I will be switching to an insulin pump for the first time in a few days and the one thing I just cannot grasp is where to put it.
For example where to put it:
When you sleep
When you exercise
When you shower
When you don't want it to be seen
And just where to put it on a day to day basis.
I thank you all in advance. This is the first time I've tried to connect with other diabetics and any response will help me feel like I'm not alone in this life long battle.
Hi Ann, it is my son (age 4) who is on a pump so how he wears his might not be as helpful as an adult's response but here goes. He wears a SPI belt (www.spibelt.com) most of the time which keeps his pump in good place, even for exercise (and he's active!). He keeps it in there when he sleeps too though we've also had it out of his belt sometimes and it just lays beside him - just have to remember when you get up to pick it up rather than let it fall to the ground. We disconnect for his bath and just suspend the pump for the time he's off. I know there are pump clips and accessories to help ladies wear it discreetly. There's some items listed on Diabetes Express (which is Canadian, but I'm sure there's a US equivalent if that's where you are). www.diabetesexpress.ca - look under Carrying Cases & Accessories. We absolutely love the pump and find it so much better. So hopefully you can find a way to wear it and be comfortable - it's worth it! All the best to you. Janet
You will find yourself becoming very creative! I usually just tuck mine into my pants pocket, but it always depends on what I am wearing. At night i just clip it on to my pants/shorts in the small of my back. I am a belly sleeper so it works best there. I also have a thigh pouch that I sometimes use if i am dressed up. I have also learned to cut little holes into blazer/coat pockets that I then run the tube through and toss the pump into the pocket. I do also have several belts that I have found online. I have one that looks like a cell phone case that clips right to my belt loop and I like to use that when I am in jeans. I have several other clips for it that allow me to put it on my waist band or pocket as well. I have even been known to stuff in inbetween my girls and wear it in my bra!
I usually don't worry about it being seen. i could care less if people see it. For me, I just want it out of the way so i don't rip it out accidentally. Which never happens ether. You will learn different ways of hiding it as you go and before you know it you won't even be thinking about it. Try different things and you will find what works best for you.
Hi Ann,
I've worn the pump for 5 years, and, like other posters, I've come up with some creative solutions!
Sleep:
When I first started pumping, I would pin a sock to the inside of my PJ pants/shorts, and slip the pump in there while I slept. If you really want to channel Martha Stewart, you could sew a little pocket on the inside of your PJs.
Now I usually lay the pump on my bed and just roll around my pump while I sleep. It sounds weird to a non-pumper, but you just kind of get used to it being there. And it has never gotten caught on anything or pulled out my infusion sight in the middle of the night, so don't worry about any horror stories.
Exercise:
If I am running outside, I like to use something like this: www.medtronicdiabetes.com/.../C-ACC-106-P
I fasten it tight on top of my shirt around the top of my rib cage (kind of over the bottom of my sports bra), and it really doesn't bounce very much or bother me.
Shower:
Disconnect. Disconnecting from your pump is really easy to do, and it likely will not mess your sugars up too much to be disconnected from it for the length of a shower.
Day-to-Day: Pants/Shorts
I put it in my pants pocket.
Day-to-Day: Dresses and Skirts
I wear a lot of dresses in the summertime, and the thing that works best for me is Spanx-type "shaper" shorts. I just put them on over my underwear (and under my dress), and then put my pump in between the Spanx and my thigh. The Spanx shorts keep the pump snug against my leg, and I've never had it fall out or anything.
Even if you have a thin frame and don't need the support of Spanx, just get a smaller size, and I promise you, these are the BEST for wearing pumps and dresses. I always buy them in nude color. If I'm wearing a shorter dress, I just scrunch the thigh part up so it won't show.
Places like Target, Walmart, Kohls and TJMaxx/Marshalls all carry less-expensive off-brand versions of Spanx shorts, and they work great. Here's an example of Hanes shapers at Target: www.target.com/.../ref=sc_qi_detailbutton
Hope that helps! I really love pumping - even when I was on shots for only a few days, I missed the ease and simplicity of pumping. Good luck with your new pump.
I have an insulin pump and this is what I do with mine. Just so you know I put my site on my stomach.
When I sleep I put it on my wasitband of whatever pants I am wearing. I put it right in the middle of my abdomen on the waistband so that I can sleep on my side without it digging into me and when you lay on your stomach it is still not in the way! (sorry if its TMI) but occassionally I like to sleep in underwear...if I do this or if I wear flimsy shorts I put the clip on the outside and the pump on the inside up again my skin to hold it in so it doesnt fall off.
When I exercise I just clip it to my waistband...I am thinking about getting an arm band or something to hook it on if I decide to put my site on my arm. Make sure you put the pump side on the inside of your waistband for extra security when moving around.
When I take it off. They will teach you when you get your pump that you can unhook your pump without taking your site out. Because think about it. When you shower you are naked. When you are naked, what is there to hook an insulin pump to? You can be off your pump for the duration of a shower and still be okay.
When I don't want my pump to be seen i hook it to the inside of my pants so you see a small bump but not the machine. For dances I wore a leg band that I hooked it to and when I wear summer dresses I just hook it to my underwear.
On a day to day basis I wear my insulin pump on my waistband on either hip (depending on what side the site is on.
Hope this helped. If you have any more questions let me know. kinstlerbg@gmail.com and I have a blog about my life with type 1 diabetes you should check out. www.iamjuvenated.blogspot.com
Clip, Clip, Clip.
When I sleep, I clip it to my boxers. Sleeping naked does NOT work. One time I woke up and the cord was wound around my leg and putting considerable tension on the site lol.
When I exercise, I either clip it to my pants or disconnect. Usually, I disconnect because I do high intensity interval training. Even moderate training keeps my blood sugar plateaued.
When I shower, I disconnect. But that's just standard procedure.
When I don't want it to be seen? I can't say I've ever not wanted it to be seen. I usually have too much stuff in my pockets to put it. It's kind of bulky...
On a day to day basis, it's almost always clipped to my pants.
Sleeping: I clip it to my pj pants or shorts, with the pump facing in. More security. I'm a pretty active sleeper.
Exericse: same as sleeping.
Shower: Same as what everyone else has said. Disconnect.
When I don't want it to be seen: I've slipped it in my bra, clipped it in the small of my back. Most of the time I don't care if it bulges a little when it's clipped to my waistband but if it's bulging a little too much, I slip it in my bra (only when I'm not going out for a meal or somewhere where I'll have to get a bolus or do something with it)
Day to day: Pants/shorts/skirts are easy. Just clip it to the waistband. I've gotten in the habit of clipping it with the pump inside my waistband. It seems to bulg a little less. Dresses are a little harder. Usually, I'll just wear sport or workout shorts underneath and clip my pump to that. (I've gotten to where I almost feel strange if I don't wear shorts under a dress.) But I'm starting to slip it in my bra more as well.
Hope you enjoy your new pump and it makes your life better and easier.