It’s Day 5 of Diabetes Blog Week and we survived! There are no blue ribbons or trophies to be awarded today. Instead we can be satisfied with having touched base with old friends, creating new online friendships, and gaining new insights into diabetes. Not a bad payoff! Certainly there were a few laughs and tears along the way and I for one am exhausted. For the fifth time this week I thank Karen Graffeo of Bitter-Sweet™ for having created DBW 7 years ago and for continuing to inspire and organize the D-troops every year.

Today’s Topic:  Let’s round out the week by sharing our best diabetes tips and diabetes tricks. From how you organize supplies to how you manage gear on the go/vacation (beach, or skiing, or whatever). From how you keep track of prescription numbers to how you remember to get your orders refilled. How about any “unconventional” diabetes practices, or ways to make diabetes work for YOU (not necessarily how the doctors say to do it!). There’s always something we can learn from each other. (Remember though, please no medical advice or dangerous suggestions.) 

I am a little bummed that I’m not allowed to give dangerous medical advice today. Rather than get thrown off the DBW island, I will not share tips on calibrating your CGM while BASE jumping in the Grand Canyon. I will not divulge the rules of used-syringe Pin-the-Tail-on-the-Donkey. I will not confess that I can test my BG and do a correction bolus before the traffic light turns green. I won’t describe how one of my D-friends has extended the life of an infusion set for 28 days. Just know that it is related to poor health insurance and that she says it quits itching after 5 days.

No, I will not tell you stuff like that. Instead I will share a couple of Fitbit tricks along with a travel tip.

My most original trick is that I attach my Fitbit One to the tubing of my insulin pump. Both devices live in my pocket with the tubing running through a hole in the pocket to the infusion set. Since I have begun linking my Fitbit with the pump, I have neither forgotten to wear it nor sent it to Fitbit death in the washing machine. Please note that I played golf yesterday so I had a lot of steps for the photo!

Another tip related to Fitbit is that if you use Diasend, you can link your Fitibit to that website. When you open the Compilation Report, you are able to see your step and calorie averages along with your pump, CGM, and meter data. I do not enter food data into Fitbit, so the calorie number in the photo below is meaningless.

My final tip is that I use empty prescription medicine bottles for used test strips and sharps when I travel. I keep it in my combined cosmetic/D-supply bag. It helps ensure that grandchildren, hotel maid service personnel, etc. are protected from blood and gore contamination and don’t get stuck by anything. I used to use old test strip bottles, but they were too small and not see-through.

That’s it’s for today!

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To read other blogposts on this topic, click here.