So, inspired by Manny’s post about concealing the insulin pump, I was curious as to what your best story is about your pump being mistaken for something else? I’ll start…
So, I used to work for a bank in downtown Seattle where I dressed in business suits once in a while. One day after work, I decided to go over to the new H&M store and happened to end up looking at suit jackets. Well, I of course had my insulin pump on my belt, and a very demanding customer came and asked me to bring her pants in a new size immediately. I said “I don’t work here”, and she said, “But you have a pager on”. I informed her politely that it was an insulin pump and that if she didn’t mind I was going to return to my shopping. Some people…
I wear my pump and my phone HTC touch pro on my belt. While waiting at the bank, a kid said to his mother, “Look Mommy, she has a string on her toy so she doesn’t lose it”
Not exactly the same, but my little sister used to call my pump “Kristin’s diabetes”. She thought that I had diabetes because that thing was stuck to me.
Someone else once thought that it was an MP3 player and the tubing was a really fancy set of headphones!
One day I was in the hospital elevator (as a Volunteer) and a doctor said, “Boy, you must be important … all those devices on your jacket”! I had: 1) pump; 2) cell phone; 3) neuro stim control; and 4) an ACTUAL BEEPER so they could find me to run errands.
Actually, I really DID feel important that a lowly doctor should talk to me. Errrrrrrr, I mean that a doctor should talk to lowly me!!!
A coworker who didn’t know I had diabetes, once asked “Why do you have fishing line hanging out of your pocket?” I told him I go fishing at breaks and at lunchtime. I also showed him the pump and said it was my communicator to the mothership.
Maybe not the best , but my latest story : I travelled this past week by plane to and from Orlando /Disney World ( did a half marathon with Team Diabetes Canada !!) . On two occasions , while I was checking my sensor result , the airline hostesses asked me to turn off my " device " and I explained, that I wear an insulin pump and NO , I will not turn it off ( I was able to keep my voice " friendly , polite " ) …both ladies apologized . I wear my pump at my waist /pants
I recently had somebody ask me what it was (I was wearing it on my belt). Not being in a great mood I told her that it was a prototype of a new cell phone and the tube was connected directly to my ear canal. There was a teeny microphone disguised as a nose hair that allowed for true hands free cell phone use, once you got used to hearing voices in your head.
I wear my pump in my pocket, and a friend asked me what it was. When I told them, my friend who had been with me almost 24/7 for a month said “I wondered what that was. I thought it was an Mp3 player.” I looked at her and asked her where she thought my “headphones” were since I tuck the tubing in my waistband and it would look like they were in my pants. She told me she hadn’t really thought about it. We started laughing when I said I bet she thought I REALLY liked my Mp3 player to be wearing it ALL the time like a nerd. She was like “yeah, I thought it was weird…” LOL!
I’ve got two:
An old lady chased me out of church because she thought I was wearing a microphone pack (I HAD NOT been on stage)
A man asked me in an elevator (at lunchtime) if it was a garage door opener. 1. it was lunchtime and we were headed to the cafeteria. 2. he knows where I live 3. he knows that place does not have a garage 4. even if I did have a garage, who wears their opener ALL DAY?!
I was about to take an exam and had eaten lunch a few minutes ago. I pulled out my pump to bolus and a friend of mine(who didn’t know I have diabetes) said “why are you playing with your mp3 player? we have an exam in a minute!” I said its not an mp3 player, its an insulin pump. My friend says “oh, ok” as if its a totally normal thing and everyone wears insulin pumps. I don’t think he had any idea what an insulin pump is. No “oh, I didnt know you have diabetes” or anything of that sort.
I wear my pump in a garter or in the leg of a ‘spanx’-like garment if I’m wearing a dress. I don’t get a lot of comments, but I do get really funny looks when they hear the buzzing or beeping going on down there. shrug
Most people comment about my “phone”, but wonder why I have a wire connected, then I reveal the true identity of my minimed. I have heard good things about the pod that is wireless which I may change to soon. Interesting that when I traveled to the islands, and spent a great deal of time on the big island, that many people came over to share their story about their child on a pump, or how they had one and people started many conversations about friendly related associates with the same pump. kwlawson
