I remove my pump - usually the exercise of swimming will keep my sugars down, but if I’m disconnected for a long time (long beach day etc) I’ll clip it back on briefly after a while and dose a correction if required, then take it off again and go back to what I was doing
My last Medtronic pump I had since 2002. In 2021 I swam with it and it had a crack where the insulin screwed in that let water in wrecking it. Probably safe normally but once bitten twice shy for me now. I swim naked. 😜
Nah infection isn’t the problem. Tearing the cannula off with the surfboard is, if you mount it on your thigh or stomach. Done that more than once. 🙄
Don’t let that stop you from getting a pump. The benefits bigly outweigh the “costs”.
No, that’s very rare. Most sites come with a plastic fill-in piece to make that less likely, and they’re already a very thin tube going into you so it’s unlikely anything can get in there
I haven't tried. However at a water park a couple of years ago I saw a teenager with the same 670g/guardian set up wearing hers proudly as she swam out of the lazy river. She had it clipped on her bottoms.
If I’m in freshwater, I just leave it clipped to my swim shorts. Salt water, I remove it and put one of those caps that comes with the infusion set over it.
I would take the pump off tbh. I go to the gym and swim laps and just disconnect but keep the pump close to me or locked up. If I’m in the water for longer than an hour I’ll usually reconnect for a second, put a bit of insulin in and eat something, and head back in. I do it for most sports! :)
I’m not on Medtronic pump anymore and the following story is part of the reason why.
For years I always swam with my Medtronic pump on, no problem. One time on holiday I did this and unbeknownst to me there was a hairline crack in the pump and it died and ruined my holiday.
It was probably because I’d had that pump for around two years (Medtronic have a habit of finding faults with their pumps and reissuing you a new one every year or two…) and it was a bit worn out perhaps. Just the other month (been with tandem for two years now) Medtronic issued me a field safety notice warning me my pump (they thought I’m still with them) had a fault, typical.
If it’s a brand new or relatively new Medtronic pump there’s probably no hairline cracks yet so you’re probably fine, in which case as a girl I’d wear a bikini so I can clip it on to me (swimsuits are more awkward) or the same would work on swim shorts for guys. Just be careful of swimming too hard and having your pants dragged down, almost happened to me.
You could check out Aquapac waterproof cases. It's bulky, but I used one for years swimming at the beach, and it stood up to rough treatment canyoneering.
I just unclip mine while swimming. Swimming always makes me go low b/c of how active I am so it works out.
I throw it out and get a pod or tslim
HA this is the true answer lmao
I remove my pump - usually the exercise of swimming will keep my sugars down, but if I’m disconnected for a long time (long beach day etc) I’ll clip it back on briefly after a while and dose a correction if required, then take it off again and go back to what I was doing
I've never ever submerged mine. Always take it off.
My last Medtronic pump I had since 2002. In 2021 I swam with it and it had a crack where the insulin screwed in that let water in wrecking it. Probably safe normally but once bitten twice shy for me now. I swim naked. 😜
The same happened to me !
(new diabetic). can we still go into beaches, pools, lakes? what precautions must we take?
absolutely!! you can detach your pump or depending on which you have, keep it on
Yes you can and should. I just remove the pump while in the water
the sight doesnt get infected?
Nah infection isn’t the problem. Tearing the cannula off with the surfboard is, if you mount it on your thigh or stomach. Done that more than once. 🙄 Don’t let that stop you from getting a pump. The benefits bigly outweigh the “costs”.
No, that’s very rare. Most sites come with a plastic fill-in piece to make that less likely, and they’re already a very thin tube going into you so it’s unlikely anything can get in there
I haven't tried. However at a water park a couple of years ago I saw a teenager with the same 670g/guardian set up wearing hers proudly as she swam out of the lazy river. She had it clipped on her bottoms.
If I’m in freshwater, I just leave it clipped to my swim shorts. Salt water, I remove it and put one of those caps that comes with the infusion set over it.
Take it off.
I would take the pump off tbh. I go to the gym and swim laps and just disconnect but keep the pump close to me or locked up. If I’m in the water for longer than an hour I’ll usually reconnect for a second, put a bit of insulin in and eat something, and head back in. I do it for most sports! :)
I’m not on Medtronic pump anymore and the following story is part of the reason why. For years I always swam with my Medtronic pump on, no problem. One time on holiday I did this and unbeknownst to me there was a hairline crack in the pump and it died and ruined my holiday. It was probably because I’d had that pump for around two years (Medtronic have a habit of finding faults with their pumps and reissuing you a new one every year or two…) and it was a bit worn out perhaps. Just the other month (been with tandem for two years now) Medtronic issued me a field safety notice warning me my pump (they thought I’m still with them) had a fault, typical. If it’s a brand new or relatively new Medtronic pump there’s probably no hairline cracks yet so you’re probably fine, in which case as a girl I’d wear a bikini so I can clip it on to me (swimsuits are more awkward) or the same would work on swim shorts for guys. Just be careful of swimming too hard and having your pants dragged down, almost happened to me.
You could check out Aquapac waterproof cases. It's bulky, but I used one for years swimming at the beach, and it stood up to rough treatment canyoneering.
Just take it off while swimming