Choosing a Diabetes Bag

Because my pancreas refuses to do its job, I have to lug around a bunch of crud to make up for it. My snacks, my PDM, my meter; I keep all of my crud in my diabetes bag. Depending on when you were diagnosed, what season it is, what your style is, and how much you're willing to spend on bags, choosing a diabetes bag can be very hard. So, today I have compiled a list of things to keep in mind the next time you go d-bag shopping. Also, the word 'd-bag' in my world means diabetes bag, in case you were wondering. If you're confused about some of the other terms that I use in this post, then click here to see a guide to deciphering my diabetes slang.

Let's start with types of bags, to narrow it down. You have backpacks, purses, and these bags that could be used like a purse, but aren't fancy enough to be officially dubbed a purse. I'm not exactly sure what to call those. Here, I'll make up a term for it! Let's take the first letters of 'be used like a purse, but aren't fancy enough to be officially dubbed a purse', and make an acronym. These non-purse things are now called BULAPBAFETBODAPs. Actually, that might be too long. You know what, for now we'll just refer to those things as the impurseonators. HAHA! Get it? If not, then I really do not have the time to make up another name, so sit tight and have someone explain it to you.

Depending on how fancy you are, you might want a purse or an impurseonator. The only problem that I have with those things is that they're not big enough to hold all of my crud. But if you have just been recently diagnosed, that may not be a problem for you. One of my first d-bags was a purse, and I used it for months with no problems. The reason for this is when you have been recently diagnosed, you don't have as much crud to take around with you, so a smaller bag like a purse or an impurseonator will work for you.

Alas, I have way too much crud to fit in a purse or an impurseonator now, so I use a backpack. But, in addition to the type of bag you're looking to get, there are other things to keep in mind. Like how bags these days are SOOOOO expensive, so whatever you end up getting, you want it to last you a long time. So, I wouldn't choose a colour or material that dirties or stains easily. And if winter is coming up, you'll want a bag that can insulate your supplies slightly because meters and PDMs sometimes freeze up in the cold.

It also depends on whether or not you do any sports like softball, soccer, hockey, swimming, or basically anything that requires you to leave your d-bag on the bench. Firstly, if you have to put your bag on the ground on a dusty baseball diamond or a muddy soccer field, you don't want to be worrying about getting your fancy purse all dirty, so a not-so-fancy backpack or an impurseonator might be better. Secondly, if you're having to leave your d-bag on the bench fairly frequently then you don't want it to be too fancy. Why not? Because that bag has all of your expensive equipment in it, and you don't want someone to steal it when you're not looking. A thief would be more likely to take a bag that looks like it was very expensive than something like a backpack. 

You also want to think of comfort. A backpack evenly distributes the weight of your crud over both of your shoulders, whereas a purse or impurseonator shoves it all onto one side, which can give you neck pain.

My final point to make. Whatever you get; purse, impurseonator, or backpack; purple, blue, or pink; fancy or not so much; whatever you have must must MUST have....

(drum roll please)

A GARBAGE POCKET!

That is a picture of the test strips, lancets, and needle tips from one week of my life. You can't throw these things in the regular garbage for some reason that I'm actually not sure of, but you also can't carry a sharpes container everywhere with you. So, you need a place in your d-bag to put your garbage. Hence, the garbage pocket. I will not buy a potential d-bag unless I am absolutely sure it has a garbage pocket in it.

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