Advice for Males who pump

[Bluey1]

I have found plenty of advice and commentary of the ladies wearing pumps. I'm not a cross dresser nor female, so pumps hidden in Bra's etc have no relevance to me. So many of my questions are male centric.

I have spent over an hour searching manually and the Search function without any real success.

In less than a week I go for my next appointment. I will find out if my health insurance will make a contribution towards the pump (I'm not holding my breath) and it is the point of no return, with the expectation it will become attached to me 15th Jan.

I have been putting it off for many years as I don't think the pump and I will get on with each other, as my life style is very anti pump as I pretty certain you will agree with me.

The pump nurse had only one option, the Medtronic 640g. I was advised not to wait for the 670 as it is at least 1 - 4 years away.
We have a very limited choice of pumps and this is the only one the nurse recommends.

I have a number of concerns
Sleeping
I toss and turn all night and in one night I will have slept on my side, back, other side and even on my stomach, where do I put the pump?
Day wear
I have seen some guys wear it on their belt with tubing coiled, how do you stop it getting caught, or there are better ways to wear it.
Forgetting about it
If it's comfortable I will quickly forget it's there. When getting changed for bed etc I'm concerned I will take off my clothing and the pump will go flying.
Skydiving
Does anyone take a pump Skydiving? I'm not talking about going on a Tandem jump to cross off the bucket list, I'm talking about a full on weekend as a Flattie (Rel Worker) and not just the jump but also the creepers.
Flying (on commercial aircraft)
Pump operation on a commercial aircraft Boeing 737 and similar sized aircraft, I'm concerned about the effects of pressure
How do you manage to get through Australian domestic security?
Kayaking SOT & Sit In
Do you take it with you? Where do you put it? How does it like the odd swim?
Cycling
I ride to and from work when I'm not travelling for work. That is a serious 50min x 2 a day in rain, hail or preferably shine ride. During the rain and the really hot shine 40c or ~ 98f all clothing gets very wet. Where do you keep the pump?
Baths
I love soaking in a nice hot bath in winter, reading a book for up to an hour on a Sunday night. I assume that will now have to become 30min or less.

I'm just worried about what I have forgotten to add to the list.

Thanks for any assistance, and advice even if it is Don't go for a pump.

 

[novorapidboi26]

Sleeping
I toss and turn all night and in one night I will have slept on my side, back, other side and even on my stomach, where do I put the pump?

I successfully sleep with the pump loose if I am naked, and of course if I have underwear or PJs on then its clipped on with the belt clip.....but sub-consciously I am aware of it and I move it if I am having a particaulrly restless night....

Day wear
I have seen some guys wear it on their belt with tubing coiled, how do you stop it getting caught, or there are better ways to wear it.

I always clip it on my belt, always....the additional tubing is just tucked in to the waist of my trousers to stop it catching....

Forgetting about it
If it's comfortable I will quickly forget it's there. When getting changed for bed etc I'm concerned I will take off my clothing and the pump will go flying.

Its unlikely you will forget its there to be fair, you might think that before going on the pump, but when its time to take of your trousers, you wont have a choice but to see it hanging there...

Skydiving
Does anyone take a pump Skydiving? I'm not talking about going on a Tandem jump to cross off the bucket list, I'm talking about a full on weekend as a Flattie (Rel Worker) and not just the jump but also the creepers.

No clue what your on about, sorry......

Flying (on commercial aircraft)
Pump operation on a commercial aircraft Boeing 737 and similar sized aircraft, I'm concerned about the effects of pressure
How do you manage to get through Australian domestic security?

Not had any issues operating it when in the air.......some pumps may react differently though....Medtronic has been problem free for me.,...

Kayaking SOT & Sit In
Do you take it with you? Where do you put it? How does it like the odd swim?

No experience with this and i don't think mine is waterproof....

Cycling
I ride to and from work when I'm not travelling for work. That is a serious 50min x 2 a day in rain, hail or preferably shine ride. During the rain and the really hot shine 40c or ~ 98f all clothing gets very wet. Where do you keep the pump?

I think if you are dressed appropriately you wont have any issues with heat or moisture.....again, different manufacturers will vary....

Baths
I love soaking in a nice hot bath in winter, reading a book for up to an hour on a Sunday night. I assume that will now have to become 30min or less.

I'm just worried about what I have forgotten to add to the list.

I personally prefer to shower but when I choose to have a bath I remove the cannula completely......the cannula comes with a cover to put on it but I just don't trust it.....other people may have more positive comments though....

Thanks for any assistance, and advice even if it is Don't go for a pump.

 

[Juicyj]

Hi @Chowie Although not male - alot of your concerns were similar to mine, so in answer to your queries:

I have a number of concerns
Sleeping
I toss and turn all night and in one night I will have slept on my side, back, other side and even on my stomach, where do I put the pump? - Absolutely no issue, I wear a pump belt for sleep so pump fits neatly in and no issues with tossing and turning as I do this most nights, you get used to it very quickly.
Day wear
I have seen some guys wear it on their belt with tubing coiled, how do you stop it getting caught, or there are better ways to wear it. - You can get short cannula sets if tubing is an issue, or you can pop the tubing into your pump belt if you stick to the longer stuff.
Forgetting about it
If it's comfortable I will quickly forget it's there. When getting changed for bed etc I'm concerned I will take off my clothing and the pump will go flying. - Yes you do get very comfy and no denying if it's not in the pump belt then it will dangle, but it doesn't compromise the cannula set by doing so, just feels slightly odd when it's hanging in mid air..
Skydiving
Does anyone take a pump Skydiving? I'm not talking about going on a Tandem jump to cross off the bucket list, I'm talking about a full on weekend as a Flattie (Rel Worker) and not just the jump but also the creepers. - As long as you can access the pump through your suit so in an easy to access area in case you need to put a temp basal on or do a bolus then there should be no issue at all.
Flying (on commercial aircraft)
Pump operation on a commercial aircraft Boeing 737 and similar sized aircraft, I'm concerned about the effects of pressure
How do you manage to get through Australian domestic security? - Have worn mine on a number of flights - no issue with cabin pressure and no issue with security - I tend to take mine off and hand it to security so it doesn't go through x-ray and this can cause an issue with the pump.
Kayaking SOT & Sit In
Do you take it with you? Where do you put it? How does it like the odd swim? The 640g is waterproof so you will have no issues with water using it.
Cycling
I ride to and from work when I'm not travelling for work. That is a serious 50min x 2 a day in rain, hail or preferably shine ride. During the rain and the really hot shine 40c or ~ 98f all clothing gets very wet. Where do you keep the pump? I ride too and keep mine in the pump belt for exercise - no issues.
Baths
I love soaking in a nice hot bath in winter, reading a book for up to an hour on a Sunday night. I assume that will now have to become 30min or less. - I don't wear mine for baths and have no issues but my soaks are 20 mins otherwise I would fall asleep, you can so a correction afterwards if you want longer and your BG levels require it.

I'm just worried about what I have forgotten to add to the list.

Thanks for any assistance, and advice even if it is Don't go for a pump.

- Personally these points kind of fall into insignificance in terms of the benefits of using a pump - all of them can be managed without issue, they will be an issue if you let them, however the flexibility of doing exercise and turning on a temp basal pattern to manage, as well as bolusing for smaller units, having tighter control, less hypos and less severe hypos when I do have them - all of these make it a no brainer. Hope this helps from a female 640g happy pumper

 

[Deleted Account]

Day wear
I have seen some guys wear it on their belt with tubing coiled, how do you stop it getting caught, or there are better ways to wear it. - You can get short cannula sets if tubing is an issue, or you can pop the tubing into your pump belt if you stick to the longer stuff.

I may not be male but I often wear trousers.
I have two approaches depending on the bagginess of my trousers
- clip my pump to my belt and tuck the tubing in my waist band
- make a small hole in the top of my pocket and feed the tube through the hole and keep my pump in my pocket with the tube out of the way.

Baths
I love soaking in a nice hot bath in winter, reading a book for up to an hour on a Sunday night. I assume that will now have to become 30min or less. - I don't wear mine for baths and have no issues but my soaks are 20 mins otherwise I would fall asleep, you can so a correction afterwards if you want longer and your BG levels require it.

For baths, swimming and spas, I bolus an equivalent of an hour of basal (this is less than one unit of insulin) and then disconnect for an hour. If I am in the water for longer than an hour, I temporarily reconnect, basal/bolus again and disconnnect for another hour.
I might be tempted to use a similar approach if kayaking although most pumps are waterproof... which is also helpful if you cycle in the rain.

 

[Neoncat]

I am also not a dude but from my experience a pump belt sounds like it would help with a lot of your worries. I found it really helped by keeping the tubing under my clothes and when I do get changed or need the loo or just if my clothing moves around it doesn't move with it. I also worried about sleeping but you really don't feel it after the first couple of nights. I was very nervous about going on to a pump but I am so happy I did, it is a lot of work at the start but it has really improved my life. It makes exercise a lot easier to manage and I find that now I can control my glucose levels better I perform better too! Give it a try and remember you can always go back to MDI if it isn't right for you.

 

[WHM]

Hi Chowie
I am a male pumper, currently I’m using a Cellnovo patch pump but started on an Animas Vibe with tubing.
As far as sleeping is concerned I found that it took me a few nights to adjust to wearing it but now (seven years on) I rarely notice it overnight (except for the odd alarm). For sleeping with a tubes pump I used a band with a pouch that fitted my thigh so I didn’t tend to notice it when turning or sleeping on back or side. For the tubing I used to stick it loosely on my skin with micropore tape to prevent catching my arm in it.
There were occasions when I caught the tubing on door handles and once or twice managed to dislodge the cannula so I found it best to feed the tubing under a belt and slip the pump in a pocket, usually with a clean cloth handkerchief keeping it safe.
As far as flying is concerned not a problem at all for me. I fly regularly and find it makes long haul flights easier to maintain better control by increasing basal rates temporarily to offset Long periods of sitting. Best to avoid blousing when taking off and landing.
I have never skydived but cycle regularly without any issues in fact again I find it makes insulin adjustments so much easier.
You will be able to disconnect the pump when having baths. The cannula adhesive can loosen but if you use something like cavillon spray or cream helps attach it more securely and when swimming I tend to cover the cannula with opsite film which is waterproof.
Hope all goes well I’m confident you’ll find the benefits far outweigh the negatives.

 

[Kevin1987]

I got a belt thing (elastic with a pouch) I wear it in and it’s work under your clothes I usually wear is around waist close to trousers and I forget it’s there completely but have had it where Iv pulled down trousers and pulled the pump down to but never pulled it out yet over the last year! I tried on my belt of trousers but hates the tubing hanging around had more accidents!

 

[Chas C]

I put mine in a shirt pocket almost all the time, occasionally I hang from my neck if wearing cloth tee shirt.

Flying has never been an issue for me, always connected.

Swimming, just take it off and top up every thirty mins or so, same for bath or sauna.

Kayaking, hung round my neck, in winter under a dry suit and use remote or pull it out through neck seal to adjust.

Sleep, either in pocket of shorts, if cold in tee shirt pocket, otherwise floating free.

Never been skydiving - would like to have this as a pump problem

Chas