Sleeping with a pump

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    • #6070
      Tim
      Keymaster

      @spikeymikie asks: OK i’ve been using a pump for the past 8 days and so far love the power to control your blood sugar on a button press even though i’m ;

    • #8908
      Tim
      Keymaster

      @spikeymikie – I just wear it loose and let it do its own thing. It took a while to get used to and I’d often wake up tangled up in it, which was slightly disconcerting; but now, six month’s later, I’m completely used to it.

      I do know that some people stitch new pockets into their jim-jams but aside from that I don’t really know. Hopefully someone else can be more helpful! :-)

    • #8909
      Alison
      Keymaster

      Hi @spikeymikie I sometimes let it freeswing, but mostly I just clip it to whatever I’m wearing – pj’s, underwear etc. I find if I lie on it, I just move it in my sleep. There was a bit of a discussion of what ;

    • #8910
      Annette A
      Participant

      I hang mine in a pouch round my neck at night – I move around too much to be comfortable leaving it loose. I have also adapted a number of my dresses – by cutting a gap in the stitches on the sideseams to allow the tubing to be fed in, so that the pump is worn outside the clothing (rather than under the dress, where it doesnt fit well) – but I’m guessing that dresses wont be quite your style, @spikeymikie

    • #8912
      Anonymous
      Inactive

      My luvly wife has kindly adapted some sports vests with a new velcro pocket in the centre of the chest where the tubing is fed inside the vest and out of an arm hole or the neck into this pocket which seems to work for me in the early stages as it gives me three options when sleeping, on left side, on right side or on back. This is used by both me and my 10yr old son as we both graduated to an insulin pump last Monday!

    • #8914
      lizz
      Participant

      Gosh, Spikey, I’d find that awfully inconvenient, not only having to sleep in the same bed as my son, but also the same sports vest… and sharing a pump as well!

    • #8918
      Alison
      Keymaster

      @lizz LOL!

    • #8919
      Anonymous
      Inactive

      LOL

      Believe me lizz it sure did feel like we were attached at time, sharing everything including the pump!
      This was my idea to start at the same time so that we could help each other but has been the longest two weeks of my life and now we are detached!!!

    • #8923
      Tim
      Keymaster

      @Katie has made me a four or five custom pump cases which attach to my belt. I have asked for a super-soft, non-belt case for wearing in bed. While I usually let it roam free I sometimes end up lying on it with a sharpish edge jabbing into my eye (or similar), so a soft padded case might be nice.

      However @Katie is currently busy with her forthcoming four-page spread in Sewing World magazine to concern herself with mere pump cases :-)

    • #9065
      Anonymous
      Inactive

      I have a thigh harness which secures around the waist & has velcro patches to secure the cabling.

      Sleeping was one of my big worries but I haven’t actually found it to be an issue for me & I even went the letting it all hang free route once (although I may have had a drink or two beforehand)

    • #9066
      Anonymous
      Inactive

      Have to go with the roamers. I tuck Fido under the pillow every night. What? Fido? Well he does follow me round all the time on his lead…

    • #9067
      Anonymous
      Inactive

      Not long before I face this quandary myself… The one I’ve seen suggested that hasn’t been mentioned here is to pop it inside a tubi-grip round thigh/arm or wherever.

      Anyone ever done that?

    • #9068
      Anonymous
      Inactive

      @mike Yep I’ve got one of those too, which I use on my thigh, or a bandage for round my stomach.

      It’s the same for me as the thigh harness except I have to tape the tubing down else I find myself catching the loops that form in the tubing in my sleep… I really couldn’t get on with letting it roam free every night!

      Personally I found it more difficult to sleep with it on my stomach than my thigh & my tubings not long enough for the arm option.

      I’d suggest using bandages/tubing for the first week to try letting it roam free, or different locations on your body, then you can decide if you need a fancy holder, modified pj’s, etc.

      I also found that when they gave it to me the sales rep had a wide range of wearing accessories available free for that day, & its likely something in that selection may be handy.

    • #9070
      Tim
      Keymaster

      Is the tubi-grip option not a bit uncomfortable if you roll onto your pump during the night? I like ‘free-roaming’ so I can subconsciously shove it out of the way if I turn over. I do sometimes end up somewhat tangled up but it doesn’t really seem to be much of a problem.

    • #9071
      Anonymous
      Inactive

      I have no idea (ask me again on 1st November!). I’m very much an ‘side/side/back’ sleeper – well I say sleeper more ;

    • #9080
      lizz
      Participant

      I’d worry about strangling with something round my neck.

    • #9081
      Annette A
      Participant

      I have the cord long enough that the pump hangs at my waist-so no chance of strangulation. I can’t even feel it round my neck,but as it’s attached to me,it follows all my nocturnal tossing and turning without getting tangled up.

    • #9092
      lizz
      Participant

      How does the length of the cord make strangulation unlikely? I’d have thought a serial tosser (this is not aimed at men!) might still turn enough to get the cord twisted – it doesn’t make any difference to how long the cord is if the twists happen at the top near your neck. I would worry that during the hypo this could happen.

    • #9097
      Dave
      Participant

      Yay! I can comment on a pump users topic!

      Having been lent one yesterday for a few days I decided that instead of just testing on the leather pad they gave I might as well stick it to my body and carry it around as I will be doing in the near future. I don’t have any saline so the pump is empty and I haven’t used the stabby thing, just stuck the end of the tubing onto my stomach with the sticky bit. I know there are technical terms but I’m still naive enough yet to stay with the non-D words.

      My first night went well. After starting in my pyjama pocket it fell out at some point and followed me around without causing any problems. Laura, my very patient wife, said this morning that she felt it (the pump!) a few times but it (yes, still the pump!) didn’t bother her at all. At this stage I’m now thinking sleeping won’t be too much of a problem – ignoring all the potential insulin delivery problems obviously.

    • #9100
      Annette A
      Participant

      Mathematically speaking (sorry, you did ask!) a heavy object (ie a pump) on a looped cord is more likely to twist (if it does) at the heavy end (the pump) rather than where it is looped around (the neck).

    • #9110
      lizz
      Participant

      Lol! Mathematically I fear you have me. But more likely isn’t only likely.

      Of course, maybe I should take into account that my mother removed all the laces from my anorak hoods and banned me from twisting the chains on my swing.

      She also cut all my teddy eyes off. No wonder I’m disturbed.

    • #9111
      Tim
      Keymaster

      Cut your teddy eyes off?!! 0_o

    • #9112
      Annette A
      Participant

      That is just cruel. Teddy abuse!

    • #9113
      Anonymous
      Inactive

      Lizz – Have you ever seen the movie ‘Coraline’? If not DON’T! 😮

    • #9116
      lizz
      Participant

      Oh, I read the book – haven’t seen the movie! I did think it was truly, truly scary for children. Even though I have to admit I used to come into the room and put weird eyes on and face and tell the children I wasn’t their mother, I’d been replaced. Then make strange noises and make them scream. It was highly enjoyable and i don’t think it has had much effect.

    • #9238
      Anonymous
      Inactive

      I got a pump two days ago, and I faced this problem myself (I’m a restless sleeper). I decided to clip it onto my boxers, that way it stayed right where I needed it to.

    • #9241
      Tim
      Keymaster

      @pack1fan4life – another new pumper? How are you finding it?

    • #9243
      Anonymous
      Inactive

      It’s quite nice. I’m a needle-phobe, so giving myself shots was not very fun. I also like the flexibility it provides.

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