My son is 10 and has been on a pump since 11/2013. He uses a 23in tubing which for him is still way too long. How do you deal with the hanging tubing? I found a product online called Tubeguard but unfortunately it is discontinued. Does anyone know of a similar product to safely roll up the excess tubing?
From this, I assume his pump is on the clip at his waist?
My advice is to use a pocket. Take the pump off the clip and shove it in a pants pocket. The excess tubing lives inside there also. The pocket also protects the pump as it is encased safely and less likely to be bumped or dropped accidentally.
I would think that rolling up the tubing could be problematic--when he reaches for the pump to bolus and pulls it away from his body, for example, if the tubing is too short, the infusion set can easily be pulled out. You could also try sites further away from the pump, such as the arm for the infusion set.
If I have a little extra tubing (depending on location) I coil up extra tube and tape it down with a piece of Hypafix Dressing retention tape.This also takes the strain off of the infusion site and makes for a more reliable , less irritation ,less rejection (set fade), and minimizes or eliminates the risk of ripping off a infusion set.....which never happens in a convenient location.
Use a shorter tubing set, most major suppliers do 30CM variants.
Spock it is clipped on his waist band. I think I need to buy him bigger pants because his pocket is usually too tight for it to fit in!
John, I'll have to try taping it. Do it tape it to your skin?
Buckley, he has the shortest tubing available and it's still too long :(
I just tuck the excess in my pants. No need to coil the tubing, it takes care of itself. I have rarely had any problems with this method.
Steve
That is a great idea, Steve.
Now, this may be a girl thing mostly... Here is my question about taping and restricting the tubing: if it is clipped to the belt loop or in a pocket and the tubing is restricted, what do you do in the bathroom? Move the pump? If you forget, you will rip out the infusion set.
Ah no worries, so it looks like he has the 60cm set? If you don't mind me asking what pump and cannula set do you use?
I've never had this problem with my son's pump b/c I've always had his pump stored in a pocket or pouch — I sewed pockets on the back of his shirts until he started growing so fast I was spending all my extra time at the sewing machine, and then I made some mini "fanny-pack" like pouches that are small and unobtrusive so he can wear them under his shirt without them being bulky, but still big enough to hold the pump, and with a slot in them for the tube to pass through.
Here's a thought--sew a small tab of velcro to the waistband of his pants, and then use a velcro loop around the tubing to hold it in place. That way, it will be kept contained but will still be able to move with him, yet you can simply pull the loop off if you need to remove the pump.
He has the t:slim, Inset 30, 23in(60cm) tubing
For some reason he only likes to clip it on his waist band. Hopefully if I can convince him to try a pouch he'll decide he likes it better. I'd really like to find something that would let it coil and uncoil like a tape measure. That way it would be out of the way and would still easily unroll when needed. Looks like I need to start inventing!