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BD (before diabetes), I hated carrying a bag. On a night out, I would put my door key in one pocket and my money in another. Then diabetes arrived and bought along its baggage – literately. I remember leaving the hospital on my first visit overwhelmed by the diagnosis, information and stuff. With insulin, insulin pens, meter, dextrose, book to note my readings and dose, sharps bottle… My bag-free days were over.
The carrier bag I left the hospital with was not going to pass muster. As I’ve mentioned before I have tendencies towards vanity and I was not going to carry that around with me.
My first approach was to use a toilet bag – one of those ones with a couple of pockets. For work, this was fine because I always carried a bigger bag with me with lunch and notes and computer. For a night out, I would take out what I needed and put it into a smaller bag. But I soon learnt that these toilet bags are not designed to be chucked around; taken in and out of my work bag every day. The toilet bag did not last long.
Over the years, I have optimised what I take with me. I no longer write down all my readings and dosage so the notebook has gone. I now have a sharps bottle in my desk at work so that does not travel with me. And after a little pleading with the Diabetes Nurse, my meter has reduced in size. So the bag I need has reduced in size. As mentioned in my last post, this fits into a small handbag like this which is better than the toilet bag but not perfect.
Ideally, I would have nothing but I know I have to wait for a cure for diabetes. In the meantime I need a bag that …
• is big enough to hold insulin (including frio bags to keep it cool), a blood glucose meter, a packet of dextrose, needles and lancets
• keeps needles and lancets separate
• is rugged enough for daily use
• fits inside a work bag and looks professional
• fits inside a back pack for walking
• looks attractive
• neutral colour to go with any outfit
But my post is entitled “The Perfect Kitbag” so I want more…
• has a small, integral sharps container that stores up to 4 used needles
• safely disposes of used sharps
• has a chameleon-like outer so it will change colour to match any outfit, any colour for any event
• is tardis-like: despite being compact, it can fit keys, purse, phone
• will alert when I need to top up needles/insulin/dextrose …
• using a wireless connection will make a request for a new prescription
• obviously, the last requirement needs a computer. When not checking stock, the spare computing technology can be exploited to find a cure for diabetes.
I guess what I’m saying is that as we do not yet have a cure for diabetes but until we do, I don’t want diabetes to impact my AD (After Diabetes) life too much; if I must carry a kitbag, let it be a useful, stylish, robust kit bag rather than an old toilet bag that falls apart after a couple of months.
After my daughter was diagnosed I bought myself a new handbag! It looks gorgeous but is the size of a baby changing bag and I regularly lose/find stuff in it. I also bought a really groovy (my children tell me i’m too old to use any words like that) but it’s such a lovely pink colour and at FABB everyone asked where i got it from. Amazon don’t sell it anymore and i now keep eyeing up the other colours that you can still buy in America – it isn’t cheap – about £40 – but it holds everything except her diary, including the rubbish and glucotabs. I think its called diabete-ezey the company. If you google that it can be found under kit bags:) happy bag / pouch / kit bag hunting! Lx
I love this post and I completely get it! After 19 years of having T1D and tired of toting around my black meter bag (with my used sharps and test strips collecting at the bottom) I decided to design something that would be both practical and stylish. And most importantly, would contain the used sharps and test strips that I was finding in all of the wrong places in my daily life (i.e., my HAIR, my oatmeal, collecting at the bottoms of my pockets and purses, etc.). Hence, the Camino Clutch collection was born! The Camino is a smart, sleek clutch that holds all of your daily diabetes supplies plus your glam stuff. Stop by and take a look! —Monica
I don’t understand, I seem to fit everything I need in a normal size handbag. For nights out, I can fit cards, cash, insulin pen, meter, phone and keys in a clutch bag.