The diabetes equipment people carry varies and there are enough pockets and elastic loops to customise to your own needs.

I managed to fit a:

• small blood glucose meter
• bottle of strips
• finger pricker and spare lancets
• 2 insulin pens
• new pen needles
• 2 hypo treatments
• mobile phone
• credit cards
• money.

The photo to the left is from the Diabetes HQ website and shows an inside view of the diabetes storage area of the handbag. It also comes with detachable wrist and cross-body straps, further increasing the flexibility in using this bag.

The photo below shows how I set-up the equipment in the bag. The insulin pens fit into the handbag with their lids on, but you could have them in there with lids removed. Another neat feature is the ability to remove an insulin pen through an opening on the side, by moving the zip down a little, instead of opening the whole bag. I chose to pack two pens, which many people would need to, and had to put the second one next to the one in the elastic loop. Loved the removable pocket with a zip, to put used blood glucose monitoring strips and capped pen needles in after injecting. You can pull the pocket away from the Velcro that holds it onto the bag, for easier disposal into a sharps container once back at home.

When it came to the wrist strap and cross body strap, it’s good to have a choice for increased flexibility. Due to the width of the handbag the strap attaches to the two sides of the handbag to make it sit in a stable way. It was comfortable wearing the handbag across the body, and as a larger lassie the length was suitable and the handbag was easy to swing around for access on the go. The zip pullers were strong and easy to use but definitely take off the wrist strap when the cross body strap is on as it’s easier to open the zip. Finally, like any quality handbag, the Myabetic Marie has a dust protector bag. Mind you … I doubt there will be time for the cover to go on, as you this little lady will be out and about supporting quality diabetes care!

I really enjoyed reviewing the handbag and must admit if I had diabetes, it would be something I would use. I gained an insight into the importance of diabetes accessories for people with diabetes and Diabetes Headquarters has a lot of different bags from which to choose when addressing the needs of different individuals. For example, the Marie handbag would not also fit the additional supplies for an insulin pump or continuous glucose monitoring, but fortunately the larger Cherise Myabetic handbag fits that need!