The Great Lancet Quest

Every time we travel, I restock the diabetes box.  This time was no different.  I counted out the site change items, threw in an extra 50 test strips and added a new 8 pack of juice boxes.  The flashlight was there for overnight checks and the spare glucagon was still good.

Off we went for a weekend exploring a city my daughter had never visited. On the first morning in the hotel, my husband (our household's official lancet changer) went to swap it out.  "Where are the lancets?" 

"They should be in the diabetes supply box in a snack-sized zippy bag.  It's probably in the big Ziploc with the site change stuff?"

By the time every one of us had rummaged through the stash of supplies, we knew there were no spare lancets to be found.

The initial thought was, 'maybe we could make it- it'll only be 2 more days.' But what if we dropped the lancing device and it popped open?  And certainly it would be better for my daughter's fingers to have a new, very sharp lancet at least every morning. Knowing that there was a CVS a block from our hotel, and that lancets were the least expensive of our supplies to replace, we decided to stop on the way to our morning destination.

We wended our way to the pharmacy department, at the back of the store, where the diabetes things have been kept on nearby shelves in every drug store I've ever visited, and there they were.  Locked in a case in front of the pharmacy counter.  Our usual lancets.  I got the pharmacist's attention. "Can I get a box of lancets, please?"

"Well, here's the thing: the key broke off in that case and I can't open it anymore.  What kind do you need?"

"One touch ultra soft?"

He looked in pharmacy area, hoping he had some stocked for a prescription purchase.  No such luck.  "There's another pharmacy on the next corner, and one on the corner after that," he said pointing.  "I'm sure you can get some there."

On to Rite Aid we went, and back to the pharmacy area. There were unlocked, but there were none of our usual brand.  After a careful assessment of the boxes of Rite Aid brand lancets, we learned that they would fit our lancing device, and that there was a size which would (allegedly) prick the finger with a similar impact.  My daughter was extremely apprehensive.  She wasn't convinced that these new ones wouldn't hurt more or be less effective in drawing blood.  But after weighing the options of buying these and continuing on to our fun tourist destination, or finding another pharmacy, we bought the lancets.  They worked just fine.  And the best part (and probably the ultimate selling point to an anxious kid)? 



Colors!