Portrait of a Rushed Diabetic
Wednesday afternoon (and actually the entire evening as well) found me plane hopping on what can only be considered the longest route possible back to Portland from a sales meeting in Miami. Although I was stoked on the gorgeous meeting location, the trek across the country was no small feat. As I was getting ready to board my final plane in Seattle, I noticed that my pump was running on fumes - so low in fact that it didn’t even display a number of units left, just a flashing “LOW” symbol next to the insulin icon. And at the same time, my CGM let me know that I needed to connect to a power source…like NOW.
Mild to moderate panic set in for a moment. But, as it turns out, the CGM lasted the final two hours to get me back home and to a power outlet, and I had the 60 seconds required to do a quick pump site change in the ladies room at the airport before getting on the last plane.
But it is moments like this that I’m glad I’m a compulsive back-up planner. In my purse, I had both short and long-acting insulin pens, the needle caps to facilitate using both of those pens, and plenty of test strips and a lancing device at the ready. Being prepared helps bring me peace of mind, and although it’s annoying to carry extra supplies with me, nothing beats the safe feeling of knowing I’ve got a plan B.
Even though I didn’t need the backup plan, because I’m the fastest site changer this side of the Mississippi….(cue Western movie music…).
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Comments
Stupid question (for me being a diabetic of 17 years) - how do you handle backup pens? I know insulin goes bad roughly 30 days after you start using it (either refrigerated or not). Is this not true anymore? That’s what makes backup pens/syringes so annoying when my pump goes down for any reason - having to refresh my backup supply of pens after usually just one or two injections (it is my backup supply, after all). What am I doing wrong? Love the blog; have been reading for years.
Well it’s a good thing you don’t have a T slim pump…I just switched and I could knit a scarf in the time it takes to prime the tubing!
Ian - not a stupid question at all! I have to say my rules for back up pens and their shelf life are purely based on my experience, not on any hard rules. I have found they don’t lose efficacy after 30 days - so I don’t throw them away. I usually grab one from my endo’s samples each time I visit so I have a little stock pile. Then I keep taking the back up pens with me on trips until they’ve lost efficacy. How do I know if they have? I test them - I will try to bolus for something using my regular ratios - if it doesn’t work, I don’t use them. And I also toss them after six months if they’ve been in and out of the fridge a ton for trips. But if they’ve mostly been in the fridge, I don’t hesitate to take them along!
Floh - I’m so into that sport! Hope I can be a contender for the official team!
Now _that_ should be an olympic event. Split into pump manufacturers.
“And the third from the left is the Venezuelan Champion of changing the Omni-Pod. Oh no.. a fumble. She dropped the insulin. Will she recover in time, while the Swiss Contestant untangles her sticky tape?”