Another question for pumping Mom's and Dad's

[Mojo's mommy]

Okay , sorry , last one today I promise..:rolleyes: ...There are so many bits and pieces and odds and ends that go along with pumping. What are some of the ways that you keep it all together and organized? Do you have a big case for at home and a smaller one when you go out for the day? Is someone selling these that are geared specifically to diabetes? Something that has pockets and slots for it all.....Yikes!!!!

[mischloss]

There's a marvelous invention that is my best friend....tupperware! And a labeling machine too comes in handy!!!

So seriously, on the top of my son's chest of drawers cabinet, I keep a tupperware that contains a couple of immediate needs, his IV Prep wipes, one infusion set at all times ( so I can grab it and not have to go finding the huge boxes that they come in), one cartrige set, a couple of extra left over tubings. And next to this is one of his BG monitors and a tube of glucose tablets. Again just to grab and go if we are having a low around the house.

When going out, he has what I affectionately refer to as a "Jack Bauer" shoulder bag. For you 24-fiends, this is the manly shoulder bag made out of Kaki denim that Jack Bauer CTU agent wears that holds his immediate needs. I guess mostly bullets for his pistol. ;) Anyway, there are a number of nice "male" looking bags now available at Target! So my son is more than happy to wear one with his supplies in it...which would be BG monitor with lancers, handy wipes, and glucose tabs. We don't take much else since his pump has enough insulin and we don't go straying that far from home during the day. This bag incidentally was fabulous for a recent flight! He just took it on board and had all his stuff in it, including game boy and books to read! :D

[BrendaK]

We use an entire CLOSET for our medical supplies. It's kind of like a linen closet with several shelves. Since we get 3 months worth of supplies at a time, we need the room. We keep opened boxes of stuff like the box of infusion sets and preppies, stuff we're currently using, on the top/easy access shelf. Extra stuff we keep on the other bottom shelves. Then one whole shelf is for my other son's asthma meds.

When we go out, all I have to grab is the glucometer and stick it in my purse. My purse contains a Novopen Jr., with a little baggie of needles, glucagon and glucotabs. Snacks are already kept in the car. I don't bring an extra infusion set unless I'm more than 30 minutes from home. (That's what the Novopen Jr. is for).

With MDI, you have to remember insulin vials, syringes, and alcohol wipes every time to go out. I like it that Carson's insulin is on him at all times.

Good luck with the pump start!!

[Reagan's Mama]

We have a closet full too! It's almost overwhelming!

When I leave the house I feel like I need a suitcase, honestly though, I don't carry any more or less than I did when we were doing injections.

I carry an extra site and reservior in the D bag with all her other stuff.
A cooler bag with choco milk and cheese for snack and in case of lows and her BG meter in my purse.

[hrermgr]

We, too have shelves filled with pump supplies for both Teagan and my husband. He also has little plastic containers for misc supplies. The butter drawer in the fridge is filled with insulin vials and reservoirs containing insulin.

When we're on the go and when Teagan goes to daycare, we have a small backpack that goes along. In the backpack we have: 2 BG meters (one is a backup), the Ketone meter, glucogon, tracking book, food log, Calorie King book, an extra infusion set, and snacks for lows. Seems like a lot, I know, but we have peace of mind that if we need something, it's there! Our daycare provider likes it, too!

[Mojo's mommy]

WOW!!!! Sounds like I need a new closet , never mind the bag idea :eek:

Good grief, I don't have an extra closet .....

Thanks everyone for the heads up!!!!

[Amy C.]

It is amazing how much space the pump supplies take up! Philip gets 5 boxes of resevoirs and sites. I don't have a great place to put them all as storage space is in short supply at my house.

[Boo]

I guess I'll need to find some extra room too as we start our saline trial on March! :D

Right now all of the pump stuff has taken up residence on our diningroom table. I better find a more permanent place...time to get creative.

Also, we now carry my son's D supplies in a fanny pack, but some of my friends were teasing me about how unfashionable that choice is (nice "friends", huh?). I need to come up with something a bit more hip, yet something that my son and/or husband will be willing to carry when I am not around to be the pack rat!

Can you leave an extra infusion set in a car, or is that dangerous due to high temps in warmer weather?

[Momof4gr8kids]

At home we Keep all of our supplies in the top of our linen closet. It is dark, and cool there with plenty of room. All of the stuff that came with the pump are in the box it came with, and everything else is in it's own box.

If we are leaving for the day and need extra supplies we have a soft lunch box with lots of pockets and stuff. We got it from either novonordisc, or lilly so there is even places to put insulin.

When we go on a hot day we have a cooler that plugs into the lighter. It is small and fits between the seat.We use it for insulin, it is also handy for keeping water, or other drinks cool. We always keep glucose tabs, or other sugar in our car, and in the case mentioned above. I carry glucagone in my purse, have one at home in the clostet, and one at school.

When we go on a long trip we pack a back pack with supplies. We have two people with type 1, so we need double the supplies. We will keep out small case with all of the supplies we need for the moment and keep the rest in the back pack with the rest of our lugauge.

It seems hecktic at times, but this has really worked for us. It just took us time to find what was the best way for us to store, and pack, and keep, and take it all. You will figure the best way for you to do this as well. Take care, Jamie

[Ali]

Bottom of a dressar drawer in the bedroom. Use about half of it for supplies including CGMS supplies. Take a meter, syringe and insulin in the meter bag and that is it. One extra meter at home for back up. Only take pump supples for when going out of town. Insulin is kept in the refrig except when out of the house for more than a few hours and hard to get home if a problem. Also keep tons of glucose tab bottles around-one in car, one upstairs, one in kitchen, and usually some extra individual tabs just in pockets or meter bag.

[hold48398]

We are lucky enough to have quite a few cabinets in the kitchen, so we designated an entire cabinet (the end cabinet) to Mia's D supplies. The bottom shelf carries the immediate things like BG meter, ketone meter, cotton balls, alcohol swabs, bacitracin, open test strip box, open lancet drum box (for Accucheck multiclix), extra pump and meter, a small trash box, and control solution. The middle and top shelves carry the rest of the pump supplies (cartridges, IV Preps, Unisolve/Remove bottle and pads, IV 3000 tape, rest of the teststrip and drum boxes, etc.

The amount of trash we generate with each site change is pretty unreal LOL.:rolleyes:

[wendyc]

Okay , sorry , last one today I promise..:rolleyes: ...There are so many bits and pieces and odds and ends that go along with pumping.
What are some of the ways that you keep it all together and organized?
Designated shelf in closet for overflow supplies
Under sink (in closed rubbermaid in case of leak) for 1 box of sets, carts, wipes etc
In kitchen draw for glucagon, spare meter, batteries, glucose
Meter always on counter
1 emergency set change in glove box of car


Do you have a big case for at home and a smaller one when you go out for the day?
If I'm just going to the store or short way from home I carry it all in my suitcase...oops meant purse:D For longer days we have a backpack for all supplies plus a back up set up and snacks
Is someone selling these that are geared specifically to diabetes? Something that has pockets and slots for it all.....Yikes!!!!

I use a Vera Bradley purse and an LL Bean backpack. Cosmetic cases work well too and aren't too expensive. 50/50 has a line of stuff too.

All this stuff does take up a lot of real estate!:eek:

[Twinklet]

We have a medium-sized Rubbermaid container with all her pump supplies, extra meters, syringes, strips, alcohol wipes, IV prep, LMX cream....basically anything we use Diabetes-related that doesn't need to be refrigerated. If it's not all in one place, I may not find it! We have one fridge in the kitchen and one in the garage with Novolog and Lantus in each.

Emily has a small zippered bag that she uses for strips, lancing device, glucose tabs and cell phone. It pretty much stays with her at all times, and we put it on her dresser at night for nighttime testing.

Emily has a decorative box on her dresser with glucagon, glucose tabs, juice and icing.

In my purse I carry glucose tabs and Glucagon. In each car we have a small Tupperware container with Glucagon, glucose tabs, granola bars, juice boxes and a site change.

Emily has a small Tupperware "low box" she keeps at her desk in school that contains Glucagon, juice boxes, Glucose tabs, granola bars, 2 site changes, ketone strips, lancets, extra lancing device and extra strips. I have a labeled and taped shut bottle of Novolog in the Fridge at school.

[Rhonda]

We have supplies in the medicince cabinet completely filled in our bedroom in our living room in a huge box we are well stocked up on test strips,infusions,iv preps reservoirs,insulin glucagon you name it it's pretty much everywhere.

[hrermgr]

I forgot to mention that in each car, we have a back up meter and food for lows. You never know when you may need one or the other.

[Amy C.]

We can't leave things in the car. In Texas, it gets way too hot for the meter, strips, and juice. We can keep glucose tabs, but generally don't.

My son carries all his supplies with him in a fanny pack.