Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Summer Dresses . . .

A couple of months ago I felt like summer weather would never get here.  I guess I was wrong because we certainly got a taste of it this week in New England.  Summer weather makes me want to throw on cool pretty dresses - but I struggle with how to stash my pump.  I haven't done the bra-thing since the night it killed my first pump.  I've tried "shapewear" but found it extremely uncomfortable.  Shapewear is also too hot in summer weather and doesn't hold my pump for more than 30 seconds anyway.  I tried buying an iPod thingy and wearing it on my leg, but that felt like a torture device.  I did manage to find a couple of dresses with pockets, but those are few and far between.  So I continued my quest to find a good way to secure my pump while wearing a cute summer dress.

Then I remembered hearing about t&j design.  Or more specifically, their leg cuff.  There are a couple of things I liked about this cuff even before I ordered one.  The first is that each leg cuff is custom made to your own thigh measurement.   This eliminates the need for a Velcro closure, which always tends to twist around on me, leaving the scratchy part digging into my skin.  I also liked the cleaver use of a non-slip headband to help the cuff (hopefully) stay up.  I decided to place my order right away.

In about a week, my custom-made leg cuff arrived!  Joan, the business owner and cuff maker, emailed me several times to keep me apprised of my order status.  She also asked me to let her know how the cuff fit and if I was satisfied with it

I decided to really give the cuff a serious test run by wearing it to my ballroom dance lesson.  When I first put on the cuff, I felt like it was sliding a bit and I'll admit I was nervous that it wouldn't hold through a 45 minute cha cha lesson.  However, it must have just been settling into place, because for the remainder of the day the cuff stayed put.  Even through some so-called dancing.

*** In this video, we are practicing a cha cha routine we'll be doing at an event for our studio.  The dancing is not good - don't expect anything even close to Dancing with the Stars.  When this video was shot, we were still trying to get the steps straight, so we have a long way to go on technique and polish.  (Plus our dancing isn't that great anyway.)

This cuff is awesome!!!! It stays put without that "cutting off my circulation" tourniquet feeling.  In fact, I found I'd forget it was even there.  And it stayed put, even through swivels and lock steps!  My struggle with how to comfortably wear my pump with a dress is over!  Thank you, Joan, for a wonderful product and awesome customer service!!!

If you've struggled with a dependable yet comfortable way to wear your pump with a dress, I HIGHLY recommend checking out t&j design.  I'm thrilled that I did!

13 comments:

  1. Karen-that is a great review! I've been trying to find the perfect holder for my pump when I wear dresses. Since going on the pump, I rarely wear them since it's hard to find a product that works. Glad to see that we're similar in body structure - I'm going to check out the link you've got posted and go from there. Maybe I'll be back to the pump sooner then expected (remember - am on a pump break right now - as I test out the MDI method of keeping diabetes in control ... so far it's working for me).

    Looking forward to seeing you soon on Dancing With The Stars (you are good!)

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  2. I have garters that I got from Pump Wear Inc., a couple Thigh Things and a Leg Thing, and I feel kind of ambivalent about all of them. I do hate having anything around my leg when the whole point of a summer dress is to not have too many things constricting me, but I've not found any better solutions, so it's a matter of finding the least annoying thing to put on my leg, so I might have to get one of these.

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  3. Great video, great dancing, great dress and GREAT legs. :D

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  4. Now that you've reviewed this, I may have to get one. I hate the one from MiniMed and sticking it in my bra makes it hard for the sensor to read and hard to get to for boluses. Thanks for the review!

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  5. Karen that was AWESOME!! Love the song and it made me smile to see you two cut up the floor! Great job! And I'm glad that you found a solution for the dreaded pump-in-dress dilemma!

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  6. I think your dancing is great and thanks for the review. I am always looking for different ways that my daughter can wear dresses.
    Yvette

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  7. I can't put my finger on it...but...for some reason, I'm feeling like getting up and dancing right now! :)

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  8. Karen, you and Pea are TERRIFIC!! I loved this video. Nice moves on both of you. :)

    And I also have a cuff from Joan, and I think it's awesome. Definitely stays PUT. Did you know she's in Fairfield County and does the JDRF walks? She's so talented!!

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  9. Nice! Fantastic job dancing - so fun to watch. I'm glad you found something that works!

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  10. I give your dancing a 10! You guys are incredible. I don't need a leg cuff, or even wear a pump, and guys pants have tons of pockets, but I did really enjoy that video and your take on the cuff.
    I enjoy your blog, Thanks

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  11. FYI -- Our videos are up on the PumpTri page :) You're #7 and Addy is right behind you at #8 :)

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  12. I had a wonderful experience with Joan when I ordered my leg cuff (she sent me two to begin with, just to make sure I had the right size).

    Unfortunately, I couldn't find a size that wouldn't fall down or seriously squeeze the crap out of my leg.

    I'm still searching . . .

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  13. I'm going to echo "Pieces" sentiments. You look fabulous!

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