Year: 2020

Diabetes Medical Waste Recycling and Disposal

Posted on By Diabetes Amigo
Diabetes Medical Waste Recycling and Disposal
Day-to-Day T1D

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Help reduce the environmental impact of Type 1 Diabetes management by knowing how to properly dispose of the medical waste produced.

The options for medical waste disposal varies by state. Check your states requirements and dispose of accordingly.

Waste Types / Sharps / CGM / Pumps / Travel

Waste Types

Regular, recyclable, medical/sharps and mixed waste are all present in diabetic supplies.

Look for a recycling symbol on test strip boxes, infusion set boxes, packaging inserts, plastic needle caps and dispose of in the recycling waste bin.

The options for medical/sharps waste disposal varies by state. Check your states requirements and dispose of accordingly.

Mixed waste can refer to any combination of different waste types. Typically medical devices like CGMs (Dexcom and Libre) and pumps like OmniPod are this type of waste. Call your trash/waste company to determine if they have a mixed waste disposal location or program.

Sharps

Here are few ideas from various states on how to dispose of your used sharps.

  • Sharps Container – purchase a sharps container with with or without return postage.
  • Alternative Sharps Container – the FDA provides guidelines for medial waste disposal when not using a sharps container. The basics are to find a non-permeable container with a lid, label the container with “sharps” and fill it. When full, dispose of according to your state’s rules. Non-permeable container ideas include:
    • Juice bottle
    • Coffee creamer bottle
    • Laundry detergent bottle
  • Needle Clip – A needle clip eliminates the need for a sharps container for syringes and pen needles. Simply clip the needle and the needle clip retains the clipped needle. Once the needle clip is full (1500 needles), the entire device is disposed of according to state laws. Great for home use or when traveling.
  • Endocrinologist – ask your Endo’s office if they assist in disposal of sharps.
  • Public Services – fire departments, police stations and/or your local hospital may offer disposal options.
  • Trash Company – call your trash/waste company to determine if they have a sharps and/or mixed waste disposal location.
  • Pharmacy – local pharmacies may offer drop-offs for sharps containers.
  • County Health Department – may offer sharps container exchange program (full container for an empty container).

CGMs

The Dexcom CGM G6 applicator is made of non recyclable plastic and is considered mixed waste (sharps, metal and regular waste). Check with your local trash/waste company to inquire about proper disposal for mixed waste. Used sensors can be placed in the Sharps container.

Dexcom’s G6 applicator can be broken down to separate the mixed waste. View a video on How to Recycle Your Dexcom G6 Inserter.

The Libre sensor pack is regular waste, the applicator is mixed waste and the used sensor should be disposed of in the sharps container.

Pump Site Changes

OmniPod – a used OmniPod is considered mixed-waste (sharps, plastic and batteries are all inside a pod). Insulet offers recycling of used pods for podders in Canada and the United Kingdom. The recycle program in the USA was retired in 2018. For podders in the USA, it is recommend to contact your local trash/waste company to inquire about proper disposal for mixed waste.

Look for recycling symbols on other pump infusion set and packaging and dispose of according.

Travel

When traveling, sharps containers can be found at airports, theme parks, first aid stations at large attractions and most hotels and cruise lines offer medical waste disposal container / services.

The needle clip or a travel sharps container / tube are great medical waste disposal options when traveling.

When proper waste management is not possible, we pack-up and bring home for disposal.


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Halloween Switch Witch

Posted on By Diabetes Amigo
Halloween Switch Witch
Holiday, Kid Stuff

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The Switch Witch is a fun Halloween tradition that provides kids the opportunity to swap some or all their Halloween candy for a toy.

How It Works

  1. Towards the end of September read the Switch Witch book with your child.
  2. Talk with your child about the idea of swapping some or all their candy the night after trick-or-treating for a toy.
  3. Announce the arrival of the Switch Witch.
  4. On Halloween night, help your child decide which pieces of candy are for the Switch Witch to swap for a toy.
  5. The next morning the candy is gone, and a toy appears in its place.

Traditions

My kids look forward to the arrival of the Switch Witch every October 1st. Part of the excitement is searching the house looking for where the Switch Witch has landed.

The Switch Witch is stuffed toy that the kids play with throughout the month of October. Once a week, we read the Switch Witch book and talk about how much candy they think they want to swap on Halloween night. We also discuss the toys they think would be a good swap.

Our family’s tradition is to keep 10 pieces of candy per child and then decide how much candy to swap with the Switch Witch. The kids have the choice to:

  • Swap all their candy for a large toy
  • Swap some of their candy for a medium toy
  • Swap very little candy for a small toy
  • Keep all the candy for no toy

The choice is theirs and part of the fun is deciding which option they want each year.

On Halloween night, I do have to have small, medium and large new toys on-hand. The toy options not chosen are given as Christmas gifts instead.

Making it Work for Your Family

The Switch Witch has many possibilities for building Halloween traditions in your home. The Switch Witch story allows for many interpretations and customized activities that work in every home.

Adaptive Clothing T1D Style

Posted on By Diabetes Amigo
Adaptive Clothing T1D Style
Other Stuff

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Adaptive clothing comes in many forms from apparel with soft no-tag fabrics to t-shirts with pockets holding tubed pumps or cell phones. The need for apparel to do more beyond its basic function is becoming increasing common. Major retailers are offer clothing and accessories lines specifically for helping adults and kids with special needs. Further retailers are featuring models wearing CGMs and pumps.

Type 1 Diabetics and their caregivers have seen the need for adaptive clothing to make diabetes care easier and have created clothing solutions. Below is a list of adaptive clothing/accessories designers, T1D lifestyle brands, and a regular clothing items that just work well with diabetes devices.

T1D Designers / Retailers / Become a Designer / Groups

T1D Designers

  • Revel Wear – a pump pocket on various discreet layering undergarments for women, men and kids.
  • Anna PS – a fashion brand founded and run by a Type 1 Diabetic. Offering clothing and underwear that provides different options for carrying a diabetes technology/devices. This is a Sweden based company that ships to the worldwide.
  • Hid-in – underwear designer that also happens to be T1D. The designer’s biggest seller is the multi-way band for discreetly wearing tubed pumps.
  • Pancreas Pockets – helping you wear your insides on the outside! This Etsy store offers functional undergarments.
  • Passion Peelz – a Mom of a Type 1 Diabetic that is passionate about spreading awareness one t-shirt at a time! This Etsy store offers t-shirts, mugs, hats and so on.
  • Little T1D Pockets – creates products for T1D kids that is comfortable and helps create less stress for them and their parents.
  • DiaBeTees – Etsy store with a mission is to raise diabetes awareness through modern, cute, humorous and fun tees.
  • TypeOnderful Clothes – brand focused on creating light-hearted, empowering, well-designed products for Type 1 Diabetics. 
  • Greater Than – lifestyle brand dedicated to empowering all individuals and portion of sales are donated to research and support.
  • CariCami – camisoles that provide a stylish and discreet way to carry insulin pumps and phones.
  • Sugardrop Sweetwear Co – tees, hoodies, accessories and jewelry to raise awareness on the early signs of Type 1 Diabetes and to encourage anyone who is displaying these signs to insist on having a finger prick test. 
  • Glico Italy – offers a wide range of diabetic bands and patches. The leg band in particular is a nice design for women/girls that need an option for dresses.

Major Retailers/Brands

The need for adaptive clothing has caught the attention of major designers and retailers:

  • Athleta – workout brand that was inspired by an 8 year old T1D to create a hoodie with functional pockets to hold diabetic medical devices. Love that the hoodie is “diabetes awareness blue” and named “Own Your Power.”
  • Target – the Cat and Jack clothing line that offers kids adaptive clothing options.
  • Kohl’s – adaptive designs from various Kohl’s brands for kids and teens.
  • Land’s End – offering school uniforms where “every kid fits in.”
  • Tommy Hilfiger – innovative collection designed to look good for work, weekends and being active for adults and kids.
  • Zappos – functional and fashionable products from various brands that help individuals with disabilities. They offer a line of diabetic friendly shoes.
  • Marks and Spencer – contemporary and wearable adaptive styles.
  • Mighty Well – cozy jacket that works well with medical devices that was designed by a designer with a chronic illness.
  • Greta Grace – clothing line initially developed for children with g-tubes but these designs would work well for tubed insulin pumps as well.
  • Aerie / American Eagle – adaptive designs for various needs including T1Ds.
  • Amazon – apparel that just happens to work well with diabetic devices and needs. #ad

Become an Adaptive Clothing Designer

If you are inspired to start creating an adaptive wear brand, scholarships are available.

Need A Specific Clothing Item?

M&S and Me – closed Facebook group that helps parents find clothing options for kids with special clothing needs. If you are looking for a specific clothing solution, posting in this group might provide solutions or help generate ideas for specific clothing needs.

Diabetes Everyday Bag

Posted on By Diabetes Amigo
Diabetes Everyday Bag
Day-to-Day T1D

Living with Type 1 diabetes means staying prepared for anything, from routine errands to unexpected adventures, and packing the right supplies in your Diabetes Everyday Bag ensures you have the all the supplies that you need to keep blood sugars in range.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see the affiliate disclosure for more details.

Diabetes Bag

The Medicol Dia-Pak Deluxe bag has been with us since the first week of diagnosis and has worked well for 10 years now. I needed a bag that could hold everything, switch easily between caregivers and have a cool-pack for travel. This bag holds all the Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) supplies and fits nicely in a diaper bag, purse, backpack or can be carried by itself (top handle or with the removable strap on a single arm or as a cross-body bag).

The bag comes in various sizes:

Keeping it Clean

Our daily diabetes bag gets dirty! The Dia-Pak bag floats around our house, travels everywhere with us, goes to school, attends play-dates, and then sits in my child’s room at night. I wash this bag on average once a month, in a regular laundry cycle, inside a mesh bag (to protect it) and then air dry. It has held up beautifully over the past 5 years.

Supplies

Cleaning out your bag also means restocking all the necessary diabetes supplies. Including replacing expired medication, food, batteries, and low supplies. Below is a list of the items we keep in our daily diabetes bag.

  • Glucose Meter
    • We have the OmniPod PDM with the integrated glucose meter but we keep a spare meter in the kit just in case of malfunction (or if lost).
  • Glucose test strips
  • Lancer
  • Lancets
  • Syringes
    • Used for manual injections in case of pump failure
  • Fast acting sugar
  • Baqsimi Nasal Spray
  • Beef Jerky
  • Insulin
  • Alcohol pads
    • Used for preparing skin for Dexcom CGM and OmniPod changes and if we need clean fingers when washing hands is not an option.
  • OmniPod Pod
    • Extra pod in case of pump failure.
  • OmniPod OverPatch
    • Lexcam – 20 waterproof patches that are pre-cut for Omnipod. Hypoallergenic and clear in color.
  • Safety Pin
    • Used to stop a screaming pod by puncturing the speaker.
  • Dexcom OverPatch
    • Free pack of 10 clear overpatches from Dexcom. Request when ordering supplies or order from the Patient Support Form. Enter “order overpatches” in the issue field.
  • SkinTac Wipe
  • Batteries
  • Money
    • We keep $3 dollar in quarters and $2 in one dollar bills in case we need to buy a snack to treat low blood sugar when traveling or at school.
  • Contact Information
    • Clear insert that fits a business card or hand written contact information in case the kit is lost (not shown).

Extra Supplies Used on Long Trips

  • Dexcom – a spare Dexcom sensor and transmitter. For everyday trips/running errands, we are so close to home that I don’t find it necessary to have Dexcom backup supplies.
  • Portable Charger – a wireless battery powered phone charger helps when traveling in case our Dexcom phone’s battery goes low.
  • Frio Cooling Wallet – if activities include being out in the hot sun for long periods of time, the insulin vial is kept cool with a cooling wallet.
  • Straws – a travel toothbrush holder with straws. During naps or nighttime, treating a low with juice works best for my kiddo. Some juice bottles do not include straws. Also, the toothbrush holder is great for storing honey sticks.
  • Phone Dry Bag – if activities include water, a phone dry bag is helpful for cells phones, PDM or Dexcom receiver.

Type 1 Valentine’s Day

Posted on By Diabetes Amigo
Type 1 Valentine’s Day
Day-to-Day T1D

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    I like to create traditions around the holidays that I feel can easily be modified as my children grow. For Valentine’s Day, I created a tradition of giving a small basket/box that is filled with holiday themed items. I save the box and reuse it every year (which is part of the tradition). I place the box in their bedroom before I go to bed and they wake up on the holiday seeing the Valentine’s box.

    This year, I have an 8-year-old and a 4-year-old that will receive Valentine’s Day boxes. At these ages my kids find equality important, so the boxes are filled with identical items that work for both age ranges. I do personalize each box with one item that is different. As the kids get older, I can see these boxes becoming 100% personalized containing items that match the sports they play or their hobbies. Right now, the holiday themed items from the “dollar bins” make them happy.

    Gift Ideas with a T1D Theme

    If you looking to fill a box or give a gift, here is a list of T1D themed items:

    iPhone Clean Up

    Posted on By Diabetes Amigo
    iPhone Clean Up
    Day-to-Day T1D

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please see the affiliate disclosure for more details.

    Dexcom users that use an iPhone as a receiver can benefit from an iPhone clean-up.

    Storage / Background / Bluetooth / Medical ID / Controls / Wallpaper

    Storage Space

    Dexcom requires open storage space to run and work properly. Check your storage space and delete any unnecessary applications if necessary.

    Background App Refresh

    The Background App Refresh setting on an iPhone allows the Dexcom app to refresh when on Wi-Fi or cellular in the background even when you are not using the app. Make sure this setting is turned on at Settings > General > Background App Refresh.

    Bluetooth

    Old transmitters that remain as paired devices can effect your phone’s battery efficiency. Unpair old transmitters in the Bluetooth settings.

    Medical ID

    Help first responders access medical information from a locked iPhone screen by setting up your Medical ID. This feature on your iPhone details allergies, medical conditions and emergency contact information.

    Parental Controls

    Review the parental control settings to make sure your child’s phone is being used as intended.

    Wallpaper

    Set the wallpaper on a locked iPhone screen to denote the phone is being used as medical device. View a sample wallpaper posted on Pinterest. Download the Pinterest file to your phone and use the phone’s picture markup tools to add other pertinent details like your child’s name, parent’s phone number or an “if found” phone number.

    View other Diabetes Organization/Clean Up tips in the New Year Organization post.