My Insulin Pump Story, Part Two: Where Do I Put This Thing?

As I mentioned in Part One, I finally got to the point where I was more interested than bothered by the insulin pump idea, and at my doctor's insistence, chose the Deltec Cozmo.  This insulin pump is no longer being made, but at the time, was one of the four or five insulin pumps available in the U.S.  For some reason, my doctor loved that one.  I'm not sure why, either.

Once the pump came in, the CDE at the doctor’s office did my training.  We spent a lot of time getting the pump programmed with the date, time, and then all of the many diabetes-related settings.  For whatever reason, even though I had been studying everything about this pump, I hadn’t given much thought to where the pump would physically go on me.  The CDE didn't have any ideas for me, so I ended up leaving the endo’s office with it clipped to the top of my pants.  Right where everyone could see it.  Right where I didn't want it to be.  Blerg.

When I went to work, having the pump clipped to my pants seemed too bulky and in the way.  I didn't have anyone else to ask for ideas, so I tried putting it in my pocket.  Well, that didn't work - it kept sliding out (dress pants tend to have shallow pockets, and the Cozmo was a pretty girthy pump.  Didn't exactly lay flat.).  I had a couple of pairs of dress pants with those small pockets on the outside (for coins?), so I started wearing those a lot more often - the pump fit pretty well in those pockets.  I also took a couple pairs of pants to the tailor, and had them add a inside pocket, just big enough to hold the pump.  That worked okay, too, but you could always still tell that there was "something" there.

The insulin pump I have now has a lower profile, so it hides a little more easily under clothing.  It still sticks out sometimes, but that's just something I have to deal with.  Most times, my pump is somehow attached to underwear, somewhere.  I mean, where the heck else can you put it?  It's not an ideal situation, but it's the best solution out of the options I have.

As I've talked to more and more people who also have T1, I'm becoming aware of more ideas.  Even though most of the accessories out there are geared towards kids, there are a few that I would actually consider getting if I thought I could rock it - and people with some great ideas that I can't wait to see come to life.  There is one website in particular, Hanky Pancreas (love that name, by the way), that looks pretty sweet.

If you know of another company with grown-up insulin pump accessories, please let me know - I'd love to check it out!