How do you carry your medical equipment?

[Suelash]

Hello fellow diabetics

My name is Charlotte I am 23 yrs old and have had type 1 diabetes for 5 yrs now.
I am currently doing some research regarding the variety of products that are out there for our medical equipment to be carried in.

Having had the hospital provided cases I want to know if there are any fashionable cases and or even bags specially designed for our equipment to be carried.

If any of you have suggestion please let me know below.

If you have time would you also answer the following questions for me:
ANYONE- I want to know from ALL ages and gender !!!!!

1. How do you carry your medical equipment?

2. Do you think there should be more options available, and if there were would you purchase?

3. Do you find it hard to fit the bulky equipment into smaller, fashionable bags?

I use cases as they are pretty. They come in 2 different sizes and in colours or patterns. I keep one in the bedroom, one in the lounge and carry one in my handbag. There is room for insulting pens, needles, Lance and lancets, meter and strips and hard sweets. I have only been on insulin for a couple of weeks and getting organised in pretty cases is about the only nice part of the diagnosis.

 

[Pumper_Sue]

Pump lives in pocket or on pocket. CGM is on arm receiver in pocket.

OBE for the person who invented pockets 🙂

 

[helli]

Pump is attached and controlled by phone.
Libre is attached and read by same phone.
GlucoTabs in pocket with syringe in case pump fails.

I take meter, lancer and a few strips if I am going to be out for longer.
They just go in my bag.
Meter case was thrown when I got it as it takes up too much space.

 

[JJay]

As I carry a handbag the size of Wales anyway, it all gets squirrelled away in there, and generally makes its way to the bottom along with everything else important!

 

[Steve_H]

Both my insulin pens are in their cases and my blood glucose meter is also in it's case. They live in my work bag, so I don't forget them. I have always just had them in the case they came in without any issues.

 

[Andrew Kennedy]

I put it all into a 'DeleyCON' case, which is a hard case typically used to carry SatNav equipment! I then look it to my belt lace using a carabiner clip

 

[Pink Rose]

Hi. I actually had the same issue as CWJ and bought yesterday a smaller purse, so that it will fit into my small over the shoulder handbag, together with my tester kit (still on waiting list for a libre) and insulin pens.
Sorry I'm a little ignorant and still new, but I see some people wrote about storing their jelly babes, what is it for? Is that instead of sugar tablets in case of a hypo? Which brings me to my other question because currently I don't carry anything on me for hypo remedy (which is a bad idea as I've has a few hypos...) are sugar tablets prescription / over the counter / do I buy it in a supermarket?...

 

[rebrascora]

Hi. I actually had the same issue as CWJ and bought yesterday a smaller purse, so that it will fit into my small over the shoulder handbag, together with my tester kit (still on waiting list for a libre) and insulin pens.
Sorry I'm a little ignorant and still new, but I see some people wrote about storing their jelly babes, what is it for? Is that instead of sugar tablets in case of a hypo? Which brings me to my other question because currently I don't carry anything on me for hypo remedy (which is a bad idea as I've has a few hypos...) are sugar tablets prescription / over the counter / do I buy it in a supermarket?...

You really should always carry your hypo treatment with you and keep some in the bedside cabinet and elsewhere in the house like the bathroom... Hot baths/showers are well known for causing BG levels to drop quite rapidly. It could be a question of life or death or at the least save an ambulance trip to hospital. People have fallen down stairs going to find hypo treatments in the middle of the night when their levels were low. Please keep yourself safe and make sure all your bags and pockets have them in as well as some in a drawer at work etc and definitely in the car if you drive.

As regards purchasing hypo treatment, they are not as far as I am aware available on prescription. I use Jelly Babies from Lidl most of the time as they are very cheap and do the job well. 3 JBs is the equivalent of 15g carbs (ie a hypo treatment) or 3 Dextrose tablets which I am guessing is what you are talking about with sugar tablets. I do also have those and I use them for night time hypos or hypos below 3 because I think they may work just a little quicker. They are available in most supermarkets or pharmacies or you can buy them online.

You can also use small cartons of fruit juice or small cans of full sugar cola etc but they are heavier to carry around in a handbag, whereas 2 or 3 lots of 3 JBs in small plastic pouches are easy. I find it helps to keep them in hypo treatment packs so that if my brain is not functioning properly I know how many to take and not just stuff a lod down my neck because my body is craving.

I also always carry my testing kit with me even though I have Libre because the Libre could get knocked off or malfunction at any time and I would be left without any means of testing.... particularly when driving or out walking or riding on my own.

 

[Pink Rose]

Thanks for the valuable advice! much appreciated! I will take care of having hypo treatment handy. good idea regarding having hypo treatment packs (I would grab what I find and eat a lot - due to body's craving - and then have high glucose level... inject novorapid etc....)

 

[CivicFreak]

Hello fellow diabetics

My name is Charlotte I am 23 yrs old and have had type 1 diabetes for 5 yrs now.
I am currently doing some research regarding the variety of products that are out there for our medical equipment to be carried in.

Having had the hospital provided cases I want to know if there are any fashionable cases and or even bags specially designed for our equipment to be carried.

If any of you have suggestion please let me know below.

If you have time would you also answer the following questions for me:
ANYONE- I want to know from ALL ages and gender !!!!!

1. How do you carry your medical equipment?

2. Do you think there should be more options available, and if there were would you purchase?

3. Do you find it hard to fit the bulky equipment into smaller, fashionable bags?

My girlfriend bought me an Elite Bags bag. It has a section that takes a freezer gel pack so the insulin keeps cool. It also has countless pockets and compartments. It has plenty of space for needles, blood monitor and any other bits such as glucose tablets etc. It's quite small and discreet but still has room for everything I need.

 

[Diabolized]

On a day to day basis I prefer to travel light. Insulin pump carried in a pocket or bra pouch, phone with Libre app and Jelly Babies.
When travelling, "spares", sick day rules, GP travel letter and a spare emergency contact details card are kept in a tupperware style box. It fits perfectly into hand luggage and can easily be lifted out if need at security checks. When away from home for more than a day I always carry insulin pens and insulin cartridges as back up in case of pump failure. Keep them in the case in which the the pens were issued, tucked in my handbag.
I used to carry my insulin pump in a special "sock" decorated with a penguin. It was meant for children but why should they have all the fun. Sadly the company that made the pump socks has gone out of business. Now use a silicon skin to protect the pump.

 

[Inka]

I just use the cases things come in. That way I can take exactly what I want with me rather than a bigger pack. The only exception is my pump, which I use Hid-In cases for.

 

[Mousey]

I use this case, brought from Amazon, one side holds by blood testing equipment and the other some dextrose tablet and insulin pens. Ideal for day to day, fits nicely inside another bag you might be using for the bag or has a handle to carry it on its own.

Diabetic Isothermal Bag Case | Diabetic Mass | Elite Bags | Colour: Purple | for Insulin and Glycometer Feathers : Amazon.co.uk: Health & Personal Care

Diabetic Isothermal Bag Case | Diabetic Mass | Elite Bags | Colour: Purple | for Insulin and Glycometer Feathers : Amazon.co.uk: Health & Personal Care

www.amazon.co.uk

 

[silentsquirrel]

I use this case, brought from Amazon, one side holds by blood testing equipment and the other some dextrose tablet and insulin pens. Ideal for day to day, fits nicely inside another bag you might be using for the bag or has a handle to carry it on its own.

Diabetic Isothermal Bag Case | Diabetic Mass | Elite Bags | Colour: Purple | for Insulin and Glycometer Feathers : Amazon.co.uk: Health & Personal Care

Diabetic Isothermal Bag Case | Diabetic Mass | Elite Bags | Colour: Purple | for Insulin and Glycometer Feathers : Amazon.co.uk: Health & Personal Care

www.amazon.co.uk

Feathers?????

 

[Piglet]

I carry my stuff as individual items (test kit insulin sweets ) in my handbag. when looking for a new bag for daily use I look for one with pockets so I can designate one pocket for medical stuff. this way its easy to find when required in a hurry. I keep looking on the DUK shop but have never found anything either big enough /small enough and compact enough to use.

 

[Schrodinger]

Depends how far I'm going but carry everything in pockets, insulin pen and phone to read Libre, that's it usually.

 

[Ljc]

I like cross body bags, large ones , the pencil case that contains all my d kit except the Libre reader snuggles in nicely against everything else I decide to take with me .