A. Kelsey Metcalf writes monthly columns about diabetes and travel as well as parenting as a diabetic. She has had type 1 diabetes for 29 years and visited four continents. To read her full ‘Experts’ bio and past articles, click here.
I’ve had Type 1 Diabetes for 29 years and travel fairly often. Additionally, I go to work every day, run errands, take day trips with the family, just like anyone else. The difference, however, is that every time I leave my house, it’s as though I’m cutting off a lifeline – the tenuous tether to all that keeps me running.
Inside my bathroom is a supply cabinet that rivals some pharmacies. There you’ll likely find a three month supply of strips, cartridges, reservoirs, alcohol swabs, tape, glucose tablets, and so, so much more.
From experience, I’ve learned what happens when you leave home and don’t have the proper supplies. On a four hour drive from Phoenix to Yuma, Arizona I had to pull over to the side of the road after losing a pump site when it was perspired off (my air conditioner broke). Stranded after 9/11, I had to spend four extra days in Seattle, Washington while waiting for a flight home. At work one day, I experienced a rapid low blood sugar reaction in the middle of an important meeting. As a result, I’ve created what I call my “emergency kit” and it’s stock full of what I consider to be the minimum I need to have on me at any given time.
The bag I use is a medium sized zipped cosmetic-type bag with a main compartment and a shallow side zipped compartment. It’s easy to toss in any bag I carry or can go by itself to meetings or in the car. Below is a list of what I keep in my magic kit to keep me happy and healthy while away from home:
* Two reservoirs and two cartridges (for me, this is an eight-day supply)
* A handful of syringes in case of pump failure
* A fairly full bottle of insulin (I regularly rotate this out with my home supply)
* A folded prescription label from my Humalog bottle (for when I fly)
* A tube of glucose tablets
* Glucometer, strips, lancets and lancet device
* A few extra pills of my required prescriptions
* An extra battery or two for my pump and my glucometer
* Alcohol swabs and I.V. Prep
* I.V. 3000 tape for my pump sites and sensors
* Neosporin and bandaids for site changes
* A penny or two to open my pump’s battery compartment
* A small notebook that contains the details of my pump settings in case of lost data
* A letter of medical necessity for when I go through security in airports
* Fold-up scissors for cutting tape
* A lip gloss (because hey, it IS an emergency kit!)
(Each of the Expert columns are based on the experiences and knowledge of the individual columnists. The columns are meant to provide you with helpful information, but are not meant to be considered direct advice. Before making any decisions that could affect your health, make sure to contact a physician or the appropriate medical professional.)
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Great article, just a couple of comments. Please STOP keeping your supplies in your bathroom. Heat is not good for your supplies.
They should be stored where it never goes above 80F and if you really want them to be reliable, you should keep your spares in the coolest room in your house, where the temperature is stable and stays between 55 and 65F. Humidity is also bad for your supplies.
I store my extra supplies in my basement in a room that is fairly dry (there’s a dehumidifier in it) and its always on the cool side. I only keep enough test strips upstairs to have one spare box, the rest goes into clear plastic storage boxes downstairs so its safe from heat, moisture and even flooding.
My extra insulin is in my veggie drawer in the fridge, where it can’t freeze if the fridge temp drops a bit.
During heat waves I use a FRIO wallet to keep my insulin pens and test strips at the right temperature.
Please take heat into consideration and pass it along!
[...] a subsequent guest column, A. Kelsey Metcalf, a Type 1 diabetic, offered up several tips for keeping an emergency bag with [...]