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I am a sucker for a wedding, especially a gorgeous winter one. Bonus points if you can strike a deal with jack frost and blag yourself some snow too. We have be blessed with lots of weddings over the last 6 years, including our own, and have seen just about every weather option available. Of course, at all of these weddings I have had to manage my diabetes throughout the day (and every other day) and while I don’t claim to be the perfect diabetic, I do feel I have had a lot of experience with it. So I have created this guide and I hope it will help you plan for being a wedding guest with diabetes.
Table of Contents
The Best Dresses For An Insulin Pump
One of the things I used to worry about when I first got my insulin pump was where I would put it. I have a tubed pump, which means I need to physically place the pump somewhere but I am restricted by the length of the tubing. My favourite place for my pump to go is in my bra. Most insulin pumps come with a clip, and so I usually clip it at the front or just place it within my bra. This works well if you’re blessed in the chest area – but I know it isn’t everyones favourite.
You can buy some cool belts and garters to hold you pump, although this does make it more difficult to bolus accurately. I use a Hid-In insulin pump belt when I am doing sport, but this could also be placed under a loose fitting dress. They are designed to be used in multiple ways, and can be shorted to be used as a garter if you prefer. Alternatively – I have been known to clip my pump at the back of the dress up by my neck. You just need to make sure your tubing is long enough to do this.
Ultimately there is no ideal dress for wearing with an insulin pump. Any dress is suitable, it all comes down to where you like to store your pump and what kind of dress you are most comfortable in. You can find your prom dress, wedding guest dress, bridesmaids dress, party dress or even just a simple day dress and worry about the placement of your pump afterwards. Honestly, it doesn’t have to be a big issue. You are not defined by diabetes and your dress shouldn’t be either!
Managing A Wedding Meal With Diabetes
For many, balancing the meal can be the hardest part of attending a wedding when you have diabetes. Being presented with a large meal that you don’t know the carbohydrate content for can be daunting, but you can manage it. First of all, if you usually pre-bolus, don’t. This is because you can’t be sure when your meal will come out. Depending on the number of wedding guests you might get your meal 10 minutes after the top table. It takes a long time to serve a large event! So wait to bolus until the food is in front of you.
Similarly, bolus for each course individually. You need to assess the carbohydrate content of the plate and then estimate how much you will eat. Some might clear the plate at every course, but I find the portions a bit large (especially when there is usually 3-4 courses) so I bolus for what I think I will eat. After I have finished I can also bolus a bit more if I ate more than I thought I would.
Be Prepared For Hypos
Every wedding I attend I make sure my bag is stuffed full of haribo and other sweets. My husbands sporran has often got an extra packet or two as well, just in case of emergencies. No matter how hard you try, it’s possible you’ll bolus for the meal wrong. Or get distracted when eating a piece of wedding cake and not finish it. Busting a move on the dance floor sends me down like a stone. So be prepared!
When we are wedding photo sharing the next day there is always at least one photo of me in the background guzzling down some hypo snacks. I track my blood sugars on my smart watch so I am usually able to catch a low before I reach a hypo and bring myself back up in plenty time.
As well as taking plenty of hypo snacks, there are actually lots of things you can do to try and avoid hypos in the first place. Reducing your basal is one step that I often try to do for an active day. On a pump you can set a temporary basal rate for a few hours which will just cover the dancing at night, but with multiple daily injections you will have to reduce one of your basal injections. If you are not comfortable making these temporary changes yourself then consult your doctor of diabetes specialist nurse before the event.
Be CareFul Of Alcohol And Blood Sugars
One of the areas that many diabetics trip up is how to manage your diabetes when it comes to alcohol. When you are drinking you may find that your blood sugars rise, depending on your drink of choice. Cocktails, beer, cider, wine and anything with a sugary mixer is going to raise your blood sugars. However you need to be careful about bolusing for them, as into the early hours of the morning you will usually find that your blood sugars drop due to the effects of the alcohol.
As a general rule, I prefer to run my blood sugars slightly higher than usual when I am a wedding guest. It reduces the risk of hypos and means I can go to bed safe in the knowledge that I won’t be going dangerously low in my sleep. I’m also partial to a snack before bed, just to be on the safe side.
The other, lesser known, issue with alcohol is your tolerance for silly comments. Be wary of the distance relatives or old family friends who will give you a good game of diabetes bingo, try to see who can top the list of things not to say to people with diabetes. After a few drinks you are likely to be less able to shake it off and move on – so lets hope they’re ready for a lecture!
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