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When Forgotten Isn't Forgotten

On a recent weekday morning not too long after I arrived at the office, I opened up my briefcase to grab my blood meter case to do a test.

It wasn't in there, in the regular spot it's at in the middle of the bag.

Thinking back to the busy workday before and how the evening was a hectic one at home, I realized I must have pulled it out for a test at some point and left it at home.

Luckily, I keep a backup case in my desk with a meter, lancing device and strips. So, I pulled that out to do a test - but saw that apparently I'd taken out the backup vial of strips at some point and didn't replace them.

Backup plan, foiled.

I reflected back to a recent blog post I'd written earlier in the week about the times when our D-Backup Plans Fail, and smiled at how I wrote that just a few days before this very situation came up.

And looking at my Dexcom, I saw the same ??? from earlier in the morning.

Plus, my blood sugar felt high.

Figures.

It was a busy day and I couldn't leave for the 20-minute drive home to grab my case or a new vial of strips, I was left with a whole day without testing. I ended up getting a scattered couple results during the day on the CGM, so I did give myself a few units to correct. But as mentioned, it was an eight-hour workday without a single test.

Of course, driving home 8 hours after all this surfaced, I discovered something rather interesting:

My regular blood meter case wasn't actually forgotten at home.

No, actually it was in the front pouch of my bag - the very spot I'd stuffed it the day before and left it overnight without doing a test before I'd left for work again.

Wouldn't you figure that's how it would all turn out...

That discovery came about 10 minutes from arriving home, and I spent the remaining 10 minutes laughing about it and shaking my head at myself.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I think your previous post about backup stuff was trying to warn you! I hate when I put something back in the wrong spot and think I don't have it because it isn't where it was supposed to be. I am glad that you made it thru the day!
I feel naked without my meter at work. I have left mine at home maybe twice and it just feels wrong and bad.
Scott E said…
Sometimes, I'm glad I have one of those bulky meter cases. I kinda know when I don't have it, and feel naked without it. But that doesn't mean I've forgotten it.

These are the times when I got to a local pharmacy and get one of those free-with-mail-in-rebate meters. It only gives you ten strips, but it gets me through the day.
Anonymous said…
How often do you get the ??? My husband is getting it so often and the numbers can be up to 100 different than the regular meter test. He is loosing confidence in the Dex.
victoria said…
Maybe the scatterbrained thing is a journalist trait. I do this sort of thing ALL the time. :)
Hi Mike, I left my meter on the counter when checking out at Walmart. While driving home I felt low, and pulled over to check my BG. My meter was gone. Then I remembered where it was. After droving back to Walmart, the Lost and Found and the checkout lady did not have my meter. I have been very careful with meters ever since.

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