My little girl has been on shots for 2 years now. We are going to the Endo this week for her checkup and maybe get started on getting a pump.
She does gymnastics and I was wondering if having a pump will get in the way.
PLEASE HELP.
thanks
It is likely that you would disconnect the pump during gymnastics. The site should not get in the way as I would think it would generally be under her leotards. The only difference is if you are considering the omnipod. That sticks out more/is larger than the sites for the pumps with tubing. With my son, we disconnect before swimming and he is so active he doesn't need the basal insulin he misses. I would think the same for your daughter during gymnastics.
so does the infusion set stay in place? just disconnect the tubing? If that's so then I shouldn't worry.
Yes, the infusion set stays in place. Ask to see one at your endo's office, they should have samples.
There are many infusion set choices but they are all approximately the same size on the skin. There is only a little plastic straw (cannula) or a short needle that stays in place in the skin. The three pumps you can research are the Animas Ping, the Medtronic Minimed and the Omnipod. You can google all those companies to get information about them or go to the Pump group here and read the various posts.
We picked the Ping for our son (also 4) and we love it.
I was also going to suggest seeing if you could a hold of a sample or two to try out. That's what I did when I was trying to make the decision to switch to the pump. I don't do gymnastics but I disconnect whenever I'm swimming or going for a quick run.
I have a MiniMed, and it is super easy to disconnect the tubing and leave the infusion site it. The insert I use also come with a protective cover that you can put over top while the tubing is disconnected. This would probably be a good thing to use if you have something like a leotard right on top of it. The edges are a little rough without it and could get caught on the material. Also, the location of the infusion site might be something to consider. Depending on the routines she does, having a site in the front of her stomach may be annoying. There are lots of other places to insert that won't get as much "bending" action. Good Luck!