Uh...Swim Suits...In February?

I was walking around Target the other day and couldn’t believe they have their swimsuits out already. Umm…did you not get the memo? It’s still winter here in Fresno. I am not about to run around in a teeny bikini anytime soon. Thanks to Target, now all I can think about is how I need to get skinny before the season officially begins. Oh, and of course how will I make my pump work with this years swim suit trends.

I mean really I can picture myself in one of those over grown hats and high heels (because all girls wear high heels with their swimsuits) doing the cat walk like the girls in the commercials and think nailed it! Then, I look down to my not so flat stomach and the protruding device sticking out of it, oh, right, I have diabetes….

What do you do when you wear an insulin pump? Well, let me tell you what I do. I rock it. I clip it on my bottoms or on the straps of my swimsuit. I have decided to stick to a two-piece because no one wants to look like they have a third nipple coming out of their stomach. No, I would much rather get the awkward stares of "what is that"? Than stares of "does she have a third nipple"? Another issue with the two-piece other than the awkward staring are the tan lines. Oh, yes get ready for those because you will have a polka dotted stomach, by the end of the summer. The tan lines are the worse. But if you need a positive outlook on in here are a few: first, it's a great conversation starter. Second, it's our version of those silly tanning salon stickers to see how dark you've gotten, you might have chosen a heart, I chose a circle. And lastly, it distracts from the track marks right?  

Of course there are other issues to consider during swimsuit season. Keep your pump out of the sun, when insulin get hot it breaks down and loses it's effectiveness. Try to keep it in some sort of shade if you absolutely have to be in the sun for hours on end. There are several types of insulin pumps out there, some are even water proof (Omnipod and Animas are a couple) if you would like to swim with your pump on I suggest looking at some of those. I on the other hand, have chosen to stick with my pump and just disconnect for a short period of time to play in the water.

Start thinking now of what your plans are with your pump this summer. What kind of swimsuit works best with your pump? Are you going to rock it or hide it? Really the choice is yours. We better get ready fast because apparently according to Target we should be in our swimsuits already.