So, on this Friday while i should be working, I’m sitting here thinking about purses and wallets and diabetes cases. I’m wondering how much diabetes stuff you all carry with you, and how you carry it.
Specifically, do those of you on pumps carry extra pump supplies/pods with you everywhere? Would you feel comfortable having extras at work but not necessarily with you all the time?
I’m trying to find a good balance between having what i need and not feeling weighed down by too much extra stuff. I’m pondering ordering a diabetes case with the little pockets specifically for different things. One problem with that is I like my PDM to be really easily and discreetly accessible, and I’m not sure i want to fish it out of a compartment within a compartment. Do those of you who use these cases like them?
A new purse and new diabetes case sounds kinda fun, so maybe you guys can give me an excuse to do some shopping, lol. I’m all ears if anyone has any organizational suggestions!
My purse is a cute little knapsack (Vera Bradley). The supplies I carry are glucose tabs, my PDM/strips/poker in an old meter case, and a small case from Bed, Bath and Beyond that holds some syringes, insulin, alcohol swabs, and batteries. Sometimes I will carry a pod if I will be away all day a bit far from home, otherwise I know that I can use the insulin and syringes if my pod fails.
My son will carry an extra site with him when he is fully loaded with his dia sling bag.
But for minimalist operations he can get by with just his meter case which contains the meter, the lancet, two or three syringes and a pen vial of insulin.
That way if a site fails, he can use the syringe and insulin. Also works when you need an additional IM injection.
Sure, but that isn’t really a pod “failure”. And it also isn’t really much of a surprise. You know what you have in the pod before you leave the house. I wouldn’t ever blame that on the pod.
This is a good tip if you really want to minimize what you carry with you, but my little case is where I keep my ‘active’ insulin vial, so it’s with me anyway and it allows me to start a new pod if necessary. Since I have my knapsack I don’t really have to minimize what I carry with me.
Ok, since I’m on MDI with syringes and pens, my everyday carry bag is a bit different.
It’s an old (prob 10 years freebie diabetic case, approx 5x7x2. Fits my tester and case, syringes, 2 pens, a sharpie for marking syringes, swabs, some pen needles, 2 rolls Smarties, etc. It’s a bit bulky, but I can fit a week’s worth of supplies, no problem.
I’ve been flirting with a different case for everyday, slightly smaller. The maxpedition pocket organizers might fit the bill.Maxpedition pocket comparison
Left front pocket - 5 peppermint candies
Right front pocket - insulin pump
Left back pocket - small bag that holds pricker, meter and test strips.
Right back pocket - wallet.
Phone - xdrip.
Back when I was using syringes, this was the tightest little case I ever came up with. It held everything - syringes, swabs, insulin, meter, strips, and lancets.
The whole thing was about an inch thick, and only about 3x5. Pretty much wallet size.
Heh. I’m the same. I almost always have a backpack when I leave the house.
But I don’t drive, so I don’t have the luxury of storing stuff in a car. And, since I use public transit, I’m usually travelling far enough away form home that I’m bringing a meal or two with me.
Plus all my diabetes stuff, plus other medical stuff, plus assistive technology, usually.
On my short trips where I’m just running errands in my local neighbourhood (i.e., just walking, no bus) I use a sling bag and bring just the essentials…which is still way more than some people in this thread take with them!
No, not always. It depends how far and how long I’m going to be from home. If it’s only a short trip to the grocery store or something else nearby, I just carry a case with my glucose meter, strips, lancing device and glucose tabs. If I’m leaving home for several hours, I also take an additional case with pump supplies (infusion sets, reservoirs, insulin, batteries) and extra glucose tabs with me.
However, I have complained about my meter case before and I’m still looking for something better. I was considering buying something from Myabetic, but review complaining about zipper issues worry me a little bit. Has any of you experience with Myabetic cases? How durable are they?
Depends on how far. We mostly stay within 45 minutes away from the house. So within these types of short distances, we are close to @Eric’s approach.
I also keep a glucagon kit stashed in the car and one stashed in the school backpack. Four tabs on a small container attached to my daughter’s purse for easy access.
As @Eric also says, if we were going to be in a place with no easy carb access (like a soda machine or convenience store around every corner) then we would bring more carbs. Like a hike or kayak or something like that where realistically it could be 30 minutes of activity before we could return to a vehicle. But no additional supplies, just forms of carbs - combination of some fast and some slow to pick and choose.
That is it.
Oh and a phone. But I assume most people consider a mobile phone the same as putting on clothes before you leave the house.
With all of our dietary needs, i am usually bringing 6 or 7.
I can’t say my bag only contains the bare essentials… Sometimes my cousin and I make a game out of organizing it. Just for the laugh. But it ALSO contains the bare essentials. So I’m halfway there.
I could see myself walking down the street with you, with slightly heavier backpack, and not being ashamed. Thank you, Jen, for being a backpack-toting diabetic, too. Thank you.
