Friday, May 25, 2012

Diabetesalicious PSA: Memorial Day Weekend Heatwave/Skunky Insulin Alert -Threat Level: FLAME ON



The calm before the summer season kickoff
Photo: courtesy of my iPhone
It's that time of year again......
######


I'm talking about a heatwave! For those of you living in the Mid West & The East Coast, the holiday weekend forecast brings with it a heatwave that's FLAME ON, and according to my sources, will be sticking around for a bit.
Personally, I think it's way to early in the season for that - But unfortunately, it's not up to me. 
With that being said, here's your yearly reminder (and regardless of your geographical location) to make sure you keep an eye on your insulin's bake rate and the fact that your insulin may indeed get skunky
For those of you wearing  an insulin pump, fill your insulin reservoirs at half mast during warm weather so that if your insulin does go skunky, your not throwing out 180 units at a time. Also, if you haven't already done so, look into getting a Frio for both your pump and your insulin bottle/pens, NOW. 
Skunky insulin is no fun - So be prepared and have a great weekend - And don't forget to wear your sunscreen!

2 comments:

Sarah said...

Hi-i enjoy your blog. I have a 10 year old with Type 1. Question RE filling up the insulin at half mast: If you fill your reservoir for your pump halfway, before your next site change do you: detach, rewind and run insulin through the new tube, but then not fill the cannula?

k2 said...

Hi Sarah -
Sorry for the late response!
Personally, I just do everything that I would normally do when I prime a full reservoir, except I don't fill it up. I'm not a medical professional though so I would ask your CDE if you have one.