writing my dissertation about type 1 diabetes, insulin pumps and fashion

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hbpeanut

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Hi all,

I have had t1d for 19 years (i'm 23). I am considering writing my dissertation for my fashion BA course about insulin pumps, and how fashion can be more accessible for those who wear them. Personally I take injections. I have tried the pump once for about a month, but its hard to remember much about how it feels.I do remember it being difficult to wear and style with a lot of clothes.

My question to those who do wear pumps, is that is there issues with finding clothes that are suitable to wear with your pump? Particularly for women, who wear dresses etc (I expect women to have more problems than men due to men wearing trousers that have pockets to store pumps in). I basically am not sure if there is enough of an issue around this to write a dissertation on it. what do you think? x
 
Hello hbpeanut.. Really good luck. I have had my pumps a while now & Love them, A couple of pushes of buttons & food has gone. Just sits in my pocket. Tend not to wear dresses etc :D
 
If very fashion conscious then the best thing to do is have a tubeless pump so problem solved 🙂
 
@Pumper_Sue oh I totally forgot those existed. You are right. I’m not sure if it’s really with writing my dissertation on this anymore as it may not really be a problem.
 
They are getting smaller too, here's one of the earlier pumps - try hiding this discreetly! 😱

pump backpack.jpg

@stephknits wears a tubless pump, and has made them into fashion items in their own right - perhaps you could post some pictures @stephknits? 🙂
 
@Northerner I wonder how the early pump would get on going through the airports these days? 😱:D
 
Yes, Im not sure how much I could write about it. I have other ideas too. Obviously this one sounded original hence why I thought about doing it. But now I think I might change.
 
Or expand it to all medical add ons - colostomy and iliostomy bags for example, not good with Lycra for sure
 
Body con dresses ARE a problem for sure - and you very often can't find ladies skirts or trousers that even have pockets or they're false pockets, or they're nowhere near big enough to safely hold the pumps I've had anyway. Bend down or even sit down and El Pumpo makes a bid for freedom so with hard floors going to the loo becomes hazardous rather than a relief!

Dresses almost never have a pocket and you have to bodge a hole in one of them at least to poke the tubing through.

It certainly restricts my clothing choices. I'm hoping one of our grandaughters will be sashaying down the aisle - but where I'm going to find a suitable frock I have no idea. I hope she gives us enough notice !

Think about it - what if mum of bride was a pumper?

What if you were a bridesmaid? Or invited to a ball? Or any of us needed to wear a particular uniform or were involved in amateur dramatics using hired costumes? Were a serious runner, gymnast, cyclist or ballet dancer?
 
mikeyB said:
Or expand it to all medical add ons - colostomy and iliostomy bags for example, not good with Lycra for sure
Click to expand...
mikeyB said:
Or expand it to all medical add ons - colostomy and iliostomy bags for example, not good with Lycra for sure
Click to expand...
Thats actually what I was going to do, I dont know much about colostomy bags. I was going to talk about maternity wear and how that has come about
 
trophywench said:
Body con dresses ARE a problem for sure - and you very often can't find ladies skirts or trousers that even have pockets or they're false pockets, or they're nowhere near big enough to safely hold the pumps I've had anyway. Bend down or even sit down and El Pumpo makes a bid for freedom so with hard floors going to the loo becomes hazardous rather than a relief!

Dresses almost never have a pocket and you have to bodge a hole in one of them at least to poke the tubing through.

It certainly restricts my clothing choices. I'm hoping one of our grandaughters will be sashaying down the aisle - but where I'm going to find a suitable frock I have no idea. I hope she gives us enough notice !

Think about it - what if mum of bride was a pumper?

What if you were a bridesmaid? Or invited to a ball? Or any of us needed to wear a particular uniform or were involved in amateur dramatics using hired costumes? Were a serious runner, gymnast, cyclist or ballet dancer?
Click to expand...
exactly- that was the sort of thing I would write about
 
There is a pump spiebelt that you can wear under clothes with your pump in it.
 
Easy peasy then Amanda as long as the frock isn't body con or drop waisted with a boned bodice similar to latest grandaughters dress she's borrowing for her Prom this summer - that she really does look stunning in. Let's face it, it was always difficult to go to the loo in anything long, lined, petticoats, stiffening etc even before diabetes arrived chez moi.

Now try and bolus for your dinner in a wedding (fishtail skirt maybe?) or evening dress etc if you don't have one with a full remote! A Spibelt wouldn't help at all. Can you even discreetly get to any skin on the right parts of your body to jab with a pen?
 
hbpeanut said:
Hi all,

I have had t1d for 19 years (i'm 23). I am considering writing my dissertation for my fashion BA course about insulin pumps, and how fashion can be more accessible for those who wear them. Personally I take injections. I have tried the pump once for about a month, but its hard to remember much about how it feels.I do remember it being difficult to wear and style with a lot of clothes.

My question to those who do wear pumps, is that is there issues with finding clothes that are suitable to wear with your pump? Particularly for women, who wear dresses etc (I expect women to have more problems than men due to men wearing trousers that have pockets to store pumps in). I basically am not sure if there is enough of an issue around this to write a dissertation on it. what do you think? x
Click to expand...
Hi. If you need a proofreader & editor for your dissertation, let me know? My brother has his own proofreading company & I am freelance ( not giving him the commission!!)
 
Expanding to other equipment, even a CGM sensor has difficulties - I had a hospital Dexcom sensor stuck on my abdomen for a week last summer and I had trouble finding any trousers I could wear over it - most of my summer ones are flat over the abdomen so I had to fish out some really baggy ones I normally only wear for gardening. And it was a nuisance having to carry the reader bit of the CGM from room to room wherever I went - my pockets tend to be full already, so I didn't have space for a fairly chunky bit of tech in them. A Libre is easier of course, because the sensor's a lot smaller and you don't need to carry the reader around with you, but even so I can't see the sensor looking good with a strapless evening dress or something with really tight-fitting long sleeves.

trophywench said:
Let's face it, it was always difficult to go to the loo in anything long, lined, petticoats, stiffening etc even before diabetes arrived chez moi.
Click to expand...

I couldn't close the loo door with my wedding dress on - my bridesmaid had to stand guard for me!
 
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