My daughter had recently been diagnosed and I’d like to ask for advice about her hat to put in her medicine bag to cover all eventualities (or as many as possible ). I know about the medicine and equipment but would like ideas about any extras that people with more experience find useful to have at hand. Thank you!
Newly diagnosed
- Thread starter LadyBug26
- Start Date
- Messages
- 16,735
- Type of diabetes
- I reversed my Type 2
- Treatment type
- Tablets (oral)
Hi @LadyBug26 and welcome to the forum. I’m sorry it’s in such circumstances. I have type 2 diabetes and am guessing your daughter has been diagnosed with type 1, so I can’t help you with your question. However I’ll tag in some other members who may be able to help.
@EllieM @In Response @Jaylee
@EllieM @In Response @Jaylee
- Messages
- 18,483
- Type of diabetes
- Type 1
- Treatment type
- Insulin
Hi,
Welcome to the forum.
I was diagnosed as a kid..
First & formost, always pack fast acting carbs about the person.
Pockets are good. It’s easy to get separated from a bag….
If it’s just a day at school (in my case work.) I don’t need to carry the long acting insulin, just the bolus insulin pen..
Is your daughter on 2 different types of insulin?
Then there is my blood glucose meter, just incase there is an issue with my sensor.
If it’s going away for a few days then I take everything in a back pack, including extra.
Just incase “plans change..”
I’ll also tag in @Nicola M . Who I believe what’s also diagnosed in childhood. & will no doubt know the “drill..”
That’s great, thank you, this is really helpful. I hadn’t thought about being separated from ‘the bag’.
- Messages
- 18,483
- Type of diabetes
- Type 1
- Treatment type
- Insulin
When I was sent to school.
It was a Parka coat with many pockets..
work wise I wear cargo pocketed Builders trousers..
You never know when your attention is drawn off elsewhere.
Say, I got called up to jump in a truck with a colleague to help out on a project??
- Messages
- 18,483
- Type of diabetes
- Type 1
- Treatment type
- Insulin
Thanks for the tag @Rachox.
@LadyBug26 welcome to the forum but sorry you had to join.
As mentioned previously, fast acting carbs are the most important thing to insulin, etc. I carry both fast acting and something of about 10 to 15g of longer acting carbs such as a single Twix stick or small packet of crisps.
Unlike @Jayleee I would NOT separate the basal insulin as this can limit ad hoc activities and potentially make your daughter ”blame” diabetes for unnecessary changes to her lifestyle. An insulin pen does not take up much space and, depending what time your daughter takes her basal, carrying it with her all the time means she could go to a movie straight from school or round to a friend for a homework session without needing to pop home. And means she will never forget it when she is staying overnight, for example.
Not exactly a “what to include” but I would also think about how easy it is to carry things. Everything (finger prick meter, pens, …) come in their own bulky cases. These items are all pretty rugged. If you are keeping your daughter’s diabetes kit in a single bag which can be carried around at home and transferred to various other bags, the bulky cases are not necessary. I threw my cases out twenty years ago (although my kit is not that old) and never broken anything.
You can buy dedicated Diabetes cases with pouches for everything. I decided these were unnecessarily expensive and found a normal bag I liked on the high street - maybe you could take your daughter on a fun shopping trip?
And my final word (for now), on what to take is
- spare insulin if the pen/cartridge is running low (but not all the time).
- spare batteries for your BG meter (unless it is rechargeable)
@LadyBug26 welcome to the forum but sorry you had to join.
As mentioned previously, fast acting carbs are the most important thing to insulin, etc. I carry both fast acting and something of about 10 to 15g of longer acting carbs such as a single Twix stick or small packet of crisps.
Unlike @Jayleee I would NOT separate the basal insulin as this can limit ad hoc activities and potentially make your daughter ”blame” diabetes for unnecessary changes to her lifestyle. An insulin pen does not take up much space and, depending what time your daughter takes her basal, carrying it with her all the time means she could go to a movie straight from school or round to a friend for a homework session without needing to pop home. And means she will never forget it when she is staying overnight, for example.
Not exactly a “what to include” but I would also think about how easy it is to carry things. Everything (finger prick meter, pens, …) come in their own bulky cases. These items are all pretty rugged. If you are keeping your daughter’s diabetes kit in a single bag which can be carried around at home and transferred to various other bags, the bulky cases are not necessary. I threw my cases out twenty years ago (although my kit is not that old) and never broken anything.
You can buy dedicated Diabetes cases with pouches for everything. I decided these were unnecessarily expensive and found a normal bag I liked on the high street - maybe you could take your daughter on a fun shopping trip?
And my final word (for now), on what to take is
- spare insulin if the pen/cartridge is running low (but not all the time).
- spare batteries for your BG meter (unless it is rechargeable)
Last edited by a moderator:
- Messages
- 9,795
- Type of diabetes
- Type 1
- Treatment type
- Pump
- Dislikes
- hypos and forum bugs
How old is your daughter @LadyBug26 ? I assume she is on pens and not a pump yet??
For me, no 1 is always glucose or equivalent, and plenty so there is no fear of running out. I agree with @In Response on minimising the gear carried, you don't actually need all the separate cases for insulin pens and bg testing kits. I don't even bother with a separate lancing device for fingerpricking, I just have a few bare lancets.
For me, no 1 is always glucose or equivalent, and plenty so there is no fear of running out. I agree with @In Response on minimising the gear carried, you don't actually need all the separate cases for insulin pens and bg testing kits. I don't even bother with a separate lancing device for fingerpricking, I just have a few bare lancets.
What is an "emergency bag"?
I think of it as my diabetes kit which contains everything including insulin and hypo treatment. Now we have CGMs that can warn is ahead of a hypo, it is rarely used in emergency. With Type 1, all the kit is BAU and suggesting it is emergency suggests something more scary, especially for someone newly diagnosed.
Sorry for appearing to pick on your otherwise useful comment but 8 strongly believe in the power of using the appropriate vocabulary.
- Messages
- 18,483
- Type of diabetes
- Type 1
- Treatment type
- Insulin
An ID tag worn about the person, wrist more visible than anywhere else which I believe paramedics check first, is a prudent idea..
We do have devices that can warn of impending hypos.
We also got our eyes to warn of moving traffic..
Sometimes, there is a “sucker punch” & not everybody in attendance knows the basic medical history to accommodate the appropriate care…?
A reminder to please remain on topic with replies to question from @LadyBug26 . While it's true that it's unhelpful to describe something used as often as a medicine bag for a T1 as 'an emergency bag', the semantics of what each of us name our “kit” is irrelevant to the OP
