Okay this may be a really dumb question.., but I am scheduled for a C-Section next week and wanted to know if any of you out there were able to wear a pump during the whole ordeal.
Also, any advice on how to deal with the recovery? I'm really scared...
Lindsay
Kerri Sparling had hers removed just before the C-section. She actually wrote a GREAT couple of posts about what it was all like:
Hey there!
I had a c-section 5 weeks ago and was able to wear my pump. I use an Omnipod and the OB decided that I knew how to take care of my diabetes better than they did. Well I was a little high, 150 going into surgery and corrected. The Dr. waited about 10 minutes and when I hadn’t come down yet (she apparently doesn’t know how long insulin takes to work) told the anesth. to give me more insulin to bring me down faster. I mentioned to him that I am pretty sensitive to insulin and will bottom out. He said, don’t worry we have got you covered and will be watching you. I came out of surgery at 50 and immediately asked for juice, the nurse brought me 4 juice boxes! All in all it was a good experience, my baby girl came out with a low sugar b/c I was high when they delivered but she recovered nicely and is happy and healthy!
I did, but it probably depends on the doctor.
My educator put it this way to me - if something happens to you during the surgery does the doctor in the room actually know how to use your pump? If you know for sure that they do or they will have someone on hand who does then go for it but if they don’t you may not want them guessing. HTH
Hi Lindsay,
i just had a c-section 10 weeks ago and was able to wear my pump the whole time. The Dr. left it completely up to me to test my sugars and such, but they kept on me to make sure I didn’t drop too low or high.
As for the recovery, I was walking around a couple hours after the surgery. I did not have a hard time with the recovery at all, and I know it sounds crazy but I would do it all over again in a heartbeat! They gave me a prescription for T3’s but all I needed was advil (just the regular over the counter stuff), and even then, I only took about 4 a day.
I hope that helps, and if you have any more questions, I would be happy to help if I can 
Good Luck, I’m sure everything will run smoothly…oh, and just so you know, about 20 minutes after the surgery (when I was in recovery), I was instructed by my endocrinologist to adjust my pump settings by 50%…you will notice a lot of hypo’s at first, especially if you are breastfeeding, so be prepared as it’s very difficult to look after your baby when you start to have one 
Take care, and keep me posted on how it goes.
Amanda_
Lindsay- When I had my C-section, I was able to leave my pump attached. Make sure it’s not in the abdominal region.I had mine on my outer thigh. It depends on the doctor so if you know who is going to be doing your surgury then I would ask them if they have a preference.
Like Amanda, my Endo had me cut my insulin rates in half as soon as I got out of surgury, even with that huge decrease, I still had several lows. Make sure juice boxes are available and keep some on your bedside table. I found that I didn’t need to bolus to cover meals for the 1st couple of days.
As for recovery, mine was pretty easy. Even though you won’t feel like it, it’s best to get up and walk around a bit the same day as your c-section. If you move a bit more each day it’ll help with the healing. Just be careful when getting in and out of bed or getting up from the toilet. Take it slow. I didn’t realize how much I used my abs for those activities until after my c-section. When you get home, it’ll be easiest to get out of bed if you roll to your side and then use your arms to push yourself into a sitting position. I also used the counter next to my toliet as a make-shift grab bar, it made getting up so much less painful.
Good luck!!
I wore my Omnipod throughout (though the blood pressure cuff on my arm was really painful over the pod). They did have me suspend about an hour before I went in and told me to suspend for 12-24 hours after the surgery, but I resumed delivery just out of surgery because my Navigator read 190 and climbing straight up. I did need to activate my pre-determined post-partum basal rates and tweak them as necessary though. My c-section was at 8:30am and my next meal was at 5:30pm. They had me on a dextrose drip though, which probably contributed to both my climbing numbers.
Thanks Everyone for the advice!
To add a crazy twist to my question… my pump completely broke 3 days ago! So it’s been a whirlwind of activity! Medtronics did send one out the very same day through UPS critical…, but nevertheless it was a huge ordeal!
I spoke to my doctor and she told me to move my pump to my thigh or hip… C- Section is scheduled for tomorrow! Really nervous… yet very exited to meet my baby girl!
Great point!