At the risk of getting pummeled by those who completely disagree with me, I personally feel that as one gets older at some point or another many folks eventually reach the age of “What difference does it make and who the hell really cares anyway?”
Of course, some also appear to have been that way since birth.
I just like the pump moreso than injections. I’m 28. Imagine kids at 14 when I got the pump. The last 14 years have been hell on earth!
To which you could reply “Want me to show you? Take your clothes off darlin’…”
Hm. This Discourse thingy doesn’t have a way to flag a post as “Correct Answer!” does it? Too bad.
Well, how do you guys share a bed with a significant other? I’m not talking about *** because it’s understood that it would be disconnected by then, but I’m just talking about lying there next to each other without it bumping or pushing into the other person.
Queen-size bed? I wear a t-shirt with a pocket and my pump stays there pretty well. Sometimes it comes out but it doesn’t go anywhere–usually I end up sleeping on top of it when that happens.
Why on earth would people think you can’t have sex wearing a pump??? In my bed there are two of us with pumps and it’s not a problem.
First you’ve got to stop worrying about what others think. There are so many rude people in the world, that when they are unhappy with their life they cause Drama in others. And I think, that’s whats going on in your situation. Or simply, they don’t like others that are different.
Having an insulin pump helps keep your numbers in range a little better in my opinion. And it takes a lot of stress out of it. I wouldn’t worry about what others thought, go with what you think is best… And if you think you do better with it than injections then continue doing it. Don’t change because someone doesn’t like what your doing. That will put you in risk of having problems in the long run.
I have a belt clip on my pump; I wear it on my waist 100% of the time it’s attached to me. When I go to bed, I clip it into the waistband of my underwear. If the boss wants a snuggle, I slide it round to my backside. We’ve been married a long time (over 30 years) which might be a factor, but she insists that the pump doesn’t bother her in any way.
I sleep with my pump right next to me in the bed, not clipped to anything. SO moves around a lot and I’ve never had a problem (I have woken up with him lying sideways across me before, lol). I also have the shortest tubing possible, so that helps.
I find that attitude has a lot to do with how others treat you. I was explaining my pump to a co-worker once, about how there’s a needle in me 24/7. She responded “That’s gross”. I looked at her and said “Yeah, so is kidney failure” I realize my comment was quite dramatic and you can keep your kidneys healthy on MDI, but my attitude towards her comment made her shut up and hopefully drove home that I have better control on the pump.
Sometimes it takes a little drama to make a point.
Since we’re around needles so much we don’t feel the same visceral fear that the general public does. And sometimes people don’t use the right word to express themselves. I imagine she felt fear not “ickiness.”
Fact is, the only reason diabetes is not dramatic is because we are so amazing at dealing with it. If we weren’t there’d be PWDs collapsing all over the place.
My sister (also type 1) has a dark sense of humour at times - she says that one of the cool things about diabetes is that you can shut down any hypochondriac yet still live a fairly normal life. (“Oh you have a cold? That’s cute. I have a dead organ that requires me to inject myself 7 times a day. Want a kleenex?” - 
I don’t think she ever actually says it to people, but it’s funny how she tells her stories!)
I think this is a great point! @Cocheze may be encountering people who have never before even thought about T1D much less actually seen life support equipment (a pump, CGM, finger sticks) physically in use.
In my experience, pretty much everyone has that initial cringe when they find out that I have a steel needle inserted in my abdomen 24 x 7. Some days that hits me worse than others - who wants to be the one who makes people wince? I don’t normally share my medical situation with casual acquaintances, so the only ones who know are close to me, or who I want to be close with. And those people almost always wince, then they push past that.
Yep, there are questions about sex and how do I take a shower and all the usual stuff. People are curious, and they haven’t heard the same questions a hundred times 
I pretend I’m an astronaut, meeting a new person, and what’s the one thing they’re going to want to hear about? You guessed it: ‘How do you go to the bathroom in space?’
Anyway, the thing I try to do is to remember that the person who’s new to seeing my pump is pushing past their initial reaction, so I’m going to try to push past it too. I try to focus on the caring they show me - if they didn’t care at all, they’d be gone in a heartbeat. It’s not always easy to turn my thoughts to the positive, but in the end it helps my soul more than chewing on the negative. We each make our own path by the choices we make.
Hey! First: 14 years–you are STILL HERE! Be thankful for LIFE. Years ago, most of us aware, people died before having D. for 14 years. I’ve been T1 for > 50 years. Only this year went to a pump. MUCH prefer the pump. Had a CGM for couple years, but the only ins. I have does NOT cover them. UGH! Ok, just remember to count the blessings (yes, from GOD) that you are still alive! And, for many years more–hopefully!
Hope things get better for you; & you meet “the one” before long–if that’s what you want!
I liked the note, “You can’t fix stupid!”
I hope the pump - diabetes itself - is never an issue again (it has been several times before) because I do not have the mind for MDI. I have bipolar disorder and I’m on a crap ton of pills and my mind is going bad from this mental illness (I’m only 28). I forget things a lot and I do not see myself adhering to an injection regimen. Heck, at this point, if keeping the pump means never being with another girl again, then so be it. But I hope that would not be the case.
True story: when I was about 22, I was dating this “total stud” from LA. I was sooooo in love with this guy. He took me to LA to meet all of his “cool friends.” While out dancing, I had a reaction. I snuck off to eat something. He found me, asked what was going on…I told him, and he said, “Don’t tell my friends… They won’t understand.” That was the beginning of the end (he’s now an unemployed, fat man living off his sister… Ha-ha!), and I eventually dumped him for my wonderful husband! My husband goes out of his way to make sure I’m safe, get all the best medical things I need, and, most importantly, encourages me to take care if myself. He’s my one and only love and soulmate. I love him with all that I am. So I say, get rid of all of the people who don’t support you and you health 100% of the time. They aren’t worth a hill of beans.
But all I want to know , is diabetes really that big of a deal to people who are not up on it? I mean, do we come off as sick hospital patients with all of our supplies? Having to eat on a set schedule does make it hard to go with the flow, and I guess lows could get in the way. Should I just give up on trying to find the right girl? Precedent has proven that I will never find her.
I couldn’t imagine dating without the pump. If my girl didn’t like it, and I decided to try MDI, how would we go out to eat? It seems to me that she wouldn’t like MDI more so than a removable pump.
I highly recommend reading Susan Cain’s book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking. This might seem irrelevant to the discussion, but I’m thinking that you are both an introvert, and a sensitive person. The world needs more of each.
Just curious - how old are you Cocheze? The right girl is out there, but you will probably go through a few ‘almost’ right girls along the way… some people even look back on that time with great fondness. Not me, but that is just me.
I met a few lovely men who shared my life for various periods of time, but didn’t find my husband until i was in my mid-30s. It was frustrating and lonely at times (all i wanted was someone to love and trust) but, on the plus side, with these men, i learned to ski, traveled to places i would otherwise not have, learned how to fix the wiring in my house, how to dance, how to build a campfire that is pure art, steer a canoe, borrowed some excellent books… you get the idea. Without those relationships, and those experiences, i would never have ended up doing theatre, which is where i met my husband.
If you can, focus on doing what you love, and what brings you further in life - that way you’ll meet people with similar goals and passions, and that is a great start to a beautiful relationship.
Diabetes is part of your life experience, and I’m sure that one day there will be a lovely lady saying to someone about you - “i didn’t know anything about diabetes until i met my husband”…