Hey all! I have a minimed paradigm pump, and I am struggling to find a way to make wearing a pump work while at a water park. I'm hoping some of you have strategies that you have used that have worked to make sure you get the insulin you need while still having fun on all the rides at the park.
The only one I can think of is to go back on Lantus for a day for my basal insulin and then use my infusion site and pump just for bolusing. Have any of you tried this? Has this worked well enough for you? I have Lantus pens, so this is a feasible option.
Let me know what you think! I really want to have fun all day in the water. :)
You could disconnect the pump, put the plastic cap on & depending how long you will be there, test often and take shots for bolus's. Your suggestion for Lantus could work too. Have fun at the water park.
My go-to method is to just disconnect, and bolus often (every hour or two) for meals and corrections. I never used Lantus pre-pump though, so that didn't seem like a good option, and I'm only ever disconnecting for a day when I'm out doing something so there's at least some activity involved to help keep me from going too stupid high (as long as I bolus accordingly for meals and corrections). Because I'm going to stop whatever I'm doing every so often to check my BG anyway, plugging back in for 5 min to get a correction bolus isn't' a big deal for me, and at least is a better alternative than frequent injections. I'm sure its not the endo-recommended plan, but, I don't think diabetes is recommended either! It takes a few hours once you are connected again to get back to normal, but some of that can be mitigated by remembering to run a 200% temp basal for the first hour or so when you re-connect for the day. I don't always remember to do it, but it helps when I do....
To that note though, frequent plugging and unplugging is best done with an "easy access" site, so plan ahead to get one that you can reach easily but also isn't in the way of the rides and isn't likely to snag on stuff (I guess I'd just avoid my backside, or my belly if wearing a one-piece suit). And extra tape is pretty essential for me, sometimes with a side of skin-tac also, just to make sure it all stays in place. Most of my water adventures though are snorkeling in tropical places and there's a high degree of sand, salt and sunscreen all of which seem to conspire to make the adhesive worthless. Your mileage will certainly vary!
I thought about going swimming. I would take 1 unit, disconnect then test often and take shots as needed. If the tubing falls off I could put on another one.
