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Always have your meter with you?

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sofaraway

sofaraway

Senior Member
On another thread Caroline mentioned testing if she was going to be away from her meter or taking it with her. It made me think about how I'm always close to my meter and it makes me feel nervous if I'm not fairly close to it. I always take it when I go out anywhere, at work it's in my locker, at football matches it's in the dugout.

reminds me of a night couple of years ago when myself and my type 1 friend went to the cinema. during the film she said to me that she thought she was low. neither of us had our meters or any glucose on us, she had to go and ask someone who worked there and they gave her a lemonade and bag of pick and mix sweets. Can't believe how rubbish diabetics we were to not have anythign on us.

Just wondering if you guys take your meter with you or are happy to go out and leave it at home
 
keeping meter to hand

Yes, I generally keep my meter to hand, particularly in unpredictable places eg out in the hills or on river, where meter & insulin pouch are in rucksack top pocket or lifejacket pocket etc, in waterproof cover if getting wet if likely. However, not so sure about the requirement for somewhere clean to test - if it's a choice between testing somewhere clean and somewhere not so clean, then obviously I'll choose the cleaner place. But I reckon somewhere convenient is more important - sometimes it's safer to test where I am, eg in a kayak, rather than climb up a muddy riverbank for example.

However, I think it's also worth trusting your instincts - in places where I am comfortable sure to my experience, trusting people around me etc, then I may stray further from meter and return to locker / car if I need to - if possessions need to be locked away. However, if I ever get the feeling I need to eat (meal with insulin or snack without), carry meter, test BG etc, then I trust my instincts - and it has prevented some potential problems.

Also, I find it easier to have 2 meters - 1 which I carry around, the other which stays beside my bed, both same model, so I always have one spare if the other fails and makes it easier to manage testing strip supplies.
 
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About the farm no meter just a tube of glucose tabs. Having a meter on me would be totally impract.
If I am out and about in the car though then yes meter is with me.
I am lucky in that I have full hypo warnings even after 44 years on insulin.
 
Hi,

I pretty much always carry my machine with me wherever I got and no matter what I'm doing. I always have some form of glucose on me at any time when I'm out and about.

Tom H
 
I always carry my meter around - I get really paranoid about my sugars if I dont.
I have spare ones dotted around everywhere - in the car, in my parents bags..
 
Always with me. Especially if I'm driving I make sure it's readily available and in the light of recent experience a spare set of test strips
 
physical protection of meter

When I'm concerned about potential to squash meter, as well as needing to protect it from water / humidity / mud etc, then I use a small clip lock plastic box - there a brand names, plus most supermarkets and poundshops sell cheaper versions. Large enough to hold meter, finger pricking device, good supply of strips and lancets, plus space to keep used strips & lancets until time to empty it out.

Plus, most cargo trousers or shorts have leg pockets large enough to hold a box - OK if that's acceptable for your work / leisure clothes.
 
I always have it with me or very close by. I bought a one touch mini and it usually fits in by bag/pocket or I wear a 'bum bag' when running etc- not always the most glamourous look but I feel a lot safer having it with me. Couldn't imagine going out without by meter any more than I could go without by purse or keys.
 
Yeah, I always take my meter with me wherever I am. Recently I've had symptoms which appear to be lows but the numbers are pretty high, without the meter I could have treated it with glucotabs when in fact I never needed them!

I do feel lost without it. I also take glucose tablets and a pen of Novorapid with me.

G-man
 
It makes sense to keep a meter not too far away. One is in my desk at work and the other is in the kitchen at home, unless I am out and about, then one is in my bag.

I think when I go back to work I will see if it is possible to make them standard kit for first aiders. In my office of the three of us that are, two of us have a meter at work. Mine is refred to as th puncture kit...
 
Keys, purse, monitor, insulin - my morning checklist.

Never leave the house without mine, its like my safety net! and have glucose tabs squirrelled away everywhere - just in case.
 
kit bag

on top of all normal stuff ialso carry an emergency card done by "Care for the carers "in case something happen to me and somebodycan go to school to collect my son with all his medication or can contact my husbund
 
I must be greedy!

I have one on me at all times that includes another one in the car with BG strips and another in my desk at work.

You cant afford to be without it. All of these talk to my Pump which means from one point I can see what my AVG is....🙂
 
Before February last year I didn't even know how to use a meter, but since I've learnt I wouldn't want to be without!
Only if I have just eaten and I want to go for a short walk (no more than half hour) I might leave it at home. Otherwise it's always with me. Better safe than sorry...
 
I generally only remember to take it if I know I'm going to be eating a meal out. I also make sure to have it if I'm going to be driving for longer than 15 minutes or so.

If I didn't have it with me and I got hypo symptoms, I would treat it. My symptoms start anywhere between 4.5 and 3.3 so I don't always treat if I have my meter, but I wouldn't risk it if I couldn't be sure.
 
I nearly always take my meter with me, unless I am just popping out for a short time. As I have a subcut pump for my asthma the meter fits into the bag i wear to carry the pump and also fits in my timy nebuliser.

I often have symptoms that would generally indicate a hypo but when I test i find my blood sugar to be on the high side and the few hypos I have had have given me absolutely no symptoms whatsoever. Which has made me ultra cautious over checking before I drive anywhere.

MA
 
I am quite suprised everyone has said they take their meter everywhere.

I never take my meter out with me, only do if im staying overnight somewhere. I will always do a check before i leave the house and if it does drop too low, i can always feel the signs.
 
DanW81 said:
I am quite suprised everyone has said they take their meter everywhere.

I never take my meter out with me, only do if im staying overnight somewhere. I will always do a check before i leave the house and if it does drop too low, i can always feel the signs.
Click to expand...

Just wondering if you drive?

Thats good that you have good hypo warning signs so that you can treat. What about if you are going to be eating out somewhere do you take it for a pre-meal test?
 
I dont take it everywhere, if i am eating a meal i am more likely to take it. I always take it to work.
And always have some glucose tabelts or chocholate on me.
I only take my pens if out for a long time or for a meal.
I hate having to have a bag all the time. Even more so at partys and nights out , all my friends have purses or tiny bags and i cant because it has to fit everything in.
xxx
 
Whenever I am going more than walking distance from home I take my Desang bag complete with test kit, pens, glucagon kit, glucogel etc. I also keep a back-up meter in my coat or jacket pocket. Nearly half a century ago I was a boy scout but I still remember the motto - 'be prepared' 🙂.
 
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