This morning when I got to the office gym, I discovered that I had left my blood glucose meter at home. This is not the worst possible thing to forget when going to the gym. Over the last few years I’ve forgotten my shoes and socks a couple of times. Few things look as silly as doing a strength program while wearing black socks and dress shoes. Another time I forgot my shorts; I did not workout that day.
“No worries about the meter,” I thought. “My BG was a little high when I left home, and it doesn’t drop that much when I do a strength workout. I’ll just wait to test until I get up to my office.”
About an hour later—after a forty-five minute workout and getting myself pretty for work—I got up to my office, dug out my backup meter, and was relieved to find test strips with it. Occasionally I rob my backup meter’s stash when I forget to bring enough from home, but I always try to restock the next day. I placed a test strip in the meter, pricked my finger, drew a nice droplet of blood, and saw this message:
LOW BATTERY
Replace battery now
See owner’s booklet
“Well, that sucks!” I muttered to myself. I popped open the back of the meter, hoping to find a AAA battery or two, which I could replace from the Big Ole Bag of Diabetes Backup Supplies™, which I carry with me everywhere. Instead, I saw two CR2032 lithium button batteries.
“Well, that really does suck.”
It looks like I’ll be winging it for a little while this morning until I can get to the CVS. Fortunately, my CGM sensor is fresh and accurate today (*touch wood*) and doesn’t need to be calibrated for another three hours.
Update: I went to my local Batteries Plus store and bought a pair of batteries, and I’m all set.
They’re especially chatty (for New Englanders) at that store. The previous time I was there to buy a replacement for my FiOS modem battery, the clerk told me about how she saw a mermaid in Florida once. Mmm-hmm. Today: “So, what’s this going into?” A medical device. “oh”
I know we should have lists for these kinds of things, but we have so much to remember already that we’d probably forget the list too. Hope you get those batteries.
Glad everything worked out in the end in your favor.