Hoarders

I mentioned in my last post that I have a rather impressive blood testing kit collection. It doesn't really do much...just sits there taking up space in the bathroom linen closet because really, where else would you keep medical supplies?

Well, obviously insulin goes in the egg tray. Everyone knows that!

 

I don't know what possesses me to keep those old things, really. It's certainly not as if I'm ever going to use them again. Like I said before, you can't even get test strips for most of them. And as far as I know there isn't a trade in program for them, either. In fact, at least two of the ones I have were sent to me free by Medtronic to use with my pump with the understanding that I don't actually have to use them, and one or two of them I got from my insurance company with the understanding that this was what they would cover so don't use anything else. So they're a little like Kindles- given away in a effort to make you spend money on the accompanying stuff.

 

The real reason I don't know why I keep those damn things is I really don't have the space for them. Let's go over what's in the linen closet. 1) Glucose testing strips, 2) Pump supplies, 3) Sensors for the CGM, 4) Linens. Obviously there's not really room for 5) Old glucometers I will never use again.

 

 

Exhibit A

 

If you look carefully at the bottom right hand of that picture you'll see in the back I also have two pumps that I no longer use sitting there "just in case" along with the museum grade glucometers.

 

 

Or I could just take a better picture.

 

Honestly, that's a lot of stuff there just to keep me alive. I'd show you the rest of the linen closet, but all the linens are crammed in there real good because there's not a whole lot of room for them, given that my diabetes supplies take up this much space. Usually I also have boxes and boxes of supplies that I haven't even unpacked stacked in there taking up three times the space, too. I don't go through all of this in a month, you know. Given the track record with my insurance company sucking as much as it does I tend to keep months of supplies on hand just in case they decide to stop paying for them in an effort to lessen their costs. The only thing I don't have that much back-up of is the insulin, which only costs $70 a bottle and is much cheaper than the pump supplies. Still, I have a three month supply of that on hand at any given time. I'm not sure how much I've got in the linen closet, though. Several months worth, at least.

 

Not usually, anyway.

 

So all of this begs the question...why am I holding in to things I don't need, that I know I won't ever use again, and that I don't really have the room for again?

 

Beats the hell outta me. Maybe I'm just a hoarder.