I was chatting with a diabetes educator the other day and happened to mention how I carry my pump. I didn’t think much of it. I didn’t really think I was that unique or unusual, but she said in her 20 years of diabetes education, she’d never heard of it and thought it was a great idea. It’s actually quite simple, if it applies to your preferences. You may have thought of it or heard of it before, but here it goes for those who haven’t heard.
I carry my pump in my pants pocket. Nothing new there. What I did, though, was I sewed a small button hole in the upper inside part of each of my pockets. I disconnect my pump when I change pants and thread the line through the button hole and reconnect it. It has the advantage of hiding the tubing which used to snake out of my pocket and under my shirt. Part of it’s a self conscious thing, part of it’s practical. In my personal experience, I found that I would slowly develop a larger and larger loop in the line as I took my pump out of my pocket for boluses, etc. Ultimately, I would catch that loop on something like a door handle, a chair, etc. It also became a target for my two year old who saw it as something interesting to grab and pull.
If you like the idea, all I did was sew the button holes myself about an inch from the top of each pocket and about 2 inches back from the furthest in point on the top. The hole just needs to be big enough to fit the end of your tubing through it. If you don’t have the means, I’m sure there are plenty of seamstresses or tailors who would be more than happy to contract out the work for you. I’m not much of a sewer myself, but I did have a sewing machine that would do the job. My button holes are nothing to be proud of, but they do the job. Besides, they’re concealed in my pocket, so who cares?
Well, there you go. If it helps you out, great! If not, well, maybe next time.