Our School Tool Box For Diabetes

Since our last blog I have had several people ask me how I use the Pencil box to hold emergency supplies so I wanted to share with you more information on how this works so well.

1. Most children as they advance in school have more than one classroom that they are in during the day. My daughter is actually in 7 different classrooms and my son is in 6.

2. I have found that by providing some basic information and supplies to each class room makes our school teachers more comfortable and it has also allowed our children easy access to some essentials they may need.

3. In the box which is just a plastic pencil box you can get at any store for 1.00, I place the following items:

A. A box of test strips (my children are always running out and forgetting that they are on their last one). My children know that each class box has test strips so they always have test strips available.
B. A drink box, i use the little drink boxes they fit perfectly and again this provides a fast easy sugar if by some chance they need it and don't have one on them. Again my children are forever using and not remembering that they don't have one. (they are kids right).
C. My favorite the Dex Bites! I absolutely love these, the container fits perfectly in the pencil box and again its a fast acting sugar easily available for emergencies.
D. Cake Gel or Dex Glucose gel work best, this is available just in case of emergency for the teachers to wipe on their gums should my child be unresponsive and provides them something to administor while waiting for 911 to come.

4. To top it all off I attach a label to the top of each box that list my childs name, my phone number, my husbands phone number, the label says emergency box and says in case the child is unresponsive apply cake gel and call 911.

I think the label really helps because it is clearly written on what to do in an emergency because during emergencies people get nervous and can't think straight.

We do everything we can to help provide our schools with all the tools to keep our children safe and we have found these boxes to work wonderfully.

This is just our personal way of helping our children and teachers in school if you have any questions pertaining to what we carry in the box or its effectiveness please discuss with your doctor. This is strictly an oponion and by no means medical advice.

5 Ways To Start Out The School Year

5 Ways To Start The School Year

1. Have a 504 Plan in place. I know many people don't believe that they will ever need this, but it can be months down the road or even years before you might need to actually use the accommodations you set up. It's better to be prepared rather than wait for something to arise. Protect your child now.
2. Supply each of your child's class rooms with a pencil box filled with drink box, cake gel, extra test strips, and glucose tabs. Teachers love knowing that you are helping to keep your child safe and making life easier for school staff to have what they need close by. I also label each box with Nikki and our son's name and our emergency phone numbers and contact information.
3. Supply the school with a "Substitute teacher form that can be placed in the substitute teachers folder. This helps to let all substitutes know that a child in their class has Type 1 diabetes and what the emergency procedures are.
4. Label all food with Carb Labels, and provide the class teach with a carb counting book. This helps make counting carbs fun.
5. Place a container of extra drink boxes, snacks and medical supplies in the nurses office for easy access should a teacher need something.

Making our children safe is so important and working to have the necessities easily available will ensure knowledge and safety. Managing Diabetes for children in school can be challenging, giving out information, arranging for a diabetes educator to come in once a year to train teachers and caregivers can also help make your year in school a success.

6 Ways To Gain Added Value From Your Pump Cases.

Both Dawn and I have used our pump paks for years even though we don’t have diabetes. Nikki also has found many interesting ways to wear and use her pump paks. So we thought it would be fun to share some different ways to get the most out of your pump paks even after you or your child has switched out to a new design or style. The picture above is Dawn’s daughter Justine who does not have diabetes, she uses our pump cases to carry her cell phone!

1. Slip more than one pump case onto your belt. You can mix and match them making your own fashion statement and the neat thing is that one can hold your pump and hold your cell phone or a small testing kit in the other.
2. Recycle your used pump cases as cell phone holders that or carry in your purse for your credit cards etc. Mom’s can even take advantage of their children’s old pump cases by reusing them for herself to hold a small test kit and placing it in your purse..
3. Slip a decorative scarf through the pump paks belt sleeve and secure by tying around your waste and you will be amazed how fashionable and cute it looks!
4. Use your used pump cases for your small test meter, poker and test strips.
5. Carry a small drink box in a spare pump pak or pop a tube of dex4 tablets into an old pump case and keep it in your purse or car.
6. Use your old pump case as a change purse!

These are just a few of the many ways to get more use out of a pump case. Its fun to have a collection of pump cases and even more fun to see how they can be used for so many other things.

Summer!

Summer time is finally here and what a summer. Here in New York I think we have had more rain than anything else and I think the highest we have hit is the 80 degree mark. I was lucky though Nikki Tyler and I went to Myrtle Beach for a week with some girlfriends it was a week of all the moms and our girls and oh i can't forget about our sole man 8 year old Josh. We had a great week at the pool and beach while back in New York they were battling hail storms and cold weather. We picked the perfect week to be away. The kids had a great time and it was truly a relaxing time, I spent lots of time reading and catching up.

Nikki had to change her site daily with all of the swimming and her blood sugars were running high. I still haven't figured out a way to keep the sites on with excessive swimming. I was glad that I had brought enough site changes to change them out twice a day. Better to be prepared than worry about what to do when I run our. By the end of the week she had swimmers ear and we had to start her on drops. Over all it was a great trip, even with 14 hours of driving with all of the kids it still was a great time.

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer. This week Nikki went camping with her dad and friends of ours (I don't do camping, its to much work for me) so I decided to spend the 4 days home with the boys, who just happen to be around this weekend, which is a rare event with a 20 year old and a 17 year old so its Mom and the boys this weekend!

What I like About The New Medavisors!

I have been using our new "Medavisors" a Diabetes Low Blood Sugar Emergency Kit! This case actually attaches to the passangers car visor.

The features I love are :
1. The case is clearly labeled so if someone else is in the car with my son and he needs a fast acting sugar they know what it is and that this is something they can give him.

2. Having the case on the passengers visor makes the case easily accessible. So its really easy to get to the fast acting sugar.

3. I love the bright color cases I have my sons use the bright blue ones because I believe it calls attention and people look at it and read the label and know what it is.

4. I love that we have teamed with www.dex4.com
Dex4 believes that "You should Always Be Prepared" they have the best in glucose products and are happy to provide you with a free product simply by connecting with them. Be sure to visit their website www.dex4.com

5. I love that the Medavisor case is detachable! This means that is I want to "Always be prepared" and need to have something on me i can simply detach the case and take it with me. Just remember to put it back!

6. I love that the case also has a ring on it so that you can easily hook it to book bags, and other cases etc.

7. I love that we have also teamed with
WELLalarm offers you the ability to have your medical information obtained quickly simply by calling the toll free number. www.wellalarm.com

I have been using my pretty pink Diabetes Emergency Kit for a couple of months now and have been really happy knowing that I will "Always Be Prepared". When people get in the car they always notice it and I like that because the more people that know where a fast acting sugar is the better!

Caring & Sharing Weekend 2009!

Caring & Sharing Weekend

I’m a little late in posting this but so much has been going on since we returned from our wonderful weekend at The Double H Ranch in Lake Luzerne. The Caring and Sharing Weekend was such a great time!

15 families came together, it all started on Friday night when everyone arrived, you could see that families really didn’t know what to expect, we had several late arrivals with people coming in from Illinois and Maryland. We were so glad that everyone made it. Welcoming all of these families was the highlight our weekend! On Friday we all enjoyed a Pizza Party, a meeting and greeting activity and a bon fire complete with smores! Families started to loosen up and finally retired to there rooms. Each room at the camp is equipped with all the linens you need and your own bathrooms, which really makes this event nice, no lugging around your own sleeping bags and there’s indoor plumbing which is my kind of camping!

Saturday we were presented with a beautiful day! Since the weather was so nice all of the families were able to enjoy horseback riding, a really exciting ropes course and swimming! The camp has an indoor pool so everyone was thrilled to be able to take advantage of the facility. The grounds at the camp are such that you can walk around, sit and relax. You can participate in events when you want to. Everything is so relaxing and with all the families together it is easy to meet and bond with everyone.

Saturday night we were entertained by everyone who wanted to perform their very own talents! We are so lucky to have Deanna Walker come to each of our events. Deanna volunteers her time and energy every year to teach a dance routine and basically gets all the kids involved in just having fun! Our amazing sponsors of the event pull through for us every year, which with the economy the way it is we were so happy that this event was still seen as a worthy and much needed cause. Thanks to all our wonderful nurses who arrived and were on call all weekend to help out.

By the time Sunday came no one wanted to leave! It is a short weekend with a lot of bonding and activity. A time where we all feel so connected. Children with diabetes and families with diabetes have a special connection and we are so happy to be a part of this amazing time.

We will be posting new information for 2010 shortly; you can recommend yourself or your family for this totally free weekend (transportation not included). This is offered to everyone. We choose families in October and they are notified in December. So if you know someone or you are that someone who could really use some family time and lots of hugs be sure to send in your recommendations!

Julie

The "Wall Of Change"

The "Wall Of Change" is growing and we are so excited to see the many faces of diabetes. We developed the Wall of Change as a way to bring our community together and to make a statement about the faces and time that these wonderful children and adults have had diabetes. When you look at the Wall of Change and you see someone who has had diabetes for 35 years you are inspired that there is hope for all of us. When you see a picture of a child with diabetes who has only had diabetes for 1/2 a year you are wondering why so many of our beautiful children have to endure this illness.

The Wall of Change brings diabetes awareness to the world. We invite any one that has a person touched with this illness to ask them to participate. We wish to grow this wall so that the world can see the faces of diabetes.

All Change used in the pictures we are asking be send directly to JDRF so that we can contribute to finding a cure for diabetes. We know that all of this change will add up and do great things towards finding a cure for diabetes.

The Wall of Change bringing world diabetes awareness and helping to fund a cure for diabetes. Diabetes awareness in a world where there's hope for a cure!

View the Growing "Wall of Change" http://www.pumpwearinc.com/index.php?page_id=468