The Bag

A couple of weeks ago Liam received his Bag of Hope from the JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation).  In it was a meter, a copy of the Calorie King to help with counting carbs, some book on type 1 diabetes, and Rufus the bear and his book.  Rufus is a bear that also has type 1.  He has patches on all his injection sites so that Liam can give him injections and test his blood.  He comes with a story book about Rufus and adjusting to life with T1D.  Liam loves Rufus and it has helped with his shots, especially his bum shot. 

 Now that Liam has T1D, he has to carry around a bag with all his supplies.  This bag goes everywhere with him.  We have to always be prepared for a high or low.  We even take it to pick the girls up from school, and we have had to use it in those short 10 minutes.  The bag is given to all new T1D patients by the Lilly company.  They manufacture the insulin and other supplies.  I really like it because it can fit in my purse, but also has a handle for carrying and a shoulder strap. It is also insulated.

 Inside we carry everything Liam would need while he is out.  We have (top to bottom, left to right) hand sanitizer,  his meter (which includes lansing device, test strips, and extra lancets), glucagon pen (this is given in an emergency if he is low and seizing or unconscious. It basically tells his liver to release more glucose. It is given in the thigh like an epi-pen), insulin pen (fast acting insulin for when he eats or is high) juice and candy (in case of a low) ratio and correction cards (tells us how much insulin he needs based on his carb intake a glucose number), alcohol wipes, band-aids, a sharps container, pen needles and a syringe.  If it is hot outside we also include an ice pack because the insulin can not get over 80 degrees.

Most of the time he doesn't actually use most of the stuff in his bag, but we always have to have it with him.