The Right Stuff.
I was up in the Bay Area visiting family this weekend, and as many of you might know, San Francisco is a walking city. I’d packed quickly though, and brought my everyday purse along for the trip instead of a more comfortable travel tote. It’s a cool bag, but it only has one short shoulder strap. When I’m on trips that involve lots of hoofing around, I try to bring a bag that has a cross body strap that’s more comfortable for walking. My everyday purse is….a bit heavy.
As I strolled through the shops on Fillmore, I picked up a cute, small, lightweight bag and lamented to a friend that I could never have a bag that tiny on a trip. When she asked why, I explained that although my essentials fit in a bag that small, my “diabetes back up plan” doesn’t. And when I’m traveling, I don’t want to have any unexpected emergencies that could derail my day. My purse contains all the usual suspects: wallet, phone, glucose meter, DexCom, strips, lancing device, and a few GU packs for lows (um, ok - usual suspects if you have diabetes). But I also have an extra pump pod, a bottle of insulin, a syringe in case I have to deliver insulin manually, and extra bottle of test strips. These “extras” do take up more space, but they allow me to be prepared for anything that could go wrong during a long day out, without having to trudge back to a hotel or house to get supplies.
And believe me, it’s happened before. I’ve been in Istanbul and had to change my pump in crummy public bathroom because my pod got knocked off in a crowd. I’ve been at a party in downtown San Diego, only to find that I don’t have any test strips in my kit and have no way of checking my BG - until I remember my extra strips. Yes, I could carry a smaller bag in these situations but the trade off is that my night/outing would have ended much earlier if I didn’t have my backups with me. Although I do get tired of lugging around a heavy bag sometimes, I’ve never not been ecstatic when I’m having a mini-emergency and I’ve got all the tools I need right there with me. And just having them with me, even if I don’t need to use them, gives me the peace of mind needed to enjoy my trip/party/whatever I’m doing.
Really, at the end of the day, it’s not about packing the right items according to a specific checklist - it’s about packing the items that make YOU feel comfortable and give you that peace of mind. If you’re comfortable going out with three test strips and a pre-loaded syringe with 10 units in it, by all means go for it. But if you are someone who feels better with a tote bag of supplies that could last through an alien invasion, then that’s what you should take.
How about you guys? Do you have certain items that make you feel more comfortable than others? Do you have specifics that you won’t leave home without?Or are you a minimalist PWD (person with diabetes)?
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Comments
I carry it ALL with me in my murse (insulin pens, needles, swabs, meter, strips, hard candy, band-aids, fingernail clippers, hand sanitizer, two days of pills, nutritional brochures from eateries, trombone mouthpiece, ear plugs a Parker Jotter, a few Balance Bars and some whole wheat crackers). My whole wheat crackers get pulverized in any size container I put them in-including the box (when I’m carrying my music gear). I’m starting to think that WW bread is the way to go.
Just returned from a 3 day whitewater rafting trip with our 11 year old daughter who uses an Omnipod. This is a wilderness situation with any kind of help not readily available. I pack absolutely everything she might need for the trip in a gallon ziploc freezer bag and then double the bag. This goes in our food cooler (temps in upper 90′s). Her meter, a granola bar and some rolls of Smarties go into a small waterproof box and that goes into the beer cooler.
Then I pack a second ziploc bag with everything I included in the first bag: glucagon, strips, lancets, backup meter, back up insulin pens and needles, anti vomit meds, batteries, extra pod, unisolve wipes, alcohol, ketone strips, smarties) Again, I double bag the ziploc and then it goes into a small army grade waterproof ammo can. This goes into another cooler on a different boat. In case our boat flips and we lose all our gear, we will still have a set of supplies for our little gal.
Amazingly, we used very little of any of the supplies! Her pod lasted the full three days even after being in very sandy, silty water for most of that time. I just finished unpacking it all and putting it away! Success!
I always have my test kit, but I don’t take any back up for day trips. I have back up pump supplies in my desk at work. If I am at a race, I take lots of stuff even if I will be returning that night. You never know what you might need. I should just pack a bag for a back up to put in the car.
Marla - your comment is so helpful to me- I’m preparing to go on my first rafting trip ever next month and I’m a bit nervous about it. I wasn’t exactly sure how to pack the back ups - I like the idea of having the extra set in another boat. That’s a great call. thanks for your comment, it really helps!
Won’t leave home without glucose tabs/juice/somthing with sugar.