'Man Purse'

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azdesertrat

New member
Having CF, especially if you have CF & diabetes, means you have to carry a lot of 'personal items' at all times.
I'd like all the guys out there to let us know how you do it.
Spouses & GF's are welcome to tell us what their Significant Other carries.
Personally, I carry a Maxpedition Jumbo Versi-Pack. It is tough as nails & it will never be mistaken for a 'Man Purse'.
It holds EVERYTHING. I always carry a 24 hr. supply of meds, just in case. You never know when you could get stuck somewhere & since my life depends on getting my meds in me, on time, I can't afford to not carry them with me 24/7.
When the weather cools, I can even put a small ice pack in it & carry my insulin.
I carry eye drops, Xopanex, eye glasses, both prescription & sun, pens, pad, business cards, cell phone, my oh-so-fat-billfold & much more in there.
How do the you guys out there deal with this problem? This is probably pretty trivial, but I'm curious.
Hope everybody has a good week, 'Pat'.
 
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Twistofchaos

New member
Hi there,

interesting phenomenon indeed and I too carry a lot of emergency CF stuff around with me always and feel quite helpless without my backpack.
Won't be mistaken for a man purse either but people will always think I am traveling or still a student. People that know me make jokes about it and attempt to look into it but they'll regret it! It's boobytrapped, and they won't know which wire to snip.

I see you have some sort of military tactical looking man purse instead.
I'm just kidding, it doesn't look so military. I'm just kidding, ofcourse it does.
:D
 
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TreasureGoddess

Member
Wow, I was just asking the endocrine team here what young guys do to carry about all the crap they need? I wasn't wanting my 14 yr old kid to have to carry a man purse. They had no idea what I was talking about......
GOOD POST! I'll pass word along to my son. He's just hitting the point where we need to have blood testing kit & insulin availble off and on. Normally he just has a couple of little baggies with 2-4 doses of enzymes in his pockets everywhere he goes and packs a bag with morning/night meds if he's going to a friend's house for the day/night. He isn't quite to the point of needing insulin all the time, we are intermittent (use it when in hospital and for a week or two when he goes home until blood sugars stablizie.). It's good to hear what guys use to carry their medical junk around and not look like he's got a purse.
 
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BreathinSteven

Guest
Jeez -- when I first read this, I thought you were talking about a scrotum! (My mom-in-law had a cat that they took to the vet to get neutered - got him home and when he jumped up on a high counter, she noticed something and called the vet and asked, "should he still have his... Ummmm... purse???")

Anyhoo -- I'm interested in hearing about this as well... I love summer when I can wear cargo pants or something of that nature - I tend to carry a LOT of stuff in my pockets... Post lung transplant, I no longer have puffers and whatnot -- but now I'm diabetic and the glucometer, supplies and insulin pen is rather bulky and always wonder how others deal with that... Right now -- I like fall, winter, spring because I can stuff some things in my oversized coat pockets -- but it's a pain in the fanny when I have to dress formally, or in a suit, or even business casual... Love, Steve
 
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markinohio

New member
One of the extra benefits of being on oxygen is that I can carry some stuff in the pocket of the O2 bag. Since I also have diabetes, I can carry snacks, medicine, insulin, etc.
 
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cheerfulpuppies

Member
I am a female so I do carry a purse however when we go to amusement parks I always bring a small black and grey backpack I found at Walmart so if my husband needs to carry it, it doesn't look like he is holding my purse. Also it comes in handy when we go on roller coaster rides, I put it between my legs with each leg through a strap and then I know it a not going to fly around during the flips. For the younger guys I would keep an eye out for a small backpack since they are smaller even if he doesn't use it much. Also be careful about leaving enzymes in a Baggie during school, I had some in my pocket book in elementary school and the principal called my mom because they didn't know what they were and we were not allowed to have meds on us. To this day I still think it is pretty stupid, I had to go to the nurse before lunch and snacks before I could eat anything but that is how it is.
 
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azdesertrat

New member
Alright! Thanks for the response(s).
Chaos, yeah, my purse does look very military. It's OD in color and since AZ is a conceal/carry state, there is a pocket in my purse for a pistol, should someone choose to carry concealed.
Steven, that's too funny! I have heard of men calling their vitals a 'Man Purse'. I never thought that I could have chosen a better title for this thread. I 'bout laughed Dog & me right off the couch when I read that.
Keep'em coming! I'd like to know more about how men are dealing with problems like this related to CF.
 
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MichaelL

New member
I've been on home IV for a long time and I have to carry a small pump and IV medicine bag with me at all times. I also throw in extra batteries, IV connector, eye drops, sunglasses. I use this case from MEC (a Canadian company): http://www.mec.ca/product/5026-303/mec-globetrotter-shoulder-bag/

It's about as small as I can go and still fit things in. I have a larger bag (that would definitely be called a man purse), which I use if I need to carry more. For clinic appointments, I go out with the MEC bag plus a backpack.
 
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athletixbc

New member
I usually just carry my gym bag with me when I know I'm going out for any extended period of time. First of all, nobody questions it because it's from a major chain of gyms and you see a hundred of them a day just walking around the city, Second, it's got lots of pockets so I can keep my meds totally separate from my actual gym stuff.

Alternatively, I'll carry a satchel/laptop bag with me over my shoulder. Basically just looks like I'm on my way to an interview or business meeting of some kind.
 
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LittleLab4CF

Super Moderator
When the belt pack grew beyond a fanny pack I realized the product had swelled to something nobody really wanted and soon the only people with these sagging monsters were carrying a day’s provisions at Disneyland. Same thing happened when a leg pocket became cargo pants. Anybody attempting to use all the pocket capacity will never find what they are looking for. A fashion statement best left empty. A very expensive rucksack twenty years back is now the ubiquitous back packs kids haul their kit for school and clothes to overnight at friends, something to be replaced every school year.


Rucksack style bags used a lot for business travelers are durable, multi pocketed, some with a locking pocket that also fits a laptop and such. I lean toward a style that has a couple carrying options, shoulder straps and a handle or shoulder sling. I have an embarrassing collection of "man purses", your term not mine, satchels, portfolios and attaché valises including some practical fanny packs. For all my shopping, I use only two. This miniature luggage can be like shoes or pocket knives, you can't have too many. For me, the really cool satchels missed all practical sizes like fitting letter size paper, a letter size envelope, book or pen.


A camping axiom applies for how much to carry; make two piles, one containing what you absolutely need and another with everything you might need, then leave that pile home. My point is to decide what you need with you and stage less critical stuff in a locker, office or such. Once the essentials have been identified, finding a satchel with stuff in hand or ziplok bags may eliminate a less than ideal purchase.

My vote is business quality rucksack or a small belt pack.

LL
 
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