday.

The first few weeks many people do end up hating their pump and feeling like dropping it from a great height. Work through the barrier and buckle down to sorting your basal and things will improve no end. You have to remember Rome wasn't built in a day and basal rates certainly weren't sorted in a couple of weeks.
If you haven't already done so give yourself a head start and buy the book pumping insulin by John Walsh (Amazon) it will be the best investment you ever made.
Best of luck with it. 🙂
 
Hi, glad to hear you're getting a pump, do you know which one?

The Animas is waterproof, so you can swim with it on (can't dive though, due to pressure changes). Other tubed pumps need to be detached for swimming - they can be off for up to an hour before you need to test your BG and reconnect to replace lost basal. What we tend to do on holiday when going to the beach is leave the pump in our accommodation and just take out testing kit, hypo stuff and an injection pen of novorapid for topping up his insulin. At swimming pools with lockers, we may leave the pump in the locker (depends how secure we think it is!), otherwise again we leave it in the accommodation and just bring his inj pen etc. to keep in the locker. We keep hypo remedies in both the locker and on the poolside (if he's with friends, he's supposed to put his hypo box under the lifeguard's chair).

I worry more on the beach about stuff being nicked from our pitch while we are swimming in the sea, but that applies to clothes/money/keys etc. and the usual precautions need to be taken. I take a Frio pouch to put the pump in when detached (the pump goes into a sealable plastic bag first to keep out any dampness).

When my son was little, we had issues reconnecting the pump after a day on the beach due to sand granules in the cannula connector, and so we used to cover his site with a tegaderm dressing before going to the beach. However, this doesn't seem to happen now he's a bit older and not spending so much time digging in the sand and making sandcastles.

I admit I do find the pump somewhat of a nuisance on holiday, but still it's advantages far outweigh this 🙂
 
Great news about the pump Laura!

Good answers already about the questions you have asked. Have a dig back through the pump section too for other threads as your concerns are just the sort of thing that many people worry about pre-pump.

I find the pump is *genius* for holidays. My control on MDI was always very patchy/hit and miss when away and I almost expected to be clanging from teens to 2s pretty much every day.

This hasn't been the case on a pump at all. As others have said, insulin is robust even at quite high temps if kept out of sun (some people fill cartridges with less/change more often if in *very* hot places) and disconnection for an hour deals with many activities. If disconnecting for longer you can temporarily reconnect and micro-bolus to top-up basal or take pen out with you as Redkite suggests. The ability to add in mini-boluses for ice creams and snacks (I could rarely be bothered on MDI) and using TBRs for activity/walking etc gives you a lot more flexibiity when on holiday I have found.

Lots of 'where to wear' suggestions in Pumping Insulin.

Hope your transition goes smoothly. 🙂
 
I haven't been on a hot holiday since getting my pump last November so not sure exactly how I will manage it in the heat.
I keep the pump in my bra and while the shape shows a little depending what I'm wearing, it just looks like a phone shape and I know quite a few women who keep phones in bras. I don't like things in pockets or on belts so the bra works for me.
Good luck with your pump. 🙂
 
I love my pump on holiday, it means I can be as flexible as I want about food or exercise and still get reasonable control.

I've been to plenty of hot places with the pump and I just kept it out of direct sunlight and only put enough insulin n the reservoirto last 3 days. That's worked fine in all kinds of places, rainforest, beach, desert, sailing, trekking etc.

When sailing I clip it to my bikini bottoms and just disconnect to swim. If im in a waterpark so likely to be disconnected for a while I put it in a locker and pop back every couple of hours to check bg and bolus. I find as long as im active in the waterpark that offsets the lack of basal and the occassional bolus is enough.

If you want to stay connected in the water eg we did a couple of days white water rafting, you could try a waterproof case. I used an Aquapac and it worked perfectly for the rafting. For just popping in and out the pool personally I'd just disconnect.
 
Thank you all - lots to think about. Sorry for the delay replying!

I guess I will just need to see what works for me when I have it for real life experience....and the option of back to MDI is always there for certain circumstances.

Had my first meeting - I am getting a purple medtronic Veo! :D
 
Sounds good to me ! Let us know how you get on & good luck. I have a veo too & would NOT give it back 😎
 
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