Saturday, April 2, 2011

Pump on the Run


The stories about wearing a pump are endless. Every diabetic that wears an insulin pump has stories of how their pump got in the way, fell, became tangled or was dropped etc. Personally, I have a handful of stories that I tend to break out at any diabetic gathering or if anyone happens to ask me - so what's it like having to wear that thing?

Basically there are two lengths of tubing you can get for the Medtronic pump, which I believe is 23 inches or 43 inches. I personally have the 23 inch tubing because with the 43 inch I can basically walk my pump - WAY to much tubing for me. Having tubing come off your body can be pretty annoying because it tends to get caught on everything.

If I happen to wear my pump in the side of my bra (under my arm pit) this tubing can hide under my shirt and doesn't tend to make an appearance to the outside world; however, if my pump is in my pocket that's when the tubing is bound to show.

A lot of people think that if my tubing is out, that my pump is about to jump, but this isn't always true - 23 inches of tubing can be a lot for my pocket, so sometimes it is just out no matter what. So what does this lead too? Basically if you have pump you are laughing now because you are thinking of just how many times you have had to untangle yourself from door knobs, handles, seat belts and random furniture. It's bound to happen - I even have had my tubing looped in belt holes with my belt or tangled with my purse straps - oh yes, the tubing will find its way to keep you connected to anything it can find.

The pump its self which is attached to the tubing usually ends up going for a ride once your tubing decides it wants you to remain where you are. My pump likes to hide in the couch - seriously I don't think I have ever sat down and not been pulled back down when I am about to get up.

My pump has also been in the toilet. Clean toilet that is - don't worry. I often smack my pump off of the door if it's on my hip and of course it also takes a dive when you forget you took it out of your pocket and sat it on your lap or beside you.

Out of all the times I have dropped, tangled and swung my pump around it has never fell out of my stomach. That is until NOW. Today, after getting up from sitting down on the couch my pump came out of my pocket and took a nice dive down the floor. Okay, it was more like a big swing across the room. This time it decided it wasn't going to leave no man behind and therefore my site went flying out with it.

I couldn't believe it and I had just changed my site that day - so I must have done something wrong. Either way there my pump and site went flying across the living room. Thankfully this does not hurt!

If only diabetes flew away from me that fast!

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