35 Comments
If you have ever had extra supplies from a device you no longer use, what did you do with those extra supplies?
You must be logged in to post a comment.
© 2023 T1D Exchange. All Rights Reserved.
Are there any T1s who *don’t* have a zombie apocalypse stash??? I have managed to get rid of some stuff, and once I was able to help out a T1 friend with some Fiasp when she was in the Medicare donut hole, but mainly it’s just really hard to fight that voice that says “You never know….” I have a few things that date back to the 90s.
Always kept and cave to patients who cd use them when I was still working. Now keep and provide to support group members who are in need
After running into insurance delays, and natural disasters etc, many of us are paranoid of running out of supplies and hang on to whatever we can.
I usually give them to family members who can use them. Especially since my family and my husband have diabetes. The expired ones I use to teach other people who are newly diagnosed in my circle of family and friends learn how to use it.
Animas supplies are unusable with the discontinued technology. I toss them out and feel bad about doing it. Same with leftover Dexcom G5 sensors.
I said “other” because, in addition to keeping enough MM supplies for my old MM pump as a backup, and giving a few to a neighbor who wanted to do something similar, I used some with my Tandem. I sometimes fill the cartridge (never in hot weather) with enough insulin to last about 6 days, so have extra tubing. I used the remaining MM infusion sets with my Tandem, attached to the tubing from the Tandem (they were all made by the same company, and had the same connector between the tubing and the set).
Which left me with a lot of extra tubing, which, years ago, I used to decorate a small artificial Christmas tree (no one else seemed to appreciate it, though). And, once, having to make a clothesline to hang rinsed out clothes, used tied-together tubing.
I just switched from a Medtronic to a Dexcom pump and have Medtronic pump supplies I no longer need. Now I’m trying to find a way to get them to someone in need.
I did a similar switch a year ago. I donated my Medtronic supplies (plus an older pump) to the CR3 Diabetes Association. http://www.cr3diabetes.org/. They make the supplies available to people who need them.
I saved my very first PC for 30 years, an IBM Intel 8088 @ 4.77 MHz purchased in the early 1980’s. Then I donated it to a local museum of “early space age devices.”
I will likely do the same with diabetic devices. And I have seen them all, including the dirty brown insulin bottles of the 1920’s. Museums love insecure gluttons like me. Because, you just never know . . . ( ͡❛ ︹ ͡❛)
I gave them to the endocrinology department to give to other patients. They cannot be opened. I must say that the day my T1D husband passed away in a nursing home, I had enough gall to go up to the nurses station and ask for his insulin that I had already paid for. They all knew that I was a T1D too. By law they told me it the vials and pens had to go into the trash can. I said why don’t you give it to the Dr. who comes into this home and give it to her for her patients that cannot afford their insulin. We’re sorry but we have to follow the rules. So that was one of the saddest days of my life.
I did the same thing.
Connie Ker, that so sad! There needs to be some common sense to that law.
A few years ago I spent a night in a hospital because of a slight complication after a minor outpatient procedure. The hospital used different insulins from my usual ones, so prescribed and injected me with their formulary’s insulins. When I was discharged, the nurse who was looking after me at the time gave me the pens, saying she was not supposed to but she was just unwilling to throw away pens that had only one or two doses given from them.
I do have leftover supplies I’ll probably never need. This question is a reminder for me to ask my endo if she could use them to help someone in need.
I marked other. I take all extra supplies to my diabetic educator in my Doctor’s office. There they give them to ppl thru their charity side of the hospital my Dr works through.
I’d like to donate them but don’t know where to do so.
This is a wide spread problem, especially with expired supplies. I knew of a nonprofit (many years ago) in the Boston area that was sending used/expired medical equipment overseas to countries that could use them (their laws would allow expired equipment) but I lost track of them. Does anyone know of companies / nonprofits that do this type of work?
When I transitioned from Medtronic to Tandem, I asked my endocrinologist if he had patients who might need the infusion sets and reservoirs I had left. He said he did, so I delivered them to his office.
I have unopened boxes of Animas Vibe supplies, disposable syringes and pen needles that I’ve repeatedly tried to find homes for. Liability issues = no health care organizations or diabetes support groups are interested. I’m not comfortable offering the syringes and pen needles to anyone online. I don’t know what to do with them.
Doctors Without Borders is a noble cause (www.doctorswithoutborders.org) that accepts donations of unopened, unexpired insulin and unused insulin delivery supplies to redistribute in third world countries. They often accept meters as well.
A large medical practice I was employed with as a CDE used to donate boxes and boxes of excess free sample meters that the sales reps left for distribution to patients. Most of our clinic patients had decent insurance and did not need another free meter. Even when we gave away a free meter to have as back-up we still had an over abundance of product, so we would periodically clear out the supply rooms and donate the excess.
I tried to find a way to re-distribute some supplies but was told once they’re in your hands they can’t hand them out to someone else even the doctors office would not take them unopened boxes just a few but I had to throw them out
I donated to my Joslin Center/endo if they were useful.
Gave them to my endo to give to patients who might need them.
I have been using Medtronic pumps for 16 years and the basic supplies have stayed the same (reservoirs & infusion sets) so no matter what model pump I had, I can continue using those supplies. The sensors/transmitters for the CGM is the only thing that changed. I had good luck with the original sensors & current sensors but not the Enlite sensors. I only recently found 4 boxes of them, long expired, that I threw away. I don’t even know if they still make pumps/transmitters that work with those sensors. I wish I had thought to find a new home for them back when I stopped using the Enlite sensors.
Previously I donated them, a few different pumps and their supplies, right now I have an overabundance of supplies for my device that I am using and keeping them just in case I can find a place to donate them during this pandemic time. I wish there was not a minimum requirement so high for insulin in Tandem’s cartridges.
Some stuff I threw out, some things, like all my old bg meters, I’ve kept. Thanks to organizations promoting safe injection sites, I can safely dispose of used syringes in my own neighborhood in a metal bin. There’s also a grocery store with bathrooms where used syringes can be safely disposed of in privacy.
Have also given to endos office/diabetes clinic.
I did that too, overseas. Here in the US they refuse to take them — liability issues I suspect.
Medtronic required me to send the pump back to them.
I ended up throwing it all out because no one wanted them. The meters, I was told, were given out like candy and were not needed… I also asked at an organization, but they did not respond, so I just threw it all out. Seemed quite wasteful.
Occasionally my doctor changes my insulin and I am left with perfectly good tamperproof unexpired packages. Doctor says he is prohibited from giving to a patient who needs them, which is so sad because ideally he would know and trust both donor and recipient. I have heard about Insulin for Life, a nonprofit that will accept a mailed shipment if you send in icepacked cooler. It seems so wasteful to spend money on shipping but I know so many people struggle to pay for their drugs and I would like them to get good vials that I no longer need. Has anyone tried Insulin for Life? I have Humalog to donate and plan to do it after the Christmas rush, when the shipping services won’t be so busy.
Passed them onto my Endo so he could give to another T1D in need
Took to my endocrinologist.
I have donated items, testing kits and supplies, to a local community college to use when teaching.
If not expired, my endo’s office will take a few of them to give as emergency supplies or samples for patients wanting to try a new infusion set, etc.