Floating (in salt spa) with Dexcom and Medtronic 670

Diabetes Technology
1

Weird question, but if anyone can answer, it is someone from this community! :slight_smile:

I am interested in a floating experience (in high-salinity water pool; also known as sensory deprivation, though there are other things that fit that label too) at a spa. A session is 90 minutes, which is too long for me to be disconnected. I am curious whether someone has successfully navigated this with diabetes technology.

Did you trust the waterproof-ness of the pump and Dexcom? Did you remove them (and replace the basal with a slightly lower bolus maybe)? Is the salt level an issue for the tech?

Please only answer if you have had this experience (or the close equivalent of floating in the Dead Sea, which this service is modeled on, apparently).

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I haven’t been in the Dead Sea. But I’ve done ocean swimming. My dex was fine but didn’t transmit data.

The dexcom won’t transmit through any water.

I wouldn’t trust my pump to ocean water.

You could take some NPH to get you through the 90 min.

3

I wear my Dexcom into the high salinity/high mineral content hot springs and vapor caves we have, with no issue. I don’t know how the water compares to the dead sea, though. I’ve never seen that particular reference used. No matter how you slice it, though, salinity shouldn’t actually matter. The parts that are sensitive to electrical conductivity won’t be exposed to the water.

The pump is another thing. I wouldn’t risk it. There’s a big difference between rushing a $100 optional sensor that Dexcom readily replaces, and risking a $7,000+ piece of durable medical equipment that your life depends on. Personally, I’d just take 30 minutes worth of basal as a bolus before disconnecting, and correct the rest as necessary after the fact.

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I could not not any information to say that the 600 series pump should not be used in salt water. What you describe will not generally violate the maximum standards for waterproof for the 600 series Medtronic pump.

Now there is ample evidence of cracked pumps in the 600 series and if your pump case is cracked all bets are off. Unfortunately you will likely not know that until it has been submerged

I would review the Medtronic standards for being submerged. If you will not violate it and if your pump is not cracked, I guess I would do it.

rick

Note: I am a Medtronic ambassador. My opinions are my own. They did not pay me to say nice things. OK, they sent me a shirt and a cup but even I am more expensive than that.

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Thank you, all! Some good thoughts here.

I think I will keep the sensor and remove the pump indeed, taking some small amount of bolus instead of basal + correct after the fact. (Maybe even use for the first time one of those “googly-eye” plastic cover things that come in each site package…)

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