Our family is headed to Myrtle Beach for vacation. Our son, Spencer, is on the Pod, and since he has been diagnosed, we have not been to the beach w/ the pod, last time he was on MDI. Any suggestions on placement, securing the pod while swimming, etc. He is VERY active, last year he was on lantus & he was so active, (one day he never got out of the pool) that we NEVER had to cover his carbs for lunch or snacks. His BS was usually 90 to 120 for the 13 days we were there. I am just worried the pod will not take the "beating" he can subject it to. For the last few months he has gone away from the stomach, and will only use the pod on his arms, I'm hoping once baseball is over he will go back to stomach or leg. I was wondering if he could/would place it on his inner thigh area, that way it would be a new site, again, just wondering if it will stay attached, especially being "soaked" all day. Any suggestions?
Is your son Spencer the older or younger one in your profile pic? Just trying to get an idea of how old he is.
Do you use any additional items to help the pod stay on already, such as skin-tac?
As a buffer, I'd recommend taking your usual "backup supply" that you'd take for a vacation, but I'd also probably 50% increase that amount again to account for potential shortfalls in the time that the pods are stuck on appropriately. That way you'll be safe despite the potential increase in pod changes.
I use skin-tac wipes to help the pods stick better. If I'm lap swimming and I have the pod on the back of my arm then I try to wear a small band around my arm (one of those 3/4 length "shooter sleeves" that you see NBA players wearing) to cover the pod b/c the "free edge" of the pod creates drag in the water and pulls pretty significantly in my stroke. I'd assume that a similar wrap would work well even if your son is not lap swimming to help keep it secured to his body. I alternatively wear the pod on my lower back/lovehandle area (more towards the lateral aspect than the spine). Using skin-tac helps to secure it pretty good there as well.
I am too muscular in my thighs to use them w/ any success (inner or outer), but the inner thigh is potentially a place to keep it a little more protected, so it may be worth a shot. You might have him try this location out at least once before you go so he'll be aware of trying to manage shorts/underwear coming off/on during bathroom stops, clothes changes, etc, and to make sure it's comfortable for him.
Ultimately it depends on how "pod aware" he is in day to day life as well. If they are constantly getting hit/ripped off/falling off due to rough and tumble activities, then the pod may not fair well w/ the added variable of the water. If he's pretty pod aware and doesn't really have many (if any) issues on a regular basis, then after a day or two in the water he should have "the feel" down for how the pod responds as he's moving through the water.
Hope you all have a great vacay in Myrtle!
Sounds like fun!!
Bradford has some great ideas as usual.
Apart from the idea of the pod getting beat up,however, I found that when I'm active, the probability that a pod will fall off is directly proportional to the amount of sweating I do.
I've been in situations where the pod get's wet for an extended period of time, but doesn't come off. OTOH, in situations where I sweat a lot and the pod has no ventilation, the adhesive fails miserably. I guess it has something to do with the sweat originating underneath the adhesive versus water from a pool not being able to permeate the adhesive from the outside.
That being said, I've never been swimming in the ocean with a pod, so I don't know how salt water affects the adhesive.
I've been meaning to try Skin-tac wo help with adhesion when I sweat. I use a lot of Opsite in those situations, which helps keep the pod on, but does nothing to stop the adhesive from failing.