Today's Topic:
Living with diabetes (or caring for someone who lives with it) sure does take a lot of work, and it’s easy to be hard on ourselves if we aren’t “perfect”. But today it’s time to give ourselves some much deserved credit. Tell us about just one diabetes thing you (or your loved one) does spectacularly! Fasting blood sugar checks, oral meds sorted and ready, something always on hand to treat a low, or anything that you do for diabetes. Nothing is too big or too small to celebrate doing well!
(photo courtesy of Flikr-LilyWhitesParty, Creative Commons. Mine is probably twice as big, and 3x as stuffed)
Be Prepared. -Boy Scout Motto
If there's one thing I've learned, in my 13+ years of living with diabetes, is that there is no such thing as being over-prepared (for every possible scenario diabetes can throw at you). It was a lesson learned by flirting with disaster on several occasions,& it has made me into a person who can't just hop into the car with a light little handbag containing the bare essentials.No, I must come prepared for the possibility of Armegeddon (with the handbag containing the following(at the bare minimum):
-2 juice boxes
-roll of glucose tabs/smarties
-PDM (blood glucose meter) case/lancing device
-spare POD, insulin vial/syringe
- 2 or 3 additional test strip vials
- Wallet/cash/change(if I do need to get something else)
-a can of diet coke
-gum
- granola bar, crackers
- cellphone
- earbuds
- water bottle
-coupon organizer
-tube of lotion
-tube of hand sanitizer
-chapstick
- Kleenex
- sometimes my E-reader
-reading glasses
-sunglasses
-various and assorted papers
-medications
As you can imagine, this can get quite heavy to lug around but there is a security in having the stuff with me.(as well as having the honor of being the go-to person that everyone asks for "stuff" that they've forgotten) Even a nasty low can be knocked back into submission without the aid of glucagon, etc. (some of the other stuff is just common sense,such as the extra D-supplies (because if an infusion set or pod can fail, it will fail) One should be prepared for at least several days (D-wise), in my opinion. I don't live in the middle of nowhere (this area is very well populated) but the traffic jams make getting around quite a headache. (at times)
Now I just need to extend that organization to other areas of my life. (like the mess in the basement...sigh)
4 comments:
Heh, you, too? ;)
I agree, there is no such thing as being over-prepared!
I wish I could be as organized as you are. I ususlly keep most of my backup in my car. That only works when I'm with my car. I need a bigger bag :)
I'm getting better at the "be prepared" stuff. Learned my lesson last month...
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