Pumps And Mountain Biking

[Chickenboy]

Hi folks

I'm a newbie to this forum. I've been diabetic for 28 years and am currently managing on split Levemir and Fiasp. I'm a keen mountain biker and am now pretty used to managing my sugars during exercise by reducing basal slightly, leaving a good gap after bolus and also carb loading. Its a bit of a pain but it has been working for me. The biggest issue I have is dawn phenomenon and also blood sugars rising overnight when not exercising. For that reason my consultant has recommended I go on a pump. I also really see the benefits of this by being able to temp reduce my basal during periods of exercise. I still need to go through the "education classes" to tell me how to carb count (although Ive been doing this for years) and there is currently a 9 month waiting list for a pump in my area.

My biggest concern about a pump is due to my mountain biking and the potential for damaging the pump/me during crashes. I regularly race which which means pushing myself close to the limits of gravity and often take this a bit too far and crash. I've explored different options for storage and there look like some pretty nifty belts for keeping it close to the body.

I was wondering

a) Does anyone have any experience of wearing pumps for either mountain biking or other sports where there is likelihood of contact?
b) Do people know if you can get insurance for pumps? I'm worried at how expensive these pumps are, if I were to damage one I wouldn't be able to just get a new one from the NHS and it would be prohibitively expensive to replace it privately.

Thanks in advance!

 

[porl69]

Hi @Chickenboy and welcome to the forum. I will tag @helensaramay to come aand give some advise on this as I know she is pretty active and also wears a pump.

My nephew used to race downhill at a very high level, he was Welsh downhill champ for a few years 2002 - 2004 i believe. Now he is type 1 BUT not on a pump

 

[Deleted Account]

To answer your questions as a pump user:
a) my hobbies include climbing, running, mountain biking, ... I have fallen with my pump and it is completely intact. To be honest, it is tucked away under all my clothing so it is rare that it comes into contact with something harder than my body. That does cause a little problem: occasionally, I get pump bruises when it is pushed against a bony area such as my hip or my ribs but when I think about it, it is not too troublesome to find a sightly more padded area.
b) whilst the NHS provides my pump, they do not insure it and recommend I do so myself. I insure it through my house insurance. However, I know some find their house insurers not very knowledgeable about diabetes (luckily, the guy I spoke to has type 1) so have chosen a dedicated pump insurer. If you take a look at the Pump sub-forum there are some relatively recent discussions as I think the underwriter has recently changed ... but I can't remember their name.

My pump is a tubey pump (Animas - which is no longer available). Some are concerned about the tube getting in the way, caught on something, etc. As I keep my pump tucked away, this does not happen. I am sure you can imagine the kind of fun I could have if it ever got caught on a piece of rock on a cliff whilst I was climbing (or falling); this has never ever ever been a problem.
However, if you are concerned about damaging the pump, maybe a tubeless one such as an Omnipod could be more appropriate. The only time I have experience my pump coming untucked was on a flying trapeze - a tubeless one would have helped with that but on all other occasions, it stays under control.
I have no personal experience of an Omnipod as they are amongst the most expensive so not available in my CCG. I will tag @Mel dCP who has recently started with an Omnipod. I don't think she's tried throwing it down a mountain bike run but she may have some knowledge of its ruggedness.
However, I will emphasis not to get too hooked on tubeless as they are not available everywhere.

The main driver for me to start pumping was for exercise and it has been brilliant.
I found when running or gymming, my BG would plummet whereas when climbing it soared. With the pump, I adjust my basal, keep my BG under control and, as a result, see improvements in my exercise.

 

[Juicyj]

Hello @Chickenboy I wear a pump and also ride a road bike, I keep it tucked away in a pump belt so it sits on the side of my tummy and doesn't interfere with exercise at all, I had a big fall earlier this year which involved me hitting the tarmac and sliding into a kerb with zero impact on my pump (fortunately !). I use the medtronic 640g which has a tubing set and all of this gets tucked into the belt fine, if I was doing a short ride of say 30-40 mins then I would take the pump off for an extra liberating ride but any longer and it stays on and temp basal pattern is used, if anything I need to top up with glucose during the ride as I am more likely to go low during an hours ride vs anything else.

I haven't got insurance for mine but you've prompted me to think about that

 

[LooperCat]

I’m about as sedentary as it gets, tbh, and I’m only just getting used to pulling my trousers down without snagging it - but I’ve only had it for a month! It seems pretty rugged, and if I was doing anything more vigorous than a little light gardening, I’d probably slap some rock tape over the top.

Insurance wise, I’ve got mine covered with https://insurance4insulinpumps.co.uk/ - it’s about 7 quid a month.

 

[Michael090382]

Hi folks

I'm a newbie to this forum. I've been diabetic for 28 years and am currently managing on split Levemir and Fiasp. I'm a keen mountain biker and am now pretty used to managing my sugars during exercise by reducing basal slightly, leaving a good gap after bolus and also carb loading. Its a bit of a pain but it has been working for me. The biggest issue I have is dawn phenomenon and also blood sugars rising overnight when not exercising. For that reason my consultant has recommended I go on a pump. I also really see the benefits of this by being able to temp reduce my basal during periods of exercise. I still need to go through the "education classes" to tell me how to carb count (although Ive been doing this for years) and there is currently a 9 month waiting list for a pump in my area.

My biggest concern about a pump is due to my mountain biking and the potential for damaging the pump/me during crashes. I regularly race which which means pushing myself close to the limits of gravity and often take this a bit too far and crash. I've explored different options for storage and there look like some pretty nifty belts for keeping it close to the body.

I was wondering

a) Does anyone have any experience of wearing pumps for either mountain biking or other sports where there is likelihood of contact?
b) Do people know if you can get insurance for pumps? I'm worried at how expensive these pumps are, if I were to damage one I wouldn't be able to just get a new one from the NHS and it would be prohibitively expensive to replace it privately.

Thanks in advance!

Hi chickenboy, where abouts are you from if you don’t mind me asking? It is just that I am in a just about identical situation as you regarding dawn phenomenon and blood sugars rising when I’m not exercising.

I had an appointment at my clinic which is based within a diabetes resource centre, it is nearly impossible to get an appointment with a consultant there so had to see a nurse. I was told that due to the cost it will take a very long time of at least a year due to the cost even if people meet the NICE guidelines.

I am in the North Tyneside area of Newcastle upon Tyne by the way. Has anyone else had any experience regarding pumps in this area?

 

[Colin of Kent]

I've ridden mountain bikes with a pump. I tend to clip the pump to a strap of my bib shorts. It's quite unusual to get impact to the chest, so I'd say it's pretty safe there, and I've certainly never managed to damage a pump yet. Overall, I'd say the pros far outweigh the cons. Get on that waiting list!

 

[Chickenboy]

Thanks for all the help guys. It's really good to know that people do rough sports and don't have any issues with the pump. I guess it's about getting the right belt and equipment to ensure it stays where you want it too.

@Mel dCP thanks for the insurance info. Just checked the policy and doesn't seem to be anything that would exclude 'extreme sports' like lots of other insurance products do. Might check with my home insurance tho to see if they'd cover it for less. Might be an issue with me not actually owning it tho.

@Michael090382 I'm based in the borders so not that far from you but different health boards. I was told we only get 5 pumps per year and there is already a waiting list

 

[Bluey1]

Road bike and Skydive. You sound the ideal candidate for a pump. My problem with dawn (apology to any Dawn's out there) is it strikes at different times. it depends on when my body (not the 'alarm clock') wakes up. It's much easier just pushing a button until everything settles down. I put off going on the pump for many years. My only regret is I didn't do it sooner.

 

[aphex2k]

Mountain biker and (new) martial artist.

Pump gets disconnected for fighting and reconnected when the session ends.

For riding, depending on the level I'm exerting myself, I have three pre-set temp basal rates. High activity at 60% delivery, moderate at 70% and low at 80%. I'm 42 - riding mtb's since early 90s. There was a group on facebook for mtb riding and insulin pumps but it was pretty quiet. Worth looking into.

I usually carry it in my right hand shorts pocket. I've crashed many, many times. It's been fine. I sometimes use a "Spibelt" under my t-shirt which keeps the pump out of the way and a little more protected / covered up.