29 Comments
If you use an insulin pump or CGM, has anyone ever mistaken your device(s) for any of the following? Select all that apply!
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I have a friend who always asks if I need to feed my tomagotchi whenever we eat together 🙂
🤣
My pump has never been mistaken for anything but that doesn’t mean people haven’t commented. So I checked Something Else. I often get asked “What is that?”
G7 Device
When golf course GPS systems first came out, I was playing in a tournament and was accused of using a GPS system, my pump was on my waistband and had to explain to the officials that it was an insulin pump.
New to T1D, most of my experiences have been kids asking “What’s that?!?”
Mistaken more when I first started wearing. I think people are more aware of them now!
I had someone ask if my Dexcom was birth control
Same
Just a few people have asked, one actually knew what it was – she had one too! Mostly I keep it hidden but I think people look scared when they do see it – like I’m a robot! LOL
Dental hygienist assured my cgm is a pump
Phone, pager, tape recorder, camera.
TSA always asked me to take my cell phone off. Then when I told them it was an insulin pump I won bonus screening.
I’ve had my pump mistaken for a microphone, like the ones people wear on TV when being interviewed.
I have been asked if my cgm is a pain patch.
I have a funny mistaken ID of my pump. I had a nuclear medicine test and I was mildly radio active a day later. I was chaperone for some middle school students to the White House and the Secret Service thought I was a walking nuke and my pump was the detonator. This was during the Clinton administration. I was strip searched at gun point.
=:o
Oh my, Bob!
That is one for the “You’d never think this could happen…” files.
Mine has been mistaken for a “secret camera”
When I had a DexCom G3 someone thought the PDM was a cell phone. It was larger than the subsequent versions.
No one has mistaken it, but I have had several people recognize it and say they have a sister/ friend/ brother etc. with one!
Ditto
I’ve had most of the ones listed.
I had the nicest child… about 7 years old… ask me what my pump was because I had to use it.
I said that I had an illness called diabetes and that my pancreas didn’t work right, so it was to help it.
She then asked, “what’s a pancreas?”
It was quite the “oh yeah! non-diabetics (especially when they’re _7_) don’t usually know about these things” moment.
So, we had a wonderful conversation about diabetes! I really enjoyed answering her questions.
I have had people think that my CGM is a tattoo
LOL! I am Jewishly observant, and was sitting in Yom Kippur services — a day of reflection an FASTING (which I partake in, thanks to my Tandem x2 and Dexcom G6) — when my pump alerted to a low bG, on vibrate. I took the pump out of my bra (where it was discretely tucked away) to silence the buzzing, and got a dirty look from the bitty sitting next to me, and then a sour “who brings their phone to yom kipper?”
Sigh. I smiled sweetly and said, “It’s a medical device. I am sorry it interrupted your prayer.”
(If you get it, you get it.)
I use my phone to communicate with my CGM, and my censors are typically covered by my clothing, so there’s nothing much to observe.
I had someone ask me once if my infusion set was birth control.
The CAT thought the tubing was invisible STRING. Stalked it, pounced on it, and attacked the snot out of it in the middle of the night WHILE I was sleeping. Ripped it clean out [sic. hard] she thought it was a KITTY toy!!! Baaaaad kitty….
We still have some who think Pagers/Beepers are still in use?
LOL! There may be some people who still use pagers… maybe? I wonder if doctors still do? Now I’m curious how ER doctors get notified that they need to help someone. I’m going to go do some googlin’!
But, in my case, the beeper comments happened when beepers WERE still around!