In my daughter's closet, there is a stack of deep, over-sized shelves at both ends. Being a firm believer in the idea that there are very few problems that can't be solved with shelves, we have been able to utilize two of them for her diabetic care.The one below the one pictured here contains medical equipment (pump sites)and reference books which I look at whenever I have a question.
For an insulin-dependent diabetic, food is medicine. A juvenile diabetic has to take insulin on a daily basis in order to live. A certain amount of insulin is given for meals and snacks. Insulin is also given daily or continuously in the case of a pump to provide for the normal processes of life.Sometimes it is difficult to balance the amount of insulin needed. Exercise, growth, hormones, sickness and even the weather can influence the blood sugar level. Food is the anti-insulin. We keep the groceries on this shelf on hand at all times in case her blood sugar goes too low.
The granola bars are great for her to carry with her in a purse, as are the Skittles because they are fast-acting carbohydrates.They don't melt in the sun and can handle a little wear and tear in a bag. She has to carry them wherever she goes and at all times. Some people think that diabetics should never eat sugar. That is not true. If a diabetic has had even a little too much insulin for the situation, they must eat or drink something that will quickly elevate their blood sugar or they will continue to feel weak, shaky, irritable and may pass out.
We buy the Tot's juice even though she is a teen because each one has 15 carbs in it. These travel reasonably well in a purse but not in a school bag. After two or three juices burst under the pressure of her school books, she switched to the Skittles. She can eat a small bag of Skittles, which also have about 15-20 carbs per bag, in class without making a scene.The diabetic manuals recommend these cake frosting tubes for the same purpose. Although we have them we have never used them.
We keep bottles of soda in this closet and never use them for the family.The regular soda is for an emergency where she would need to get her sugar up very quickly. Regular Soda is something that she never drinks because it has much more than 15 carbs per serving. Diet soda is kept for "sick days" or situations where her blood sugar is too high and fluids must be forced. The straws we keep for serving apple juice ( kept cold in the refrigerator and off limits to other members of the family) during the middle of the night. If I have a reason to check her blood sugar (using a meter not pictured here) and she is low, I can serve her a glass of apple juice with a straw and she can drink it without fully waking up.We have done this on many occasions.
On this shelf we also keep the prescription "Glucagon". This is an emergency injection given into the diabetic's muscle in a case when they are not able to drink or eat something themselves to raise their blood sugar because they are unconscious. By God's Grace, we have not had to use this, but we do keep it on hand.The batteries are for the insulin pump. We buy the large pack of AAA and also store the AA batteries used for other purposes here as well.
You would think that in a large family a certain amount of pilfering would go on from this shelf with its ready supply of easy to eat and tasty items! Every now and then my daughter will have her little sister spend the night in her room and for fun they might have a juice and a bar. Other than that, everyone knows that they better not touch this food because it could save their sister's life. Purchasing these items and keeping them stocked up ( I usually pick up bars or juice when I shop) are a small price to pay to have an active teen who can do most anything because she is adequately prepared.
