NNM Diabetes
Discussion
There hasn't been a lot of activity for the free YahooGroup! so I am posting information I gather along the way here.
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I will be posting here under discussion things that I get via email either to questions, or from JDRF and other sources. If you would like to post, please email: nnmdiabetes@yahoo.com. Improvement suggestions always welcome.
Thanks!
Darshan
Discussion
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Hi
there,
It was so very helpful to get so much
information and feedback when I asked about CGMS
experience, that I am now sending out another
question:
What do parents do with pumps in summer?
It's obvious that kids can't go in the swimming
pool with them on, but what about "accidental"
water exposure, like spontaneous water fights,
or falling down in wet areas? What do you do if
a child wants to participate in something like
river rafting?
I am most grateful for your feedback and
experiences.
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Thanks to everyone who responded, it was very helpful. Here is the feedback received:
From Dr. Ness:
Sharon wrote:
As for the pump, we have not had a problem with it getting pretty wet. One thing I did learn last summer was that the insulin can go bad when the temperature outside is very hot so we don’t fill our reservoir as full during heat waves and when Steven is outside a lot. Again, I would love to hear what feedback you get.
From Yvonne:
My son has a pump with the CGMS. We actually went
river rafting last summer. They do sell waterproof covers for the
pumps, but we created our own.....MacGyver style. We double
sandwich bagged my son's pump in sturdy, well-sealing bags. They
obviously don't seal completely where the tubing comes out.....so we
used duct tape to seal the tubing to the bag. He also carries a
hiking pack with all of his supplies (kind of like a fanny pack).
He wore that around his waste and we put the pump in that.....it
gave a little extra protection. He got very wet, but the pump
stayed dry. We were taking the chance that he wouldn't go
overboard.....but leaving his pack anywhere except around his waste
wasn't really an option because the raft was full of water.
As far as the water games and such.....he wears his pump. If he
knows that he is going to get really wet (swimming, drenching water
games, playing around a pool where people are pushing people into
the pool, etc.) he just takes his pump off for those short periods
of time. While he is swimming and being so active, he doesn't
really need as much insulin anyway, so taking the pump off for a
while doesn't hurt him too much.
From Jill:
I only have one tip and it is not so much for summer, but it might apply. When my son snowboards (which is often), he puts his pump in a ziplock bag in his pocket to keep it dry. It has worked for many a trip to the snowy mountains.
From Ritesh:
With the Medtronic pump, we recommend not to submerge it completely in water. In 2001, when the paradigm platform was launched, it was marketed as a waterproof pump but Medtronic learnt in 2003 that it could not guarantee with 100% surety that it can prevent hairline cracks when the pump is bumped or dropped on the floor. If there is a small hairline crack and the pump is submerged in water, water can penetrate. It is for this reason we voluntarily went to the FDA and changed our label to say water resistant. So as long as the pump is not completely submerged in water the pump should be fine. If you feel that the pump is not functioning properly after being in contact with water, then call 1 800 MINIMED and they will replace the pump within the four year warranty period.
From Steve:
We have a seven year old boy (he turns 8 next
week) who has been on the pump for over two years. He is in swim
lesions right now. When he goes swimming we just unplug the pump
from patch on his body, then when he is done swimming we check the
patch and if it is adhering well (which most the time the patch is
just fine) we just plug it back it. We don’t worry much about him
not having insulin for the time he is in the pool because with the
extra exercise his blood sugar will drop later anyway. We have gone
swimming for several hours and he as done fine. And about the
spontaneous water fights and the falling down in wet areas, the pump
we have (Medtronic) has held up very well. He even jump into the
pool and was in for a few minutes before he realized that he still
had it on, and the pump was still OK. So I wouldn’t worry about it
to much. My seven year boy is the fourth of six boys we have and
you can imagine that a lot has happened at our
house.
From Kelly:
My daughter is only 5 so we haven’t had to deal with things like river rafting just yet but she has lots of brothers and sisters so water fights are bound to happen! J
If I know that something like that is coming, we’ll go ahead and take the pump off and put it back on when she’s drying off. Usually the extra running around and excitement balances out the basal insulin that she is not receiving during that time. If it happens spontaneously, I just keep an eye out. Most of the pumps are designed to handle accidental exposure to water. So far it just hasn’t been a problem.
If you have a question or would like feedback, do, please, email: nnmdiabetes@yahoo.com.