When I went onto my insulin pump 10 years ago, it wasn’t necessarily a choice for me as it was a necessity, because despite being grateful to have the option, it was offered because my diabetes wasn’t behaving in the way it 'should' and I was desperately in need of a new treatment option. Then, when I changed insulin pumps a few months later, to one that suited my diabetes life and training needs better and I got to choose the colour, I started to recognise the importance of making the choices that were mine to make about my diabetes.
In some ways it seems obvious, with the nature of the way that a type 1 diabetes diagnosis ‘just happens’, as we don’t yet know what causes it, therefore back in the day, it didn’t always feel that there were many choices initially involved in my diabetes care. But diabetes technology often feels like an extension of you. It’s hard to explain or make comparisons, as it’s quite a unique condition and experience; to have a technological device that you wear 24 hours a day, that you rely on to survive and that provides you with essential information to keep you well. But I know that I would feel a sense of loss now if I didn’t have my pump and other technological devices.
I’m not altogether sure why I’ve only gotten into this type of customisation so much recently, but I’ve really started enjoying customising my insulin pump and diabetes kit. Recently I was matching across all of my devices with a Spring blossom theme, but during Easter I also enjoyed a rabbit style for the special occasion. There are a number of companies doing insulin pump and diabetes device covers at the moment and generally I find that the main differences between them are the price and also how much of the pump/ device is covered by the sticker. Also it's worth noting that some are easier to remove than others.
Generally the quality of the pump covers that I've tried has been very good, in terms of durability. Some covers fade with time, but others I've been able to rejuvenate with a 'Spring clean' (wiping it over). Some companies do covers for my pump that also include a matching sticker for the belt clip and the screen. Whilst others just do more of an outline cover for the pump and have a whole for the screen and the buttons. I'm quite comfortable in talking about my insulin pump to people, which is lucky really as I have noticed that it becomes more noticeable to others with all of the weird and wonderful patterns.
I guess the point I'm making is that customisation across so many of the different diabetes devices we wear now, has brought back, in my opinion, an element of choice and also enabled us to have a sense of identity related to the way we like to dress. It's given a sense of fun to our technology and it's lovely to see others wearing their diabetes devices with pride and passion.
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