Hi everyone (again)!
So. I’m starting my tandem T:slim x2 control IQ on Tuesday, and t3 days later, I have a show where I’ll be dancing six different choreographies during a 2 hour time period. Now, I’m pretty darned nervous about the pump. Does anyone have any tips?
I guess I could disconnect it whilst on stage, but I don’t have enough time in between to connect and disconnect all the time. How long can one go without being connected to the pump?
I always go high when I’m dancing, and I imagine I will go even higher when it’s finally on stage again (the adrenalin rush will probably be insane XD)
So yeah… Any tips?
We’re jumping, rolling on the floor, changing clothes in between every single dance, and so on, and I just can’t stop thinking that I will get tangled up in the tube, or that the pump will just fly away mid-dance
I have a belt with pouch that you can put pump and tubing into and wear under your clothes. If you don’t want to have the pump in a pocket. (I never liked the belt flip option).
You could just bring some pre-loaded syringes with 1/2 units in them, and inject every 30 minutes or 60 minutes or whatever when you are off-stage, depending on what you need.
Are you going to be wearing anything that doesn’t get removed during costume changes? (Foundation wear, leotard, bra, panties, etc…)
My suggestion would be to secure the pump inside whatever piece of clothing isn’t removed, if possible, and then strategically plan your infusion site to be near there.
I think between the breasts is the most convenient/safest place for the pump to live, at least on a woman. You can clip it to a bra or soup it right into a skin tight top, like a sports bra. It will essentially be padded on all sides and protected. It won’t hurt to roll over on it. It’s least likely to get yanked off when you change (I think), use the restroom, etc… It’s easy to glance down and check it. And it’s fairly centrally located, so you can easily connect it to sites on your arms, thighs, or abdomen.
If you decide to wear it elsewhere, you can easily add a pump pocket to any piece of clothing just by safety pinning a baby’s sock to the inside of the garment. They sell them at the dollar store even.
I would definitely tape over the entire infusion set, though. They stick up just enough to catch on clothes. Putting medical tape or a piece of tegaderm over the entire thing will protect it during quick changes.
If you have backup emergency long-insulin on hand, you might also consider just going disconnected that day. As in, take the long-acting, and only plug the pump in for boluses and corrections.
You might consider the Untethered Regimen where you take part of your basal insulin through an injection of a long-acting insulin (Lantus, Tresiba, etc.). This makes it easier to remove your pump for long periods of time because you always have some background insulin. I am not currently doing the Untethered Regimen but I’ve used it many times and it works great.
Thanks! That’s some good advice right there
I found a website which makes underwear with pump pockets, so I ordered some, and I remember that the theatre has belts with pockets for when people use microphones with headsets (and need to store the transmitter somewhere, I’m sorry, I’m blanking on what it’s called in English. In Swedish it’s called Mygga, but I highly doubt the English word is Mosquito… )
I would fold a piece of cloth around the pump (and as much of the tubing as possible). That will help keep the pump from getting covered in duct tape ‘sticky’ adhesive.
Then, just duct tape the whole thing around your thigh or abdomen or upper arm. You could wrap the your thigh in an athletic bandage first (or sports tape) if that helps with comfort. You could wrap the whole area with an athletic bandage over top so its not so visible.
Bring medical scissors and duct tape incase you need someone to cut that pump off and rewrap it (mid-performance). Medical scissors help you cut near the skin without actually cutting the skin.
I like this idea more - if your wearing a leotard underneath your costume, I would tuck the pump inside that and then duct tape around the whole area so it cannot move.
I would NOT change your insulin regiment. If you rehearsed with your pump, then you should perform with your pump. But, I would feel comfortable taking some blood sugars and syringe insulin correction dosages mid performance because those shouldn’t ‘kick in’ until the performance is over.
Its important that pump doesn’t go flying off and hit an old lady in the audience in the face.
I have used a baby sock to protect the pump from sweat and put it in my bra. There are all kinds of belt and underwear. I have a garter belt I use when wearing a dress. But using a baby sock might be a quick fix to keep you dancing! Good luck!
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