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Whenever the kids have a holiday break from school, I deep-clean their lunch bags, backpacks, snack containers and the diabetes bag (D-bag). The break affords me the time to not only get things cleaned but organized as well.
Diabetes Bag (a.k.a. D-Bag)
The Medicol Dia-Pak Deluxe bag has been with us since the first week of diagnosis and has worked well for 3 years now. I needed a D-bag that could hold everything, switch easily between caregivers and have a cool-pack for travel. This bag holds all the Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) supplies and fits nicely in a diaper bag, purse, backpack or can be carried by itself (top handle or with the removable strap on a single arm or as a cross body bag).
Keeping it Clean
Our D-bag gets dirty! The Dia-Pak bag floats around our house, travels everywhere with us, goes to school, attends play-dates and then sits in my child’s room at night. I wash this bag on average once a month, in a regular laundry cycle, inside a mesh bag (to protect it) and then air dry. It has held up beautifully over the past 3 years.
Supplies
Cleaning out your bag also means restocking all the necessary diabetes supplies. Including replacing expired medication, food, batteries, and low supplies. Listed below are the contents that we keep in our D-bag daily.
- Glucose Meter
- We have the OmniPod PDM with the integrated glucose meter but we keep a spare meter in the kit just in case of malfunction (or if lost).
- Glucose test strips
- Lancer
- Our go-to lancer is the Acc-Chek Fastclix
- Lancets
- We change the lancet with every finger poke (no kidding!) and find the Acc-Chek Fastclix lancet barrels the nicest option.
- Syringes
- Used for manual injections in case of pump failure and if the Glucagon syringe breaks.
- Fast acting sugar
- We keep an abundance of fast acting sugar options. When my toddler’s blood sugar is low, he can be picky. Our kit is loaded with low supplies:
- Baqsimi Nasal Spray
- Glucagon Emergency Kit
- I maintain a prescriptions for both the nasal spray and Glucagon medications because the Glucagon can be used in case of unconsciousness due to severe low blood sugar and during sick days (mini-glucagon shots to raise blood sugar).
- Beef Jerky
- Small pouches of beef jerky to use as protein snack after treating a low or as a low carb snack.
- Insulin
- Alcohol pads
- Used for preparing skin for Dexcom CGM and OmniPod changes and if we need clean fingers when washing hands is not an option.
- OmniPod Pod
- Extra pod in case of pump failure.
- OmniPod OverPatch
- Lexcam – 20 waterproof patches that are pre-cut for Omnipod. Hypoallergenic and clear in color.
- Safety Pin
- Used to stop a screaming pod by puncturing the speaker.
- Dexcom OverPatch
- Free pack of 10 clear overpatches from Dexcom. Request when ordering supplies or order from the Patient Support Form. Enter “order overpatches” in the issue field.
- SkinTac Wipe
- Batteries
- Backup batteries for the OmniPod PDM (AA batteries) and the spare glucose meter (2032 button battery).
- Money
- We keep a dollar in quarters and $2 in one dollar bills in case we need to buy a snack to treat low blood sugar when traveling or at school.
- Contact Information
- Clear insert that fits a business card or hand written contact information in case the kit is lost (not shown).
Extra Supplies Used on Long Trips
- Dexcom – a spare Dexcom sensor and transmitter. For everyday trips/running errands, we are so close to home that I don’t find it necessary to have Dexcom backup supplies.
- Portable Charger – a wireless battery powered phone charger helps when traveling in case our Dexcom phone’s battery goes low.
- Frio Cooling Wallet – if activities include being out in the hot sun for long periods of time, the insulin vial is kept cool with a cooling wallet.
- Straws – a travel toothbrush holder with straws. During naps or nighttime, treating a low with juice works best for my kiddo. Some juice bottles do not include straws. Also, the toothbrush holder is great for storing honey sticks.
- Phone Dry Bag – if activities include water, a phone dry bag is helpful for cells phones, PDM or Dexcom receiver.