The diabetes community is great at sharing—especially when they come up with an idea for making life a little easier. Consider these tried-and-true tricks and shortcuts for managing your health and gear.
Table of contents
- Show emergency info on a locked phone
- Keep juice boxes near your bed
- Wrap a prescription around your second-to-last vial
- Turn up the receiver
- Have a GO BAG ready
- Make a portable sharps container
- Contain used test strips
Show emergency info on a locked phone
You may have your ICE (in case of emergency) contact noted in your phone, but that doesn't help if emergency workers can't unlock it. For Apple devices, you can include emergency information in the health app. Some Android phones have an emergency contact feature in the phone's setting.
Another great option is to type up emergency contacts and basic health information (like, that you have diabetes) and save it as an image you can use as the background on your lock screen.
Keep juice boxes near your bed
Some fruit juices taste not-too-awful at room temp, and can make it easier to treat a low when you're sleepy. Keep glucose tabs or hard candies near the bed, too, so you don't have to hunt for them when you're low.
Wrap a prescription around your second-to-last vial
Whether it's test strips, oral medication or insulin, a rubberband can hold your next prescription (or a reminder to call and refill) around your current supplies. When you open the last (or second-to-last) package, it's time to call.
Turn up the receiver
If you use a continuous glucose monitor, placing the receiver in a glass next to your bed will amplify the sound of the alarm to help wake you up.
Have a GO BAG ready
A second set of testing supplies, infusion sets, low treatments, etc., makes it easy to grab and go any time you head out for the day or travel for business. Extra batteries and a quarter for opening battery compartments come in handy, too.
Make a portable sharps container
An old prescription or vitamin bottle, boldly labeled "sharps," (with a Sharpie, naturally), can hold onto used lancets or needles while you're out and about. Toss one in your go bag.
Contain used test strips
An old test strip vial is the perfect size for holding used test strips, if you tend to find them all over the floor, in the cushions, everywhere. Just label it with brightly colored tape or a sticker so you can tell new from old.
What are your diabetes tips and tricks?