I’m new to the pump. My biggest challenge with my pump so far has been finding ways to conceal it and the tubing etc. I wear very form fitting/tailored suits and clothing so its been a new game for me getting dressed and figuring it out each morning. This morning though, in a serious hurry, I just clipped the pump onto the waist of my skirt and ran out the door. I’m not wearing a suit jacket (casual Friday) which would hide my pump to some degree…while driving into work I was trying to decide what would be the best way to conceal it once I got to work. Then, I started thinking …do I really need to hide it? I’ve been thinking I need to - in order to stay professional and to avoid stares and questions, etc. BUT, now I’m thinking I’ll just let it be for now - let folks ask questions and maybe even it will help bring understanding and awareness. I will conceal it when its easy to and not worry about it on days such as today when its a little more challenging. I have enough to worry about with this stupid disease so why make it harder… Of course, my attitude may change as the day goes on. Haha.
I do have one “belly band” that I use and have ordered an arm band and thigh band.
Anyway, I was just wondering what others thought/do. Do you hide it?
It used to drive my mother crazy. She never wanted me to even talk about my diabetes. I loved my mom, but this was just wrong. The last time I saw her, she asked me if I “had to wear that thing so that other people could see it”. I just said.“yes Mom, I do”.
funny I never get anyone asking me about it.
We have some discussions here from other women sharing how they wear it with form fitting clothes. Let me know if you can’t find them, and I’d be glad to bring them back for you.
I typically put mine in a pant’s pocket but mostly to hide the tubing so it doesn’t get snagged on door knobs or other objects that stick out.
If anyone wants to hide a pump, putting the clip on the outside of pants will do the job. If it’s a small pump it may be possible but may be a slight discomfort.
The one thing I wonder about all the time is if people think I’m still using a pager after cell phones are widely used now.
I usually like to tell people about diabetes and even show off the pump which is a bit harder when it’s not clipped to my waste.
When I started wearing the pump I was a little shy of showing it and was worried that it will make noises at work and emmbaris me but then I said why am I shy I did not choose to be diabetic so there is nothing to be shy about so now I wear it without thinking about it to much and I am glad I have it it really saved my life
I wear my CGM on my arm and several people have asked me what it is or if it is a pump! I am always happy to tell them about it, especially the bluetooth connectivity.
Like you’ve decided to do, I hide it when I can and let it show when there’s no other option. In the almost two years I’ve had it, not one person has ever said a word about it. I also carry my Dex receiver in my hand around the office and no one has ever mentioned it.
I was so relieved to discover that for a lot of my dresses and blouses, it works for me to hang the pump from the center of my bra. I thought my bust was too small for that, but amazingly, it often works. I also have a thigh band I love for dresses & skirts where the bra isn’t an option. I discovered with my first wearing that it’s helpful to secure the top edge of the band with a piece of Opsite Flexifix so it doesn’t slide down my leg. With jeans and most dress pants, I clip the pump to my waistband and often have my blouse or sweater over it.
Pump goes in my pocket for easy access, although I have had a tiny inside pocket sewed into suit pants which works great. I’m just too lazy to do that for all my pants. You could safety pin a baby sock as a secret pocket too. I carry a CGM receiver which usually goes in a flip belt around my waist https://flipbelt.com/ that thing transmits to my phone and then to my apple watch so I never need to take the CGM receiver out.
I wear my pump on my belt or clipped to a pocket. I also wear a Dexcom CGM receiver and I often have it unbuttoned so that I can quickly see my BG. I used to carefully tuck away my 43 inch tubing but I don’t always do that either.
Much has been written about snagging loose tubing around doorknobs and other things. While I have had this happen to me, the occurrence is rare. I’ve worn a tubed insulin pump for 29 years and I can honestly say that snagging loose pump tubing on something has happened only a handful of times over all those years.
I know the appearance of an insulin pump exposed for the public to see is important for some people. I took the position right from the start that I was not going to conceal my pump. It’s started many discussions with coworkers and others about diabetes. We are all flawed in some way; no one is perfect.
I understand some people have good reason to keep their pump hidden. I would not judge anyone based on that. For me, “hiding my pump in plain sight” was the most effective tactic. Most people never even see it.
I don’t go out of my way to hide - or not to hide my pump. It’s most comfortable for me clipped to a belt, so that’s where is goes (assuming I’m wearing a belt). If I’m wearing a jacket or have my shirt untucked, it gets hidden, if not, it’s exposed. As to the tubing, I’m not too worried about snagging - doesn’t happen much, but I don’t like it tickling my arm as I walk, so I usually have most of it tucked in, but again not always.
When I ride a bike, I’m more careful to keep the tubing away from getting snagged and sometimes shove the pump into a zippered pocket, rather than risk it falling off a belt by accident (has happened!).
I used to wear the CGM on my belt, too, but it’s gotten a bit crowded there, so, depending on which pants (or jacket) I’m wearing, the receiver usually goes into a pocket. I have several pants with a lower, zippered “technology” pocket that’s perfect for the receiver. I wear a Pebble getting my CGM data throu my phone, so I almost never look at the receiver during the day - but need it along for hte ride
I don’t think about it much but I don’t go out of my way to hide it. A while ago I was checking my CGM receiver in the parking garage elevator and one of the other passengers noticed. “Ah, Dexcom,” or something to that effect. I said “Yes, are you a member of the club?” No, he said, but his little girl was. Had a nice chat about how different it was now from when I was first DX’d and what a huge difference having these devices made, especially for parents of little kids with T1. So it made for a nice moment of connection and encouragement.
I definitely go out of my way to hide the goods. This is one reason why I chose the OmniPod. I also switch from the Dexcom receiver to the iPhone Dexcom app when I am out in the wild.
I’ve been pumping for almost 15 years and discretion has been important to me. I wear pants, skirts, and dresses and prefer my outfits to be fitted. I removed the clip from my pump because I wanted the pump to be as small as possible. Usually, I wear it in the waistband of my pants/skirt, right on the inside of my hip. If I wear a dress, I wear it under the elastic of my underwear and nylons, again right next to my hip where it doesn’t stick out too much. On dress days, I tend to close my office door or run to the restroom in order to check the CGM reading or to bolus. In long meetings, I have discreetly nudged the pump out of the elastic, down my leg, and then pulled it up on my thigh to bolus before doing the process in reverse. Not ideal, but it has worked.
There are a few (key) people at work who know I’m diabetic - usually those who have been impacted themselves by the condition. For the rest, I don’t want the diabetes to be the first thing they think of when they see me and I don’t want to have social conversations about my diabetes with coworkers. I just like my privacy.
Fortunately, men’s styles make it acceptable to wear shirtails out allowing me to conceal the pump and CGM while clipped to my belt. Long tail shirts from Duluth Trading are also helpful. People that know me don’t care and others simply think it’s a new type of electric device.
Given the contortions you go through to keep it discrete, you seem an ideal candidate for the pod.
You can get a free non-functional pod from Insulet to at least physically try out placement and wearing of the pod for a few days and see how it works into your wardrobe and your life. You might consider this. Given your fashion tastes and personal modesty, I just can’t imagine that pumping with the Omnipod wouldn’t be revolutionary for you.
I’ve never gone out of my way to hide my pump. I occasionally get asked about it, but when I do it’s usually just a quick answer and move on. Unless someone has a personal connection to diabetes, I’ve never had a question launch an entire conversation. As a teenager and young adult I did, once or twice, attempt to hide diabetes, and I never felt good about it and found the effort to hide it was too onerous, so I stopped.
Does Omnipod integrate with any of the CGMs? Perhaps in the future I’ll explore it as an option; I’ve certainly taken note of the Omnipod enthusiasts here. For me, it’s not the cord that is an issue, it’s being able to bolus and view the pump screen. I’m looking forward to the upgraded t:slim that will have the ability to see the CGM on a cell phone.
