Let There Be Light

There are times when we need to give Jack a shot or test his blood sugar level, but we can't see well because, for example, ...

       ...we're at an outdoor event at night.

       ...we're eating in a dimly lit restaurant.

       ...it's the middle of the night, and we don't want to wake him.

       ...we're sitting in a movie theater, watching the latest kid flick.

      

In times like these, we rely on two handy dandy light sources: a flashlight app on my cell phone and our Maglite flashlight.

A while back, I discovered a free iPhone application called Just Light Flashlight. It's nothing but a screen of white light, and we now use it all the time. 

A Screen Shot of the Just Light Flashlight App
in the App Store on my iPhone

It's perfect for when you need to draw up insulin into a syringe, but can't see what you're doing. I don't know about you, but we're not taking any chances when it comes to insulin!

It works well when we need to check Jack's blood sugar in the dark, too. It doesn't wake him up at night and, when shielded by the D kit or my purse, it doesn't disturb other movie-goers. 

The other terrific tool we use is a Maglite flashlight. It measures a little over three inches in length and weighs practically nothing, making it portable. It tucks nicely into our D kit.

Somehow, we lost our little Maglite (I'm guessing it fell out of our D kit during a movie last weekend), and so yesterday, we bought a new one. We went with blue, but they also come in red, white, black and silver.

Whenever or wherever there's bad lighting, this baby does the trick. 

Besides using it to dose insulin and test blood, we've also used it to illuminate the pages of our Calorie King book, while looking up the carb count on foods. 

(It also works well when your child says, "My throat hurts. Will you check to see if it's red?")

I know this sounds a bit "off," but I'm going to say it, because it's true: another thing I like about this flashlight is that you can hold it with your mouth, leaving your hands free to do what they need to do. Sometimes, a D mama needs both of her hands!

When it comes to diabetes, let there be light!

P.S.

In my next post, I'll announce the winner of my In Three Words contest. Check back soon! :)