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Insulin pump in school

M

Michik

Well-Known Member
Messages
87
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi, I am currently on pens and my hostipal offers me free pump(it's free for non-adult patients) with the whole training. Ive got some doubt about how I will treat that in school because my school is big(the primary, middle and high school together) and there are about 1500 students which makes this school very crowded. During the breaks, the corridors are crowded, cloak rooms are small and crowded too. I dont know if I had space and time to "inject" insulin from pump etc.
Do you have any problems with that or did you? The teachers and classmates know about my illness and they dont really care.

I just want to know some informations because I feel so lonely and not so confident and growing up with diabetes is difficult for me(Ive started realising some facts recently)
 
A pump is much easier than pens, if you manage to inject in these small spaces with a pen you will absolutely be able to use a pump. Don't worry about it being knocked etc, depending on where you put it it's usually pretty safe
 
Thank you.
I only test my bs and take insulin in class, at the end of the lesson. But I dont like answering to many questions from classmates. It makes me mad and that may cause more questions.
 
I can't see you'd have a problem. My pump sits on my waist (held on by a clip). My top covers it and when I want to inject some insulin I just have to press a button a few times. I can't see how there'd be a problem, even if your school is crowded

Unless your blood sugar is high and you're doing a correction dose, you only have to'inject' with the pump when you eat basically. You can also alter other things on it eg if you're doing exercise, but the number of times in a day you'd have to touch it wouldn't be that many
 
Michik said:
Thank you.
I only test my bs and take insulin in class, at the end of the lesson. But I dont like answering to many questions from classmates. It makes me mad and that may cause more questions.
Click to expand...
your school should allow you to leave class 5mins early to avoid all the bumping and running.

Different pumps allow you to do insulin differently, there's one that the handset control it so you just finger prick and then do it on that handset

there's ones you have to use the pump, to do the insulin.

the pump in my display pic is the insight pump that allows you to do manual insulin on the pump, but i use my handset that looks like a mobile phone to do it all :]
 
I don't tend to touch my pump at all - it's an Insight, and I operate it purely from the handset - it's about the size of a mobile phone, and talks to the pump wirelessly - I can just do what I need to do without feeling the need to go elsewhere to do it, as it's very discreet.

I don't have experience of any other kind of pump, for instance the sort where you have to do all the button-pressing on the pump itself rather than on a remote control - but I'm very, very pleased with the one I have because I don't need to touch the pump (it stays tucked underneath my clothing and I don't even know that it's there).

Hope this helps!

 
I had an option to test in school nurse's room but it was psychically uncomfortable for me and I didnt agree.
I dont know what kind of pumps are now because I only saw these in hospital 6-7 years ago. And I dont know what I would get.
I think teachers dont even know what is diabetes at all.

The cloak room for PE is crowded too. It is small room and average there are up to 30 people and sometimes there is no even place to put on your sport clothes.

@Snapsy is this handset also a glucometer? How do you live with it? Do you have any problems with physical activities?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi @Michik , yes, the handset is also the blood glucose meter, so I use it to test, and then if I'm eating I just go through a short process of pressing the touch screen through the necessary options, ditto if I need a correction dose. It connects wirelessly to the pump, so insulin is delivered without me having to do anything with the pump itself. I carry it in a zipped case in my bag or in a large pocket, with the pricker and strips, and I have a separate zipped case for spare bits and pieces.

I am fairly active, with walks and bike rides and swimming, and it's all very straightforward. I don't really feel I need to worry about things any more than when I was injecting.

Am very happy with it even though I've only been pumping since October. Having said that, I'm no longer in the position of being at school, as you are, but I do recognise from my own experience the feelings you are having about dealing with diabetes at school. Do you have a trusted friend to support you?
 
@Snapsy I dont, I dont have any trusted friend, just classmates(im lonely with diabetes except my parents). But they all are about parties and being high(). Hope it will change in high school.
But they dont really care, still getting asked if I could eat that and all about that.

How much did it cost?
 
Hi @Michik , I'm not sure where you're based, but here in UK pumps are supplied on the NHS (without cost) to the user provided that they fit the guidelines for pump therapy and their diabetes consultant is in agreement.
 
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