Tuesday 13 March 2012

Sleeping with an insulin pump

Everyone sleeps differently....some people on their stomach, some on their back, some (like my little son) seem to travel all over the bed at night, some on their side, and some like to sleep on their spouse's side....of the bed!

This was one thing that I questioned when I started considering use of my pump.  I was told to just slip it into a pocket in my pyjamas.  That sounded easy enough, and I felt silly for questioning where I would put it.  (One thing I have learned is that there are no silly questions.)  Most of my pyjamas have pockets so I felt pretty good about it that my pump would not be an issue while sleeping.  As everything else in life, it wasn't quite that simple.  I have not had one night where my insulin pump has stayed in my pyjamas pocket the whole night.

So what happens?  I cannot tell you how many times I have awoken in the middle of the night with my insulin pump in the middle of my back.  I am generally a back sleeper, and I cannot figure out how my insulin pump crawls out of the depths of my pocket and out onto the bed sheets and somehow decides it can lift my not-so-light-frame up and settle into the small of my back.  Sometimes I move it out and put it back beside me, or if I am too tired I just leave it there until morning.

There must be a way to stop that from happening, right?  There are a few options, some I have thought of, some I have tried, and others that just won't fit my sleeping patterns I am sure:
- you could sew a button into your pyjamas (like a shirt button): if it is strategically placed, I am sure it could keep your pump securely in your pocket.  I haven't actually tried this yet, as I have yet to convince my wife to sew a button on there for me.  :)
- you could wear a pouch: I have a cloth pouch attached to a soft cloth belt that I can wear that keeps the insulin pump in place.  This pouch can be worn during the day or at night.  The problem I found with the velcro belt is that during the night when I move around I must move the velcro ever so slightly so as to bug and scratch me.
- I have heard of other people with long enough tubing that they are able to leave their insulin pump on their night-side table.  It may work for you, but not for me...I move around too much at night.

So, I continue to let my insulin pump fall out of my pocket every night.  I know that I have to look for it when I get out of bed in the morning and stuff it back in there. 
Is it a hassle?  Yes. 
Do I care that I have that hassle?  No.
Why?  I have never had the pump hurt me while I am sleeping (I have never had it hit me or my wife in the head!) and the control over my blood sugars trumps any teeny tiny minor hassle like this.

Do you have any other suggestions?

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for the ideas. They make sense!

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  2. Most of my pyjamas have pockets so I felt pretty good about it that my pump would not be an issue while sleeping.

    ReplyDelete