The Devil Wears an Insulin Pump: Ranking places I secure my insulin pump from best to worst
Words by Cassia Percival-Day (she/her)
I have always enjoyed cool clothes and good style. In Year 2 I even had a ‘magazine’ with my friends called Fashion for Passion (I got a bit confused when writing the title). So when the prospect of having an insulin pump (a device the size of an old school iPod) tethered to me for the foreseeable future was brought up, it was not very appealing, especially considering how it would have to coexist with my outfits.
I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes back in 2016, just after I had turned 13 years old. Type 1 diabetes is an auto-immune condition where your pancreas no longer produces insulin, a hormone that helps sugar turn into energy. It is not from eating too much sugar, and making that joke is both offensive and not funny. To manage it, you measure your blood sugar and manually administer insulin through either daily injections or an insulin pump. I was doing around seven injections a day for about six years until I went on the pump.
I was always against the idea of a pump as I didn’t see the benefits outweighing the tethering situation. But thanks to new technology released at the start of 2022, the insulin pump can now talk to a device that measures your blood sugar. This means it can decide when to give you more or less insulin without you having to approve it, making management easier. I guess this makes me a cyborg!
Type 1 diabetes is an invisible illness. By wearing an insulin pump, or any diabetes tech, it makes the illness even less tangible. I know diabetics who don’t like to do any management in public, as there is still a stigma around doing injections or other tasks in front of strangers. It is almost viewed as inappropriate to undertake in public, as if doing an injection or drawing blood from your finger should be something that is kept in the sterile rooms of a hospital or clinic.
Stares and questions from strangers are always inevitable, but I like to think they generally come from a place of curiosity, not judgement. I’ve worn a blood glucose monitor on my arm, which is about the size of a Connect Four chip, since I was 13. I’m now well accustomed to strangers asking about it. As long as they are polite, I don’t mind, and it opens up an educational conversation about type 1.
After the initial shock that the insulin pump was one of the ugliest things I had laid my eyes on, I got to work personalising the device. I added a cute pink case and went on the dark web, US teens on Etsy, for a metallic silver decal. Now it looks less like a sterile pager and more of a nostalgic, pink and silver, 2000s Tamagotchi.
The first hurdle was over and I was ready to see how it integrated with my love of clothes. Over the past 12 months, I’ve worn it in many different locations. I thought I would shed some light onto the trials and tribulations of being tethered to something 24/7.
Pump belt (4.9/5)
I’m not sure what possessed me, but of all colours in the rainbow, my belt is beige. Your-grandma’s-bra beige! *Beige*! I guess I was going for a ‘nude’ underwear look. It is losing 0.1 of a point because it is very unfashionable and doesn’t integrate with my outfits. Medical-core is not something I want to be displaying to the world.
I got mine custom made by a lovely lady on Facebook called Bizy Lizy for the sweet price of $25 plus shipping. The pump belt is easily the most practical setup and I can wear it while I’m sleeping. I sleep on my stomach, so to make it more comfortable, I can remove my case.
It is also a great set up if you don’t have any clothing to attach the pump to, such as under a dress. This makes sure the pump is hidden and secure. It’s easy to access the touch screen of the pump as the belt has a little clear window. Going to the toilet is a #dream and I don’t have to think about yanking it out of my stomach, which is not a pain I want to have to deal with at 1 a.m.
Front pocket (4.5/5)
The front pocket is a classic spot—the flat white of locations. It’s budget-friendly, as it doesn’t require any extra purchases, unlike the pump belt. And as nearly every pair of pants has a front pocket, it is a obtainable location. It’s very accessible too, as it’s easy to whip out the pump and manage your levels. The only downside is that the bathroom can get a bit sticky if you forget to give yourself enough slack with the tubing.
Bra (4/5)
Dare I say this location is a bit sexy, but maybe not for my masculine-presenting friends. Having the pump secured in your bra is the best place during a night out, particularly when you want to wear a skin-tight dress. This spot also has the added bonus of the tubing being tucked inside the top or dress. A big plus is that it’s very unproblematic for a toilet trip. One night on the town, I made the fatal mistake of putting the pump in my pocket with lots of tubing exposed and a random man accidentally got caught on me. A bit awkward to say the least.
On the downside, having it tucked in means it’s not easy to use and you do get a few looks when pulling it out and re-securing in public. Depending on the person, the pump could upstage the other things going on in that area. But the ~perfect~ bra should mean that this is a non-issue.
Back pocket (3.5/5)
A similar situation to the front pocket, except it is less simple to whip out when needed—with the added danger of damaging the pump if you sat down at the wrong angle.
Clipped onto your belt line (2.5/5)
This spot has the same energy as a 2000s dad wearing his flip phone clipped to his belt. It’s a handy but exposed location, and one of my least used spots. When the pump is clipped on, the screen is upside down, so you still have to unclip if you want to use the touch screen. Since it is on the outside of your clothes, both the tubing and device are out and about. This is a bit hazardous with the tubing, as it somehow always finds something knob shaped thing to get caught on.
Loose (2/5)
This is risky business. I would only recommend it if you're asleep, alone, and you don’t toss and turn. Having the pump loose was my bedtime situation until I discovered a pump belt. I would frequently wake up in a bit of a tangle at 3 a.m.
Bralette (1/5)
Don’t bother. The physics doesn’t work in your favour and you will stretch your favourite bralette.
Undies (1/5)
While it may be free, and almost guaranteed you will be wearing them (I hope), this is hands down the worst option. The structural integrity is not there. The weight of the pump pulls at the waist area and just flops and folds down. Since standing was such a disaster, I didn’t even attempt to brave the toilet.