Meter Bag Clean-Out

 

This is what a pile of 237 used test strips looks like.
At least I know she checks her blood sugar when she's out!

 

Not Just Any Bag

We've spent the past six months in search of this gorgeous bag. 

In fact, it really didn't have to be this gorgeous.  It mostly just had to be the right shape and size, and not ugly. 

Our previous bag, purchased at Target, had served at least 2 years of hard time and was on its last legs when it succumbed to a juice box explosion and had to be thrown away.  Turns out cosmetic bag fashions change quicker than you might think, and so we were unable to simply replace our trusty tote with the same model.  We've since made do with make-up bags we had on hand, but none were quite right.  We spent the summer looking in all sorts of stores, to no avail.

The bag had to be the right size, primarily.  Big enough to comfortably fit the meter, lancet, strips, glucose tabs, a juice box, smarties, a spare battery and whatever other odds and ends live at the bottom in case of emergency.  But not so big that it took up an entire purse leaving no room for the other necessities of life.  It also, per its primary user, my daughter, had to stay open at the top.  When unzipped it needed to comfortably fall open so that a blood sugar test could be done in it, like it was a little nest.  This was the feature of the aforementioned Target bag which we couldn't seem to replicate.  Most of the bags we looked at were stiff and wanted to stay closed at the zipper even if it was unzipped.

We'd about given up hope when we stopped in a little local gift shop, for an entirely different purpose, and there it was.  The new bag.  In several colors.  Was it Target priced?  Not even close.  Was it worth it?  Absolutely.

There's even room for the Dexcom receiver, a few dollars for emergency snacks, and lip gloss. 

It's perfect.

Messy

The bloody tissues are the grossest part.  

There are always used test strips in the bottom despite the designated tic-tac container in which to stash them.  

I'm not sure how long that half roll of smarties has been in there.

But this is a snapshot of the meter case in all its typical glory.

Why does it stay this way?  Why are we keeping all of this trash in here?  Because testing is among the least interesting parts of the day.  Meter, test strip, lancet, blood, tissue, number, go.  It's time to eat, or head to volleyball practice, or go back to whatever was happening before the Dexcom alarmed.

We typically don't clean it out until  the mess diminishes its functionality.  Or until there's an impending risk of dumping test strips all over the floor of a friend's house or a fancy restaurant.

Otherwise, I sort of see this mess as a good thing.  It means we have better things to do than tidy up the meter case.  It means we have better things to do than worry about diabetes for a second longer than we have to.

It's an excellent excuse anyway.

More Diabetes Blog Week posts on the 'Clean It Out' topic can be found HERE!