My 10 year old (small, lean girl) has recently started gymnastics. She is there for three hours at a time, three days a week. I just don’t see how she will be able to wear her pump during practice. However, I don’t know if it’s a good idea to have the pump off for 3 hours at a time. I’m not as concerned about a low because her Dexcom is working and I can pull her out for a snack. I’m more concerned about the high BS. Thanks for any advice.
I love gymnastics! I never did it but it’s my favorite sport to watch so I’m cheering on your young gymnast already.
Exercise can actually raise numbers in some people:astonished:. I was diagnosed in 1963 and back then we were told of you feel you’re high (no BG meters - I’m happy to be a dinosaur) do some exercise to bring it down. That’s no longer a universal truth. I don’t recall if there’s a clear connection between aerobic and anaerobic where one tends to 
it while the other sends it 
, or if a person has to figure it out for themselves. I’m sure other members will chime in, and it’s been mentioned in other discussions.
All of that is to say, you may just need to keep an eye on things and see which way she goes, and set an exercise profile that accommodates her needs. Remember if she does take the pump off and you don’t stop delivery it will be thinking she has so much insulin on board when she reconnects.
Assuming she does need to keep it on there are waist belts people often wear to hold their cell phone and necessities while exercising so a pump would fit. They stretch and fit close to the body - one is called Spibelt but there are other similar products available. I’m thinking wearing the pump around her side might provide a bit more protection.
I sometimes tuck mine into my exercise bra (that may be later though).
Then there’s the option of removing it periodically rather than for the entire duration.
And you may hate this idea with all your heart and wholeheartedly refuse it - which is fine - but some athletes take shots at least during their sports season as they find it more practical. That’s just an aside.
Here’s an article about athletes - professional/Olympic with Type1. It can be done - as with everything we have to figure it out as we go…
Hi! Former gymnast here. I unfortunately didn’t have a pump when I was in gymnastics and instead did MDI. Just a thought- I would maybe disconnect for certain parts of practice.
For example, I think bars would be pretty challenging to have a pump on for because you’re constantly hitting the bar (gently but a pump might feel in the way).
Versus for exercises like floor, and vault- if you did use a pump holder like the one mentioned above, you’d be able to safely keep it on and the only real risk I could think of would be the potential to have a freak fall and causing some impact to the pump (although not sure if that’s a super big concern since they’re built pretty durable).
The only other option I can think of is maybe a different pump? Of course you guys need to pick which one makes the most sense for you and the one your daughter is happiest with, but I did impact sports and for that the omnipod was fantastic. You can’t disconnect it, but can suspend insulin delivery when beeede and then the pod is just stuck to you which I could see being pretty handy for gymnastics. You’d also be able to choose pump sites where the pod would never be touched which would be nice too! Although again it’s up to you guys on what works best 
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Hi Cathy,
Although I am not a parent, I was that 10 year old child active in sports. I was diagnosed at age 2 and have played soccer for years up to high school. I was having the same issue and what my endo recommended with my mother was to do a high protein meal to keep my blood sugar stable and applying a temporary basal and play with the amount of time and percentage until you get it right. Luckily for you the dexcom is available and should help a-lot in finding what works. As far as pump protection there are multiple cases and bands available for protection. I can’t necessarily recommend one because I have hated all the ones I have used how ever they have done their job protecting my pump.