Keeping it cool. Literally.
The new year is here and that means I’m on a countdown until we leave the US for three months on January 14th (ahhhh!). This past weekend involved a trip to REI where I bought an extremely functional (and extremely expensive!) rolling suitcase that converts into a backpack. I also got a quick-drying travel towel, a power outlet converter, and a whole bunch of other little travel helpers. That’s the easy stuff. Planning for diabetes with this trip has been the main challenge.
I’m all stocked up on medications, test strips, and DexCom sensors. I’ve figured out how to pack it so that it’s not too bulky. Jacob will carry half the stash in case one of us gets our luggage lost or stolen. I’m bringing back ups of everything, and translated doctor’s notes. Pretty much everything is accounted for except for one simple but frustrating problem: It’s really, REALLY hot in Asia right now. Like 93 degrees hot. Like hot enough to destroy your insulin.
I’m not worried about transporting my stash. The pens I’m not using will stay in my luggage in a hotel room at a normal temperature. What I’m worried about is the active pens that I take out with me during the day. If I keep them tucked in my purse while we’re touring temples and cities in 90 degree heat, those pens will roast in no time. The obvious answer is to take along a little pouch with freezer packs in it, but A.) I won’t always have access to a freezer to refreeze them and B.) Whatever I take has to be carry-on approved, i.e. small.
I’m thinking the best bet will be to take a small pack with a refreezable ice block. Then I can also take a Frio wallet. Frio wallets are fabric pouches that have crystals in them which can be made cold by soaking the pouch in cold water (which I could always get from a restaurant). For last resorts, I think I’ll take some of those emergency cold packs they have in the first aid section of the drugstore. When you break the crystals in the pack, they immediately get cold. They don’t last long, but they’d absolutely do in a pinch. I used them in Spain when I studied abroad years ago and they worked well.
All of this adds bulk to my travel gear, but I can’t think of any other way to do it – does anyone out there have any other ideas? Leave a comment and let me know if so! Thank you in advance 
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Comments
This really is more of an in-case-of-emergency-solution, but here’s what I did at a festival during summer:
Soak a towel in water. Wring out a little, so it’s not dripping. Wrap around your insulin. The evaporation heat loss keeps your insulin cool (I think the Frio’s actually use the same principle). Carry extra water to re-soak, in case they dry (which they will).
Pros: costs about nothing, can be improvised everywhere, can’t break
Cons: carrying along dripping piece of cloth is not too convinient and you cannot use it with pens with metal parts (like the Novopen 4), as they would start to rust.
Anonymous – good call on the Frio wallets and I think bringing more than one is a good bet. For the pens in the hotel room, I know it sounds strange to not keep them refridgerated but I’m going off experience on this one as opposed to the directions. When I lived in Spain for four months in college my pens were in and out of fridges, room temp and sometimes in a cooler. None of them ever went bad over those four months, so I’m hoping this is the case for this trip too!
Very this is interesting and totally doable! I can pack a mesh bag or somthing breathable to carry the wet bundle in, this might be a good strategy when we’re on buses or other confined areas where we’ll be stationary for a bit. Thanks!
I have no advice on this one (since I’m still a newbie myself), but I am excited to hear about your adventure! One of my biggest concerns when I was diagnosed was whether I’d be able to travel, so hearing about diabetics taking these amazing trips and making huge moves is very exciting! Best wishes for a great trip!
I live in Brasil where the temperatures are right now around 100f (i had to convert That from celsius ) And i dont really have a problem with the humalog pen i use throughout the day….
I do have some frio wallets and they last a couple of days when i need them.
Normally i just carry the pen and the strips in a sandwich insulated bag i bought from etsy. Just to protect them from to many variations.
I would count on the Frio as the main cooling system for travel. It won’t keep cool locked in a hot car but will keep insulin cool all day in a purse or backpack. Anonymous was right – Frio uses evaporative cooling. A lot neater than a damp towel and is easy to refresh, even just a little daily splash from a water bottle is enough to keep it nice and cool once it has been soaked and plumped up. We used this for all day schlepping in hot temperatures in Disney World.
I used a Frio to keep my insulin cool in Haiti and it worked perfectly. That would be my primary recommendation.
I live in Tucson, AZ, where we have 4 months a year of daily temps around 90 – 100 degrees, and I use a Frio for my Novolog/Humalog with no problem at all. They are easy to use, just need a bit of water every few days (less if it’s humid where you’re going), and they really keep the insulin cool! Maybe have an extra as back-up, but that’s all you’ll need.
Have fun and don’t worry!
I’m from Dubai and I used to carry my insulin in an insulated styrofoam pack. It’s very old school but did a great job of keeping the vials at the right temperature during those 110 degree.. months.
What I would do is use the power of the internet to find out what Type 1s in Asia do to keep their insulin cool. I personally am pretty convinced that my Frio wallet would be all I needed (perhaps more than one) for my open and hotel room pens. It surprises me that you’ll be storing the pens you’re NOT using at room temperature. I would be just as concerned with those as the ones I was currently using.