1st time at WDW with an Insulin Pump

bfamily5

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jul 25, 2009
Messages
663
Hello! After 31 years of Type1 Diabetes DH just got his first insulin pump yesterday :thumbsup2 We have a trip scheduled for the end of Feb. and are wondering if you have any tips or advice :) The nurse said to keep away from magnets but what about the rides? I think I read somewhere they use magnets? Is it easy to get a carb count at the TS and CS places? Thanks for your advice! :wave2:
 
My younger sister toured WDW back in 2008 when she was only 14 with an insulin pump. Her pump site is usually on her stomach. I believe she didn't have any difficulties with it. For rides with a chance to get wet I believe she would suspend the pump, take it off and put it inside a couple of plastic bags to keep it safe.
 
I have done WDW twice now with my pump. Disney does not provide carb counts, but your DH should be pretty good at estimating by now. I rode every ride without problem and did not disconnect on any, even the water rides. On Kali, I tucked the pump in my shorts and even though I got drenched, my pump was fine.

I hope your DH loves his pump as much as I love mine!
 

My son had the Minimed Revel Insulin Pump and CGM. We went to Disney in August for the 1st time flying and to Disney with the pump. We had a letter from his endo's office saying no airport scanners and no xray and medtronic said the same thing when I called. So he had to be patted down for the airplane. No issues with any ride and we did them all.

As for Disney he had his pump on 24/7 except for the swimming pools and taking a shower. When swimming even at home all summer, we test every hour, cover any carbs, feed for lows, and let higher numbers go, because the exercise evens it all out in the end.

As for carb counting at Disney, they do not provide the numbers, but since he basically eats the same thing all of the time, grilled cheese, pizza, hot dogs, fries, etc and always diet drinks, milk or water, never juice (except for lows), I just guessed based on what I would cover at home. All of the exercise of walking in the parks helped and we had some pretty decent numbers all week.

As for packing stuff for the trip, I packed at least double if not more of what he would normally need. I took Lantus and Syringes in case anything happened to the pump. I also took an extra meter and strips in case anything happened there. I took ketone strips, glucagon, tegaderm, a whole box of sure t sites for the pump, extra batteries and for insulin on the plane, I had it in a smaller cooler bag with a frozen water bottle, that worked to keep the insulin cold for about 18 hours. I also prefilled some insulin cartridges before we went to take from a different insulin bottle and then took a brand new bottle, that way different lot numbers in case of any problems. I also took written prescriptions for insluin from his endo.

I did over pack and brought a lot home, but I did not have to worry all week about anything supply wise.

In the parks he carried a small bag, the same one he does at home. It goes across his body so he would not lose it and in it we had an extra site or two, alcohol wipes, meter, strips, and glucagon, along with some fruit snacks and glucose tablets. He wore it on every ride and never had to be apart from his bag. That way if something happened that we were separated he had his bag. (he was 10 yrs old)

Hope this helps! Have a great trip!!!!

Chrissy
 
congrats on his pump! I bet he's going to feel like it's a whole new ball game for him.

We've never removed my son's pump for anything. Any ride with a magnet (like the people mover, or Rock n roller coaster) has the magnetic forces far enough away. Generally, what they don't want is for you to put a magnet in the same pocket with your pump. Otherwise, you're fine. Nothing else at Disney should be a problem. (I would probably unhook on a ride at some of the amusement parks that use centrifugal force to pin you to the side - do they even have those anymore???? The force could theoretically push insulin through) But, at Disney, none of that would be an issue.

I ditto everything Chrissy said earlier. By february he'll be much more adept at changing sites, and he'll have worked out any kinks in finding a site he likes best, but definitely err on the safe side and bring one site per day, especially if there will be swimming involved. Pharmacy items are easily available if needed (like if all your strips go missing), but sites aren't. So I always make sure we have plenty of sites/reservoirs on hand.

Carb counts - sadly, not available. We use Fat Secret on our phone. I find it's a pretty good app for a good variety of food. If this is the first time he's doing actual carb counting though (and it may be) he might want to think about using a scale to learn accurate carb counting now, at home. By Feb, he'll have a good handle on it.

Tell him good luck from all of us. :)
 
Thanks so much for all the great advice! It's wonderful to be able to learn from everyone's experience! :flower3:
 
Yay!:cool1:

My little one is type 1. We still do MDI.

My advice is the My fitness pal (MFP) app on a smart phone. You can basically find any food but after 30 + years I think yall will be just fine. We are only in 5 years and do great at DW with guestimations.
 





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