Discovering a considerate reward for a good friend or member of the family who lives with diabetes will be laborious. That’s why I created this information!
Diabetes presents was once much less thrilling than getting socks for Christmas, however now there are such a lot of lovely, helpful, or simply plain cool diabetes merchandise obtainable that I actually wish to share them with you!
How I picked the diabetes reward concepts to incorporate
All of the objects on this information are issues that I both already personal or that I might be excited to unwrap myself.
We take care of diabetes 24/7, so why not add a bit shade, know-how, data, and enjoyable to make our on a regular basis diabetes administration rather less medical and a bit extra tolerable?
I replace this information at any time when I discover a new product that deserves to be on it, so it’s all the time the Final Information to Items for Diabetics, irrespective of once you’re studying it.
In case you use a product that you just suppose I ought to embody, please depart a hyperlink within the feedback beneath in order that I can test it out.
Suppose before you purchase: Life with diabetes will be overwhelming generally, and never everybody will respect getting a diabetes-related reward on a day that needs to be all about enjoyable, household, and mates. If unsure, I counsel you purchase a present that’s helpful for individuals with diabetes with out being made particularly for individuals with diabetes (just like the foot massager or Apple watch).
Diabetes equipment from Myabetic
We take a look at our testing provides, insulin pens, and CGMs day by day, faithfully carrying them round wherever we go.
The ladies at Myabetic determined to make that have rather less medical and ugly wanting by creating lovely high-quality (vegan leather-based) diabetes provides carrying purses and circumstances in a wide range of colours.
They even have choices for males (who might choose circumstances which can be rather less female) and youngsters, so that they have us all lined. I really like my Myabetic purse and Dexcom case and use them day by day!
You should use the code DIABETESSTRONG to get 15% off all of your Myabetic merchandise!
Diabetes purses and circumstances from Sugar Medical
Sugar Medical is one other firm that has got down to make diabetes circumstances and purses fashionable equipment.
Most of their merchandise are made of material, which implies that they’re pretty inexpensive however the high quality remains to be excessive (try my favorites, the Diabetes Triple Zip Purse and the Insulated Journey Bag).
A variety of the circumstances and purses have an insulated pocket for insulin and include a novel function which is the Sugar Medical Check Strip Garbage can.
It’s a small slit within the case or purse the place you place your used check strips so that they find yourself in a small separate compartment. Which means no extra check strip graveyard within the backside of your circumstances or purses.
You should use the code DIABETESSTRONG to get 10% off all Sugar Medical merchandise!
Diabetes accent belt from Spibelt
Spibelt (Small Private Merchandise Belt) is a fanny pack particularly made for individuals dwelling with diabetes. It’s nice for storing your diabetes necessities when working, understanding, or simply leaping round. Their medical line belts even have holes for pump tubing!
I don’t put on an insulin pump however that is my go-to belt after I go for a run or hit the health club and don’t have any pockets.
The belt doesn’t transfer or bounce round once you run as another belts do. Once I run (which isn’t typically) I exploit this and produce alongside my telephone, blood glucose meter, ID, glucose tabs, and keys.
You should purchase the Spibelt on Amazon.
Medical ID jewellery from Lauren’s Hope
I actually like jewellery (who doesn’t?), so why not mix a reasonably necklace or bracelet with a doubtlessly lifesaving medical ID tag? That’s what the creator of Lauren’s Hope got down to do and the outcomes are superb!
Carrying some type of medical alert identification is clearly a wise selection for individuals dwelling with diabetes (or anyone who may find yourself in a state of affairs the place they want medical assist), and if you’d like a phenomenal and discreet option to do it, jewellery from Lauren’s Hope is the proper possibility.
It is a nice reward concept for a particular individual in your life!
Medical ID equipment from MyID
MyID takes medical IDs to a complete new degree as most of their merchandise function a wearable QR code (Fast Response code, similar to a bar code) making it straightforward to entry your medical data in a digital format.
You resolve what data to incorporate in your profile and when your code is scanned, that data might be shared with EMT or hospital personnel.
MyID has plenty of totally different choices together with watch sleeves, bracelets, ID tags, pockets playing cards, and stickers.
Probably the most fundamental wearable MyID is a medical ID sleeve which you could put on in your watch. That’s my favourite as I can put on it with my favourite watch.
You’ll be able to go to the MyID retailer to see all their merchandise.
A smartwatch that works with steady glucose screens (CGMs)
In case you put on a Dexcom CGM like me, with the ability to see your blood sugar readings instantly in your wrist is completely good, and each Apple Watch, Fitbit, and Garmin provide that answer.
Solely Apple and Garmin have official Dexcom apps however you may obtain an unofficial clockface to FitBit (see how on this YouTube video) and that works simply as nicely.
The individual sporting the Dexcom nonetheless has to carry their iPhone with them and so they must be not more than 6 toes from the telephone for this to work.
You’ll be able to learn my overview of the most effective smartwatches for individuals with diabetes to be taught extra or purchase considered one of my really helpful smartwatches right here:
A foot massager
Most individuals get pleasure from a foot therapeutic massage, and for individuals with kind 1 or kind 2 diabetes, getting a foot therapeutic massage may even profit blood sugar ranges, enhance blood circulation, and alleviate a number of the signs of diabetic neuropathy.
So why not add a foot massager machine to your wishlist? Many of the foot massagers obtainable are sufficiently small to simply be saved away in a closet once you don’t use them and all of the set up required is that you just plug it into {an electrical} outlet.
After which all it’s important to do is sit again and revel in a therapeutic massage. That feels like a beautiful reward to me.
You’ll find the proper mannequin in your current in my overview of the most effective foot massagers for individuals with diabetes (or simply purchase the Shiatsu Foot & Calf Massager that I ranked as #1 in my overview.)
Teatis snack field subscription
Does having an enormous field of low-carb snacks (candy and savory) shipped on to your private home each month sounds good? Then it is a nice possibility for you.
If you join a Teatis subscription, you first must fill out a survey that helps customise your field of snacks.
For instance, you may specify what kind of diabetes you reside with, when you have any allergic reactions or intolerances, and what you do and don’t like.
Based mostly in your solutions, a field might be curated for you by the Teatis dietitians and comply with the American Diabetes Affiliation pointers.
You’ll be able to join Teatis and be taught extra about their snack subscription on their web site.
Lily’s chocolate
It has been a long-standing joke that diabetes chocolate, aka sugar-free chocolate, is so dangerous that you just solely reward it to individuals you don’t like.
However that has modified in recent times and I feel that Lily’s chocolate is the gold commonplace in the case of sugar-free chocolate.
Lily’s now presents chocolate bars, baking chocolate, chocolate-covered nuts, peanut butter cups (that may make you fully neglect the full-sugared ones), and different sweet choices.
Totally different sweeteners are used within the number of Lily’s merchandise however they don’t comprise maltitol, maltodextrin, or dextrose.
You should purchase Lily’s chocolate on Amazon.
4AllFamily Insulin cooling case
A 4AllFamily cooler is the proper answer for protecting insulin cool whereas touring or in sizzling locations (just like the seaside). It was my best choice after I reviewed the most effective insulin coolers and journey circumstances.
They’ve plenty of totally different sizes, starting from one-pen coolers all the way in which as much as coolers that may simply match 7 insulin pens.
I like this smaller one for shorter journeys as it’s tremendous mild and can hold my insulin beneath 79F (26C) for as much as 16 hours. The temperature and the way lengthy it is going to hold it chilly depends upon the surface temperature.
However what makes 4AllFamily distinctive is the coolers that include a USB lid.
In case you get the moveable medical fridge lid, it is going to convert your cooler right into a mini fridge so long as it’s plugged into an influence supply. Which means that it’ll hold your insulin 36-46F (2-8C) eternally when plugged in.
You should purchase the 4AllFamily coolers on Amazon.
Frio cooling circumstances
Frio cooling circumstances are good for protecting insulin on the proper temperature if you end up touring or simply out within the solar. With a Frio case, you will be on the highway for longer intervals with out having to consider entry to a fridge.
The best way that is totally different from different cooling circumstances is that there aren’t any ice packs or fridges concerned, you merely submerge the pouch in water and it’ll hold your insulin on the proper temperature for at the very least 2 days.
And after the two days are up, you may simply resubmerge the pouch in water and you’ve got one other 2 days of cooling, and so forth.
You should purchase Frio cooling circumstances on Amazon.
Diabetes books
Data is all the pieces in the case of diabetes, and increasing your information will solely make life simpler.
All of those books are written by individuals dwelling with diabetes that I extremely respect and provides you with extra insights into the complexity of diabetes, train, yoga, and psychological well being.
- Match With Diabetes by Christel Oerum (myself)
- The Diabetic Muscle and Health Information by Phil Graham
- The Athlete’s Information to Diabetes by Sheri Colberg
- Your Diabetes Science Experiment by Ginger Vieira
- Yoga For Diabetes: Easy methods to Handle your Well being with Yoga and Ayurveda by Rachel Zinman
You too can check out this checklist of the 21 finest diabetes books for extra concepts.
Donate to a diabetes group
You probably have all of the stuff you want and simply wish to assist different individuals with diabetes, perhaps asking for a donation in your identify might be an possibility.
I’ve listed 3 organizations that each one work laborious to assist individuals dwelling with diabetes, whether or not it’s by means of analysis, community-building, or elevating consciousness and preventing injustice.
If you’re outdoors the US and would like to maintain the donations inside your private home nation, most international locations have a nationwide diabetes affiliation you may contact and donate to as an alternative.
- Past Type 1 (BT1) – Based in 2015, Past Type 1 is the brand new child on the block. They’ve constructed a neighborhood for individuals with diabetes (try their app), present training, and lift consciousness about diabetes. All donations go instantly to those packages. Additionally they have actually good details about diabetes-related topics on their web site. You’ll be able to even discover health recommendation written by yours really.
- Juvenile Diabetes Analysis Basis (JDRF) – The JDRF is a world group funding diabetes analysis. Native branches have in depth neighborhood actions, training, and advocacy packages. I’m personally concerned with JDRFs Los Angeles Younger Management Committee (YLC), a small fundraising and community-building group.
- American Diabetes Affiliation (ADA) – The American Diabetes Affiliation is the most important of the diabetes organizations. Their mission is to forestall and remedy diabetes and to enhance the lives of all individuals affected by diabetes. You’ll discover a ton of assets relating to all the pieces diabetes-related on their web site in addition to native help.
As you may see, there are plenty of nice diabetes-related presents to place in your want checklist. If I missed something, let me know within the feedback beneath and I’ll add it to my Final Information to Items for Diabetics!
Blissful Holidays!
