I know, I know, I'm a little late to the party, but in my defence it took me a while to find a storage system that would work in the constrained 750 square foot box I live in! To that end, on Wednesday I finally received the answer to my diabetes storage prayers in the form of a package from Bed Bath & Beyond (Canada)! As you can see from the photo below, my pump supplies were previously "stored" in the corner of our "dining room" in a series of cardboard boxes and bags. Hardly Martha Stewart-approved!
I'll admit that, despite the warnings available online, I was totally unprepared to handle (and store!) the amount of STUFF that accompanies an insulin pump! Part of the problem, I think, is that the way the Assistive Devices Program (ADP) here in Canada is structured encourages pump users to buy supplies in bulk three-month quantities, which leads to a considerable amount of reservoirs and infusion sets and things hanging around. SO, in the interest of having a tiny dining room free of medical supplies, I did a little internet research and decided it might be worth my while to invest a cool $25 (plus shipping, plus taxes) in the Real Simple "Multi-Pocket Organizer" featured below (if you click on the picture it'll take to to the website where I bought it, which may or may not be useful depending on where you live).
Anyway, long story short, this particular organizer PERFECTLY meets my D-needs, though I'm certain the people at Real Simple had no idea that the multiple, variously-sized pockets would so flawlessly stow away months worth of diabetic medical supplies. In any case, I'm very happy with my purchase (I swear, this post is completely UN-sponsored), because it fits handily behind our bathroom door, and stores everything I need to operate my pump for a full three months, no additional boxes or bins or bags necessary! See for yourself:
Believe it or not, each of the larger pockets near the top holds 10 reservoirs/cartridges (ie., a month's worth), which is very exciting because they don't even look full. Each one also has a small, clear pocket on the front for a label, which I've re-purposed to store expiry dates and lot numbers instead (just in case). Below that are three rows of three shoe-sized pockets, and I've happily discovered that each stores 10 infusion sets comfortably (probably more, but I didn't want them to stick out too much), so again, I can store three months' worth. A-mazing!
On the counter you might also notice my little sequinned heart pouch (from Chapters, of all places), in which I always have everything I need for a set change, just in case I need to get away quickly – plus it makes those early-morning site changes a little easier to deal with when I don't have to go hunting for everything all over the place. Inside I have one full infusion set, a new (empty) reservoir, alcohol swabs, and hand sanitizer, plus adhesive bandages and Polysporin (for the wound from my previous site), and a spare cartridge cap and battery cap (as for insulin, I always keep that with some spare syringes in my test kit with my meter, because you never know). And for now my system seems to be working out well. I just hope I can keep up this new-found level of organization!
On the counter you might also notice my little sequinned heart pouch (from Chapters, of all places), in which I always have everything I need for a set change, just in case I need to get away quickly – plus it makes those early-morning site changes a little easier to deal with when I don't have to go hunting for everything all over the place. Inside I have one full infusion set, a new (empty) reservoir, alcohol swabs, and hand sanitizer, plus adhesive bandages and Polysporin (for the wound from my previous site), and a spare cartridge cap and battery cap (as for insulin, I always keep that with some spare syringes in my test kit with my meter, because you never know). And for now my system seems to be working out well. I just hope I can keep up this new-found level of organization!