Spaceships and Squirt Guns.
Every time I do an infusion set swap, I noticed how much the Inset looks like a spaceship.
I mean, it's kind of like a spaceship, in that when it's not working properly, my blood sugar goes into orbit? (Too much of a stretch?)
When I was a kid and using multiple daily injections of insulin instead of a pump, I ripped through several syringes a day. My mom would clip the tips of the needles off using this orange nail-clipper looking thing from BD, and then they'd be tossed into a sharps container.
But sometimes my brother and sister and I would take the needle-free syringes, fill them with water, and use them as squirt guns. They were like little druggy water pistols, and to a trio of kids, it was fun. (Not to mention how my cats went berserk whenever they'd get their paws on a syringe plunger cap. Hours of feline, crazy-pawed fun!)
Sure, diabetes paraphernalia can be all medical and scary and a reminder of what this disease requires of us on a daily basis. But it can also remind you of wicked cool spaceships. Or double as cat toys. And it can provide some makeshift squirt guns, too.
Not too shabby.
Comments
Our family has a philosophy of finding fun and silliness out of every "negative" situation. Diabetes lends itself to that all too often.
Posted by: Sue/RFamHere | March 23, 2012 10:18 AM
Rhiannon is currently using the medical supply trash to create cool things that she is going to sell cheap for DSF! of course everything is getting cleaned in alcohol to make sure no germs remain!
Posted by: Brandy | March 23, 2012 10:18 AM
My daughter has used the pump cartridges for play. A couple of years ago she was bummed her Lego fire truck didn't really squirt water. She filled up a cartridge and tubing and rigged them to the fire truck for a hose.
Posted by: Laurie | March 23, 2012 10:25 AM
Phoenix loves to make strip shooters out of a multiclik and old strips...he started doing it when he was almost 2, he wasted so many lancet drums lol but he would spend hours launching used strips all over the house and have the cats chase them.
I think I still have the video of the first time, now I have to go look lol
Posted by: Autumn | March 23, 2012 10:28 AM
We made potato/soap guns out of them. Take the needle off the syringe, push it into a potato or soap and you get a powerful little b-b gun. Lucky we didn't take our eyes out. :)
Posted by: Nicole Purcell | March 23, 2012 10:33 AM
I've taken a glamorous approach to re-purposing my supplies!
After cleaning a syringe, I sometimes use the needle as an eyelash separator after putting on my mascara. It takes a steady hand, but it helps prevent clumping :)
(Julia Roberts uses a safety pin...so I liken it to that)
Posted by: Rachel | March 23, 2012 12:11 PM
I got into so much trouble because I sold my old syringes to my neighbor (who was older than me). He in turn sold them to his friends in middle school and they used them as covert squirt guns. My mom was ready to kill me when she found out. I sold them without the needles, but none the less I got in a bunch of trouble.
Posted by: Brendan | March 23, 2012 02:06 PM
I thought I was the only one using that clip thingamajig hahaha
I´m on MDI and have no idea of the rutine for a pump but it does feel like it all looks like from another era!
Posted by: Nicte Trujillo | March 23, 2012 08:50 PM
"Set the controls for the pancreas of the sun." (If anybody gets this reference, I'll be impressed.)
Posted by: Larry Here | March 24, 2012 06:37 PM
The idea of using syringes as squirters was key to our mental health when Connor was diagnosed. Thanks for reminding me of that first post DX laugh. He's the story: http://www.ydmv.net/2008/01/little-help-from-your-friends.html
Posted by: Bennet | March 26, 2012 02:47 PM
Space ship complete with really sharp antenna ('cause every space ship needs one of those, right?)
Posted by: suki | March 26, 2012 09:33 PM