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For insulin pump/CGM users who wear dresses and skirts: How often do devices get in the way of your ability to comfortably wear dresses and skirts?
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Omnipods make it easy to wear what I want.
Always. I donāt even buy or wear dresses and skirts any longer. Not since 2007.
I no longer wear dresses, due to my pump, a skirt is much more manageable. I attempted to continue to wear dresses when I first started on my very first pump in February 1997 but soon found it too much of a hassle. With a skirt I can clip it on the waist and have access to it.
If I use a thigh band, I still have to pull up my dress or skirt to do anything with the pump. Not an ideal situation. I like to wear dresses and this is problem when there’s no place to put the pump with easy access. I have a Medtronic 670G.
That’s one of the things I thought about before getting a pump. Just one of the reasons I selected Omnipod.
The Abbott Freestyle Libre is worn on the arm, so not a problem with dresses or skirts. The reader can read through long sleeve dresses, but this year there are no occassions to go to wearing a dress or skirt. The most popular women’s wear for 2020 was sweat clothes.
During the 10 years Iāve been on the pump Iāve only worn a dress once, to my sonās wedding. Spent months tryin to find an adequate outfit. I finally wore a dress and just had to go to the bathroom when I needed to bolus. The CGM was no problem since I read it on my phone app.
I try to find dresses and skirts with pockets — they are rare. Then I can cut a small hole in the back of the pocket for the tubing to go through. Mostly I don’t bother, just wear jeans.
Sometimes. With a skirt I usually adapt and clip to waist band or an outside pocket. I do the same when wearing jeans, pants, or leggings. It’s a bit more cumbersome wearing a dress but I usually find a way to adapt by clipping pump on the inside or outside, or cutting a small hole for tubing in a pocket or side seam and hemming the edges so the fabric doesn’t unravel. It challenges one’s creativity to find practical, discrete & clever ways to wear a dress and a pump at the same time!
I rarely wear dresses because of it. Nightgowns either. I pretty much always wear pants or shorts or pajamas so I can clip my pump into the waistband.
Non-issue with Omnipod for a pump (I love my pods!)
I had three children marry while on a pump and had to cut holes in each mother of the bride/groom dress so I could get to my pump. At those times I had the medtronic pump and enlite CGM and had to see the readings on the pump to know what my BG was. Otherwise I hung the pump from my bra strap and reached under blouse to do bolus etc. Now I am on the Tandem/Dexcom with Control IQ. So-so much easier. I also have an apple watch to see numbers.
I wear skirts and dresses all the time and only buy them if they have pockets which means I have to shop online. I tried every other way to work it but pockets are the easiest way for me. I also only buy men’s PJ bottoms because they usually have pockets. It’s a hassle and I didn’t care for the Omnipod aside from its tubelessness.
I have always said that pumps must be designed by men. I am thin and at 62 am pretty proud of my body shape and the bulges produced by the pump I feel are a necessary evil. I know this sounds vain, and believe me I am grateful for both insulin and pumps, but Iām hoping they will get thinner. I can wear skirts but donāt wear dresses unless they have pockets and do the hole thing. When I first started on the pump, my educator said just hide it in your bra. The only problem with that is she was about 4 sizes larger than me. š
I avoid wearing skirts and dresses except for very special occasions because it’s such a pain to deal with pump/site placement. I have a hard enough time with pants.
I just donāt care anymore things can show or not. Iāve found locations that donāt get knocked off & donāt care if they show. Iām proud to be a 60 year type 1 & have the devices I never dreamed of as a kid !!!!!
I am on my 3rd week with Tandem. I expect to have difficulty when I do want to wear a dress or a skirt because it is hard enough to keep it on when wearing leggings. The pump pulls the waist down on me!
When I did wear dresses, I tried to avoid wearing them because of the access problem. Sometimes put in my bra, if tube was long enough. Skirts were easier.
Yes, even with the small Tandem pump finding a place to clip it on a dress is very much an issue.Now I very rarely wear dresses, prefer suits with jackets or wear nice slacks with pockets.
I used to use a pocket on my leg under a skirt, but I no longer wear skirts as I get too cold even in the warmest weather, and I need to see the pump to see what my BG is. I have never used my bras, as it shows under my clothes there. So I use pockets of shorts and slacks, and that is it. The pump is very accessible that way, and does not show, since I use a tSlim. The Dexcom shows under my sleeves, though, unfortunately. I would never use an Omnipod because it would look even worse than a Dexcom sensor.
Skirts and dresses are the most comfortable clothing for me as long as I am wearing long johns in the winter. I have learned to use the longest available tubing so that all insertion sites can be used with my clothing. Skirts are the easiest, but dresses usually work just as well. Belts can help. I just clip my pump at the top with the dresses without button fronts unless they have too high of a neck.
I wear both dresses and skirts weekly and never have a problem because I always keep my pump in bra.
I have a couple of dresses that I like to wear, but that doesn’t make it easy. You have to jerry-rig the dress – either sew o new pocket into a side-seam or cut o hole into a pocket inside the dress. I haven’t yet figured out how to conceal the hole I accidentally snipped in the patch pocket I was amending….drat. From this pump-wearers POV, making a dress or pants without pockets is HEARTLESS.
I have had pockets added to dresses and skirts, and holes for the tubing. My bra is convenient with a dress until you need to pull the pump our to bolus then not so much. I have tried to wear thigh length spanx to hold the pump but that is not comfortable – so the struggle continues.
I highly recommend using Spanx or similar, (panties with midzethigh shorts). I run my pump tubing down to the thigh area where I can simply reach under my skirt or dress to access. Iāve also used in between my breasts, which also works well if youāre not wearing a low-cut top.
Since starting with pump/CGM 16 years ago, my wardrobe has changed to include mostly pants – as I wear my device(s) on the waistband. Skirts are easier than dresses for that same reason. It can be hard to find a dress with pockets or a button front. I’ve tried the thigh and belly bands, but they just don’r cut it for me. As others have noted, access to the screen is critically important, so reaching up under a dress/skirt in public or while driving just isn’t OK – especially when an alarm demands attention.