I've been a pumper for 7 years and have always worn it openly attached to my belt. If am tentatively scheduled to start a new job the first of October and am for the first time considering hiding it in a pocket or affixed to my leg. I just have concerns about perceptions in a tight job market.
Just wondered what others though about this. Do you hide your pump and do you feel the need because of fellow employee or management perceptions/possible discrimination? Thanks.
Hi: I am on the OmniPod, so it is easy to hide it. I was diagnosed approximatly four years ago at the age of 59. No one at work other than the PA in Occ Health knows that I am T1. I have a couple of people at work who are very intersted in my position and have been pretty obvious about it; I don't want to have them looking for any signs of weakness! I plan to work as long as I can as the benefits are good, and this disease is very expensive without insurance.
Sue
I'm not sure what your job is. But, I know that some men wear a blazer/sports jacket or maybe a suit jacket to work. This covers the pump and it serves as a cover from anything hitting it or getting attached to it. As far as feeling the need to hide the pump, I personally do not see anything wrong with other people seeing it. The way I see it, if they are not going to necessarily 'accept' your pump/condition then you do not want to hang around those people. Also, for all you know, someone already works there that is diabetic. Or, as I am sure many people agree with, everyone know someone that is diabetic. Maybe one of your co workers son's has the d and by showing that you are successful and employed, he will have more hope for his son. Give it a thought. Also, the risk you take with changing the location is that the insulin might not be absorbed as well and the change may make you go high. This could be a larger issue when starting a new job. Good luck! Let us know how you make out!
I would discretely position my pump during a job interview. Your prospective employer cannot ask about medical conditions and if they see you pump it might create a difficult situation. I would bet that just putting your pump in you pants pocket and under your belt would be sufficient (that is what I do at work). But, if you are still concerned I have heard some cut a hole in their pants pocket that is large enough to fit the infusion set through. This way it will be completely out of sight.
I would discretely position my pump during a job interview. Your prospective employer cannot ask about medical conditions and if they see you pump it might create a difficult situation. I would bet that just putting your pump in you pants pocket and under your belt would be sufficient (that is what I do at work). But, if you are still concerned I have heard some cut a hole in their pants pocket that is large enough to fit the infusion set through. This way it will be completely out of sight.
I do try to keep my pump "out of sight" at work, but mainly because I don't like having to answer questions about it in the work environment. I'm not necessarily embarrassed, but there are so many misconceptions about diabetes and I don't ever want to be seen as being unable to do something because I have diabetes. And of course there's that misconception that if you use a pump you must be "really sick" or "out of control" with your diabetes management. That's frustrating.
I don't think it's wrong to keep your pump out of sight for any number of reasons. I usually clip my pump inside my pocket so just the little clip shows on the outside (I also keep it down my bra sometimes, but I guess that's not going to work for ya!). You can also cut a small hole in the inside of your pocket and thread the tubing into your pocket and just keep the whole pump inside your pocket, out of view. Thankfully, our pumps today are small enough that hiding them isn't an issue!
Thanks for the response Sue. You've hit my main concern about it being seen as a weakness on the head. I'll be part of a new team responsible for implementing an EHR system and it looks like I may have some project management responsibility too. I never mind talking about my diabetes, but I'm wary of misconceptions as I approach this new responsibility.
I always keep my pump in my back pocket and have found that it is not very noticeable. The only problem I had was one time when my tubing came untucked from my pants and someone said something about it. To solve that I wear a belt. I wear it in a band around my leg when I wear a skirt, but I guess you don't have to worry about that.
I do try to hide my pump, and I did when I was applying to jobs and when I worked.
Part of the problem is that the hiring people can't directly ask about certain things, but they do look for clues to weed people out, sometimes illegally. I've been told this by a few different people, some at my college's career center, and other people who confirmed it elsewhere.
For example, they can't ask if you are married or in a relationship, so the look to see if you are wearing what could be counted as a wedding band or if you have signs of having worn a ring on that finger for an extended period of time.
I was told that they do look for signs of disability and will look for insulin pumps by looking at pockets (if the object in the pocket is not cellphone shaped) and by looking for tubing.
They may also try to make you bring it up by having a meal or snack during the interview process, which for us means checking and taking insulin, or refusing food and unloading that baggage.
If you bring it up, it is considered fair game and they can ask questions.
While it's illegal for them to not hire you because of diabetes, that doesn't mean they don't do it, or that they won't try and pass it off for a different reason.
And yes, while I agree that I would rather not deal with people who aren't going to accept me, sometimes that is not an option, especially when it comes to work environments.
I have never thought about hiding or not..
But I have always got long infusion sets 100cm and worn it around my neck in a pump case, it really can't be seen.
It was not the idea of hiding that prompted this, I always found that wearing it on my hip I was always hitting the pump on doorways, dislodging the clip and catching tubing on doorhandles etc.
Wearing it around my neck has solved all these problems.
My bosses have always know that I am diabetic and most of the people I work with know because I have been working with them for 7years. However, the occasional new employee comes along and I do not like to tell them about it because it does bring up a lot of questions and people always seem surprised and act as if they feel bad for you sometimes. And you are right, there are a lot of misconceptions about diabetes and insulin pumps. I once worked with a lady who was freaked out about diabetes because 20years ago she had a friend who died from leaving it uncontrolled. She was always Asking me how I felt and if I needed a break and whenever I ate something she asked me if I was supposed to be eating things like that. Sometimes it’s offensive the way people treat it or their ignorance about the whole thing.
Pocket is the way to go. I wear pant suits a lot and refuse to buy a pair of slacks without pockets. It is easy, hidden, accessible in a discreet way, etc. Been doing that for years.
Thanks Veteran. Yeah, I always wear a suit or a sport jacket to the interview and yes that does a nice job of concealing it. I've been self-employed for a long time and am now re-entering the world of the corporation. Up to this point I've always worn it in the open and not had a problem. Just attempting to be wise as I take this next step.