Medtonic sent their certified insulin pump trainer to my house
yesterday and I've been wearing it since about 8:30 pm 7/05/2010. I am
already noticing much tighter control over my numbers. The bolus
calculator is the best! I am wearing a paradigm 723. It is pink and I
got a funky hot pink and zebra print skin to put over it. I decided,
hey if I'm going to wear a pump I might as well make it look less
medical. Plus I work with kids, they love the new look!
I used to
wear the pump when I was in high school. I didn't like it for many
reasons. I was teased and kids literally ripped the pump right off of
me and laughed. The popular boys chanted "Hey baby what's your pager
number?" Obviously, what they think doesn't matter, and most of those
boys screwed up their lives anyway. I also had trouble wearing dresses
with that darn leg strap and the pump did not feel very convenient to a
16 year old girl in California. The point is that some of my earlier
concerns carried over to now. How do you wear a pump and feel confident
and safe?
My best friend (fashion designer) and I are working together to
develop new and better attire to make wearing the pump safer, more
convenient, more comfortable and a better way to hide it in a cocktail
dress! Let's face it ladies, the leg strap sucks! How can you hide a
pump in your bust without it looking awkward? How does a girl in the
HOT summer climate wear a pump unnoticed and in the most convenient way
possible? My best friend and I plan to tackle this issue along with
many others this summer.
My goal is to make functional attire that
is affordable and enables us all to continue feeling cute. If anyone
wants me to give them updates on our progress add me as a friend and
I'll keep you updated.
Hi! I'm new here and have used the pump since January 2009. I tried it briefly in 2003 as well, but wasn't ready for it then (lots of physical adjustment issues; it probably was an older model because the 722 I have now is great - only issue is when the adhesive from the infusion set sticks to the plunger sometimes upon changing to a new site). The doc I had from 2005-2009 recommended it constantly because of the tighter control it gives, and I finally caved in last year. She was right. My A1C numbers used to be slightly over 7 almost like clockwork, but now they consistently range from 6.1 to 6.8.
I've only had one person comment on it so far in an everyday social setting, and it was from a guy who recognized it because his diabetic wife also used one. In an online setting, one guy once commented that it looked like a pager. I can only imagine how much you heard that back in the day, but now that pagers are practically obsolete, I think insulin dependent diabetics will probably hear less of that now. :)
There is a lot more knowledge out there now too. I think kids are used to seeing more and more exceptional peers in school which is less troublesome. I work with kids and they love it. I also think it's great that we have the option to make it look less medical and more personalized. However, I am also a big fan of options. I would like young people to have more options.
its funny I think more of the kids at Rileys school think she is weird for not having a pump and using her pen. There are a LOT of T-1's in this area. Or one kid or another knows another kid who has a pump.
when i first started pumping 11 years ago, i got the "it looks like a pagers with a tube attached." i only got it a few times. i'm lucky to be surrounded by people who are more curious than mean or rude. they ask questions. it hasn't really bothered many people. especially now that pumps are more popular and seen in more places, i don't ever get questions anymore - except for occasionally from friends who want to know how it works.
good luck to you and your friend :o) sounds like a fun adventure to be undertaking. there's a big market out there for those kind of things!
Yeah, that's what we figured. (more market) I am big on comfort and safety now too because I just don't think it's wise or safe to have a $5000 piece of medical equipment hanging out like that. I'm going to do my best to solve issues and bring the information to others. I just don't think there is much attire available for pump wearers.
And who cares what anyone else thinks right now? Being a California girl, sure, image doesn't always matter. Let's face it, the economy sucks right now. You need to look professional during interviews, do you really want to explain a medical condition during an interview or look like you don't give a f**^ and keep your "pager/cell phone" on you? Needless to say, there are times when having a pump invisible is useful. Nowadays, I don't care what someone else thinks but I do care what I think. I personally would rather be able to wear fashionable attire because I want to. Why should I change? I also want options to be available for girls in less than favorable circumstances that can be humiliating and painful. So, I don't care what they think but I also want to solve a problem rather than do nothing. And if I succeed I might protect a few people from a negative experience.
Also, it may not matter what someone thinks but in my description I clearly stated that the pump was ripped from my stomach. That's not someone thinking, that's someone doing. I would have given anything for the pump to have been invisible then. When you experience clawing, scratching, blocking, crying and begging someone to stop maybe you'll comprehend my goal to keep people safe and provide a little confidence boost while I'm at it.
They weren't. It's really hard to get schools to do anything. It's even happened to me in college and the dean said it's their choice whether or not to allow me to take my insulin in class. He made the decision not to allow me to take injections in my dance class after another student grabbed my syringe in class. Then the teacher wouldn't catch me up on missed work when I left to take injections and the bathrooms were disgusting. This class was particularly fast paced and if you missed something it was really hard. Luckily I met some friends who helped me, outside class, keep up with the choreography because the instructor wouldn't show us twice. I think schools find ways around laws because they don't want to deal with the real problem.
Lol, it's a huge headache. I think using the pump will make college much easier.
This is way off topic. I just like to solve problems and prevent others. This is my goal.
There are a LOT of T-1's in this area. Or one kid or another knows another kid who has a pump.
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How interesting that there are a lot of type 1's in your area. I wonder if there's any statistics on the number of type 1 diagnosis by area of the country? I've heard that it affects 1 of 400-600 kids. My daughter never knew anyone with type 1 until she went to camp this year. There are a couple of type 1's at her school, but both are much younger with moms that go to school at lunch each day to give a shot. As far as I know, Sarah is the first kid the school has EVER had who gives herself a shot everyday. Our challenge now is getting them to let her decide on her insulin amount. They want a solid formula, but sometimes we have to adjust to keep her from going low. In fact, if she's having under about 45 grams of carbs for lunch, unless she's over about 120 (which rarely happens, she's almost always between 70-90 right before lunch), I don't have her take a shot at all. I think it will be good when she gets the pump in a couple of months, because then they won't be able to keep her from making her own adjustments!
Kellie your school stories horrify me. My daughter is fortunate to live in a good school district. There are quite a few kids with Type 1 and it is handled
There are a LOT of T-1's in this area. Or one kid or another knows another kid who has a pump.
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How interesting that there are a lot of type 1's in your area. I wonder if there's any statistics on the number of type 1 diagnosis by area of the country? I've heard that it affects 1 of 400-600 kids. My daughter never knew anyone with type 1 until she went to camp this year. There are a couple of type 1's at her school, but both are much younger with moms that go to school at lunch each day to give a shot. As far as I know, Sarah is the first kid the school has EVER had who gives herself a shot everyday. Our challenge now is getting them to let her decide on her insulin amount. They want a solid formula, but sometimes we have to adjust to keep her from going low. In fact, if she's having under about 45 grams of carbs for lunch, unless she's over about 120 (which rarely happens, she's almost always between 70-90 right before lunch), I don't have her take a shot at all. I think it will be good when she gets the pump in a couple of months, because then they won't be able to keep her from making her own adjustments!
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There are 6 kids at her school of about 500. She is the second oldest at 9. The other girl was dxed after her and she is 10. The others are younger and all pumpers. I go to the school daily to inject her. She wouldnt do it her self but the girl after her injects herself. They normally have her call her parents to tell her what to do. Tho she is very new at it so that is understandable. Ri knows what to give herself most of the time. She counts her own carbs and figures out her adjustments long before I do. She has started to inject herself more than half the time each day and she will do it herself next year. Tho I will always come if she needs me. Oh and 2 others graduated to jr high the year before she was dx'ed there. Its crazy. It seems like everyone else knew either nobody else with it or 1-2 others at the most. Riley is all over the board so I am sure they will make her call me often. She is normally high tho. Puberty is really messing her up bad.
Yeah, my numbers were really messed up in middle school due to all of the hormones. Eating more protein really helped me.
I think that maybe one of the problems with my negative experiences in school is that I have always lived in smaller towns and so it's less common to see anything out of the ordinary which makes it harder to create an effective plan.
She will be 10 in August and they have been messing with her since before her dx. I feel bad for her cause she is tiny and developing already. I wish I could get her to eat more meat. She thinks lions should become vegans lol she LOVES animals and doesnt want any of them to die. Do bad a vegan lion would most likely die sooner than later!!
We dont have a pedi endo here so as far as everyone else is concerned there is nobody here she can see. We live in the 3rd largest city here yet I can get her the care she needs. Even weirder is the amount of kids in her school alone you would think would keep a peds endo plenty busy.
Huh, that is interesting. There is 1 endo in my area. But he's only in the office on Tues. and Thurs. and there is a 6-9 month wait to get an appointment. My endo is through Kaiser now and I have to drive about an hour to see him. It's frustrating but it's working for now.
It's even happened to me in college and the dean said it's their choice whether or not to allow me to take my insulin in class. He made the decision not to allow me to take injections in my dance class after another student grabbed my syringe in class. Then the teacher wouldn't catch me up on missed work when I left to take injections and the bathrooms were disgusting....I think schools find ways around laws because they don't want to deal with the real problem.
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That's definitely against ADA compliance. You could register with disability services on your campus and they would have to let you, and you'd have legal representation. I'm registered with the disability services center on campus and it's saved my butt numerous times.
Yeah, I think I'll do that this year but the other problem is that you have to get your doctor to write a detailed description of needs and my endo is foreign. Let's just say his last note didn't make much sense. He is a brilliant doctor though. lol. I am just glad I have the pump now. I already feel like I can think faster. Thanks for the tips, ^_^
...the other problem is that you have to get your doctor to write a detailed description of needs...
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I wrote mine. My endo looked over it, approved of it, and signed it. I had a 504 plan in High School and basically wrote those requirements into letter format.
These are the services I get:
1. Test Proctoring (in case of abnormal blood sugar/frequent testing/frequent urination, and also as a courtesy to classmates so I don't have to check during the test)
2. I can test anywhere, any time as long as I'm not drawing attention to myself.
3. I can take insulin whenever/wherever I want, whether I'm on shots or the pump.
4. I can drink, eat and pee freely, regardless of any professors classroom rules.
5. I have priority registration so I can sign up for classes taught by professors who won't be a hassle regarding compliance.
It's been quite helpful. And I have to say, taking tests without distractions is very nice.
Kellie, I think it is just awesome that you are planning to design some clothing for pump wearers. I don't wear one with tubing, I wear an Omnipod, but I think you are very caring and right on the spot to try to help others. I wear my Omnipod on my arm and have had people aske me what it was (especially in the summer when I'm wearing short sleeves). I don't mind telling them. I actually had someone ask me what they were trying to get me to come down from, as in drugs. I guess they thought I was addicted and that it was weaning me off! I just laughed and told them it was an insulin pump. They shut up after that! :-)