I love my pump. I don't like using the term "hide" because that would mean I am ashamed of it in my opinion. But I guess an insulin pump doesn't quite go with every outfit. Where do you stash your pump?
I most frequently wear it hooked onto the waist of skirt or pants with a blouse over it - generally on my side, because that's where it seems to have less visibility. When I wear cargo pants I toss it in the pocket and tuck in as much tubing as I can. I also recently when I got dressed up for a wedding discovered a new favorite place which is clipped to the center of my bra. It never worked for me to put it inside my bra as many people do because I have perfectly fitted bras, but clipping it works well with anything but the thinnest fabrics.
I usually clip it to the inside of my waistband of my skirts and pull my shirt over it. I also do the middle of my bra too but only if im dressing up.
I almost always wear clothing with a waist band, so I keep my pump in a cell phone case attached to the wasteband. I do have a thigh strap for when I have to wear a dress. I know many women that keep it in their bra, but that doesnt work for me.
I have put my pump everywhere! I have been using one for maybe 8 years now and I'm no longer afraid to show it off or expertly hide it. I use the animas ping with the clip which I find to be pretty low profile. I wear jeans most days, so I usually clip it to my waistband and cover it with my shirt. Sometimes that makes me look like I have some sort of rectangular growth, lol, so I'll clip it to my front pocket so it can be a little lower. If I want it the most invisible I'll clip it so that it's inside my jeans pocket and cover it with a shirt. Sometimes that's annoying too so if I'm wearing a hoodie I'll just throw it in the hoodie "kangaroo" pocket and let the tubing hang out over to the side.
When I'm wearing a skirt or dress and want to look streamlined, I'll clip it to my underwear in front and put the skirt or dress on over it. This works best with thicker, more structured underwhere (no lace!) With some dresses it'll work really well clipped to the front of my bra, but some it doesn't. I also have one of those spandex thigh holsters for it when none of the other options work, but I'm not a fan of having the thing slip down my leg.
If I'm wearing a bikini it'll get clipped to the bottom of the bikini, on my hipbone. If I wear a wetsuit it'll go in the small of my back and then get zipped up there.
I'm pretty blase these days regarding tubing, I usually just let it hang out all over the place. Sometimes I get weird looks from people on the subway for having tubing flying around willy nilly, but I rarely get comments. Most times even if I try to tuck the tubing in somewhere it'll just fly out on it's own after a little while. It's best not to fret about it.
Sometimes I wear it clipped to my waistband or pocket in full view. When wearing a dress I put it in the center of my bra. But most often I wear it on my ankle! Nike makes a case that is supposed to be worn by joggers to carry their cellphone on their arms. I found that my Ping fits it perfectly and when I'm wearing dress clothes and don't want a pump to mess up the lines of my outfit, it's very nice and discreet to put it on my ankle. And since I have that wonderful Ping remote control, I don't have to dig it out to bolus!
The only "problem" I have encountered is when I sit on a stool in front of my class full of teenagers and my pants leg slides up. It looks like I'm wearing one of those tracking devices. A student will sometimes say, "What's that?" and I initially say "I commited an awful crime and the judge sentenced my to spending my days with teenagers!" Lol! Then I go on and explain to them what it is. I like to be upfront and matter-of-fact with them about it. Always trying to educate about the disease.
Usually on my pants on in my pocket. I actually took the strap off one of my bras, which I usually use as a strapless anyway, and have latched it around my thigh for dresses and skirts. It's resourceful!
I'm not afraid to clip my Animas Ping to the strap of my swimsuit when I'm taking my deep water aerobics class. The I can just hold it when we jump into the hot tub afterwards; it's not good for the insulin to be subjected to water that warm. I've also crochetted a "belt" with a small pouch to wear it to bed. I use baby soft yarn and then I don't ahve to worry about what happens to it at night. During the normal day like everyone else, I just clip it to a waistbacd or put it in a little pouch sew into a fabric belt with velcro.
I am currently off the Omni, but it was the easiest to conceal. I ranged from side of abdomen, side closer to back, front thigh 3/4 up from knee, and back of arm. The thigh was the best for comfort, concealing, and not falling of..........however it was bad on performance and I had issues with it not working. I think because the area has more muscle but not sure?
I stopped hiding it a few years ago. I think I just got used to it and figured I don't care who sees it and who knows. Once my daughter got too old to be pulling the tubing out, I started clipping it to my pocket.
Not I get comments like "OMG I HAVEN"T SEEN A PAGER IN YEARS !"
Or "Why do you have a bungee cord attached to your phone? "
I want an Iphone ap to control and monitor my pump, then they could make the pump smaller.
No need for the interface computer or screen.
I am a pump-stashing maverick! At work I kinda hide it sometimes just because I don't feel like talking about it in the workplace. But at home, I will stash it just to keep it protected and out of the way. Here are the ways I stash it:
- Clipped to the waistbands of shorts (where it is right now)
- Tucked into a pocket, with the tubing threaded through a small hole
- In my Rylee's Pocket tank! (http://www.ryleespocket.com/)
- In my Spibelt (http://store.spibelt.com/category-s/2.htm)
- In dress or skirt pockets (I love a couple of skirts I recently got from Anne Taylor Loft that have little pockets on the front)
- In a zipper pocket of my Lucy shorts (http://www.lucy.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Lucy-Site/default/Home-Show) - a lot of their exercise gear has these small zipper pockets in the back that are perfectly sized for pumps.
- Down the front of my bra, inside a baby sock (to keep it from getting all wet and sweaty)
I've got big enough breasts that I can nestle the pump in the front of my bra in my cleavage if I'm wearing something without a waist band. I have covers for my pump so there is no issue with it getting sweaty and gross.
I have to admit that's mostly where I wear it now even if I'm wearing something with a waistband. It's easy to just reach down, pull it out, enter how many carbs I'm eating and put it back. Believe it or not, most people are doing their own thing and don't even notice when I reach for it. It is a pain to explain when someone notices if they're not the most subtle type.
That happened to me last week. I was out at a mixer with a bunch of women and the woman next to me who had an opinion about everything. I tend to have a few gadgets with me because of what I do, so after seeing a smart phone and maybe an iPad (usually, I'm looking up carb counts), I then whip out the my glucose meter and pump and she had to make a comment about my pump. I explained. For me, I'd rather explain that have to run to the restroom. I've never been one to do that because I never thought I needed to hide when I took a blood glucose reading or gave myself a shot or not programmed my pump. (Plus, I just get a bit grossed out thinking about pricking my finger in a public restroom; that's okay, people can just deal with it.)
Honestly though? Now I can wear fitted outfits again and not feel self-conscious because I've got some beeper-sized bump on me.
Same here Regina., I just "whip it out"of my bra ( Ha Ha thinking about the line from "blazing saddles) and hardly any body notices,nor do they say anything. EXCEPT:When I went through the security line to see Mrs. Obama thiS summer.. I told the guards I was wearing an insulin pump, and did they want to see it, before I went through the screening doorway. I reached down to get it and the young man got all red and flustered, as he did not know what I was going to take out. I assured him, to the other older guards laughter, that i had no intention of "flashing" him.lol. They did not want to see the pump, like in an airport, and I went on through.
I hide my pump to the side of my "ittie bitties";those augmented by the lovely padded type bras, pump hidden by the lovely padding. I use the clip unless it is a really tight top, or when I am outside on a hot, humid day; putting it in a baby sock secured to the bra with a safety pin.. A wonderful place to store it.
I just recently started storing it in that "Trendy Top" cotton tube thingy advertised on tv to wear with low cut pants to keep from the revealing butt look. I bought a 2 pair set from Walgreens at a much cheaper price than what was shown on TV. It seems to work well to hold the pump under full skirts or loose dresses, but Ihave to go to a private place to access it.
Hope these tips help dkinsey.. There is also a pump group called 'SASSY PUMPERS" Started by another fashionista type one, which has several ideas in the posts about how to wear the pump. Hope the ideas listed here and there help.Tudiabetes is a wonderful resource.
BTW, Regina,, what did the woman ask/say about the pump. Do not let stray comments bother you. If they are genuinely concerned, I will answer questions, you will know who is. I generally reply to the defamers/haters/ nosey-posies, if that is where they are going: "I do so appreciate your interest in my health and well-being.So glad to know you are so very concerned". And say nothing else.All with a smile while looking them straight in their eyes.. I will repeat it again, in the same sickeningly sweet tone.. Until they are quiet, and the attention is diverted to them. Works like a charm.
God bless,
Brunetta
I don't hide my pump. It's always hooked on my waist. But if I'm wearing a long shirt, sometimes the shirt will cover it.
Chris, Ladies do "hide it " sometimes. That is just us.
I wear mine in a Spibelt down the front of my pants. Don't do this to hide it; but for the reason of the tubing not getting caught on anything. Good thing I chose the Ping model for remote bolus purposes.
It wasn't too over the top. Plus, I've been a diabetic for a LONG time. She was just too quick to speak but probably is like that all the time.
I'm well equipped on how to handle people like that. Probably too much so as I can be just as aggressive back. I mentioned it because it is something that can happen if you're pulling a pump out of your cleavage.
Thanks, and just shared the "sassy pumpers" link on a new thread about how to wear a pump with a dress.
One extra tip I have when carrying my veo in my bra is I wear a bra which is a cup size too big, then put a sock down the other cup to even them out in size. I find that there is less of a rectangular bump with a bigger bra and my cleavage looks even bigger…win win!!
I am a man, so it’s a bit easier for us, but I either keep it in the jeans/pants pocket using the belt clip, so that the belt clip is visible from the outside.
When I’m at work, I always have to wear a suit and then I only have it on the belt. Some people have asked if it is a beeper, but most of them know what an insulin pump looks like nowadays.