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06-02-2005, 08:50 PM
| | Member
I am a: Type 1 | | Join Date: May 2005 Location: Quinte, Ont. Canada
Posts: 126
| | | Insulin in the reservoir get too hot?
I've been T1 long enough to experience the error of allowing my insulin to get as warm as a luke warm cup of coffee..... 
The HUMULOG storage instructions define:
"...can be kept unrefrigerated for up to 28 days as long as it is kept as cool as possible (below 30'C) and away from direct heat and light. "
Now 30'C (86'F ) is not really that hot ( 'specially if it is a non-humid, non-Ontario 'dry' heat!!..) ...and when you're on the beach, or on the tarmac enjoying the airshow it isn't that hot....
So when the pump is next to your body, and the general beach temperature is a balmy 29.87 'C ..?? 
Any experiences here with insulin in the reservoir cooking or loosing its effectiveness because it got too hot?
I am not pumping (yet), but this is one of my concerns.
Thanks |
06-08-2005, 10:10 AM
| | Member
I am a: Type 1 | | Join Date: May 2005 Location: Quinte, Ont. Canada
Posts: 126
| | | Not a single reply?
Maybe the question was not clear.
For pump users that are in the sun and the heat for a large portion of their day (at the beach; gardening; landscaping, or living in generically hotter places that Ontario (like Plano, Tx. with out A/C)), has the insulin in the pump reservoir never been impacted because of the temperature or exposure to sun?
Is the reservoir thermally insulated?
Maybe this just is not a problem.
Cheers,
Fred&CharlesFan |
06-08-2005, 10:16 AM
| | Banned | | Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 107
| | Hasn't been a problem for me, but I don't live in Vegas or Phoenix, either! 
Seriously, 9 years of pumping and I've not had any issues with "dead" insulin even when I lay out by a pool all afternoon. Or when I toil in my backyard in the CA summer heat. |
06-08-2005, 10:31 AM
|  | Super Moderator
I am a: Type 1 | | Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Mid-West
Posts: 7,248
| | Quote: |
Originally Posted by Fred&CharlesFan Not a single reply?
Maybe the question was not clear.
For pump users that are in the sun and the heat for a large portion of their day (at the beach; gardening; landscaping, or living in generically hotter places than Ontario (like Plano, Tx. with out A/C)), has the insulin in the pump reservoir never been impacted because of the temperature or exposure to sun?
Is the reservoir thermally insulated?
Maybe this just is not a problem.
Cheers,
Fred&CharlesFan | Hi Fred&CharlesFan,
I've lived in Florida (which is usually hot and humid...lol), and have been out playing, at the beach, in hot tubs (both in Fla. & out west), hot springs and other warm spots, but haven't really experienced issues with insulin degrading. Others may have differing experiences, though....I've heard that Novolog is more stable than Humalog, but haven't used it personally. Even though there's been some controversy with respect to hot tubs and insulin, I've been in them before (while attached) without troubles. It could be that the Sport Guard protected it to a degree, but warm water has leaked into the casing (with the pump) on occasion, and it didn't hurt anything....  Hope this helps some.
__________________ ALL my love, Carwy & Best wishes for a healthy new beginning! 
Saying prayers for him & all our friends, every day.
_______
Dewey's Thought for the day...
"Jesus himself could be president & someone would find a reason to gripe!"
______
Pumps & Meters Used:
MM506,7,8,11 & 12, Cozmo, Animas 1200 & 1250 Many
A1C: 6.4
Type I 26yrs, pumping 12
|
06-08-2005, 10:48 AM
| | Banned | | Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 107
| | Quote: |
Originally Posted by Dewey Hi Fred&CharlesFan,
I've lived in Florida (which is usually hot and humid...lol), and have been out playing, at the beach, in hot tubs (both in Fla. & out west), hot springs and other warm spots, but haven't really experienced issues with insulin degrading. Others may have differing experiences, though....I've heard that Novolog is more stable than Humalog, but haven't used it personally. Even though there's been some controversy with respect to hot tubs and insulin, I've been in them before (while attached) without troubles. It could be that the Sport Guard protected it to a degree, but warm water has leaked into the casing (with the pump) on occasion, and it didn't hurt anything.... Hope this helps some. |
Sport guard cases will leak if you leave the cover on the case when stored. It must be left off during storage so that it won't distort. Use a bit of vaseline to lube the lip.
Ricardo |
06-08-2005, 05:56 PM
|  | Senior Member
I am a: Type 1 | | Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: CT
Posts: 4,588
| | My CDE actually did mention that insulin in your pump's reservoir may need to be changed more often in the summer...the increase in temp. and being that it's close to your body, I think it can cause the insulin to spoil faster. I am trying to keep a closer eye on my sugar levels to see if I notice a change, as it has been hot  this week, but so far, so good.
__________________ I’ve faced myself
To cross out what I’ve become
Erase myself
And let go of what I’ve done
Put to rest
What you thought of me
Well I cleaned this slate
With the hands
Of uncertainty
So let mercy come
And wash away
What I’ve done
I’ve faced myself
To cross out what I’ve become
Erase myself
And let go of what I’ve done
Linkin Park~ "What I've Done"  |
06-08-2005, 07:41 PM
| | Banned | | Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 107
| | Quote: |
Originally Posted by am1977 My CDE actually did mention that insulin in your pump's reservoir may need to be changed more often in the summer...the increase in temp. and being that it's close to your body, I think it can cause the insulin to spoil faster. I am trying to keep a closer eye on my sugar levels to see if I notice a change, as it has been hot this week, but so far, so good. | Can insulin go bad in the summer? Certainly! Does it happen frequently? Must not, or I'd have noticed sometime in the heat of the past 9 years when sprawled out all day by the pool in Vegas or working all day in the yard. It's something each person has to determine for themselves. If there is NO other reason for high bg's other than the time the insulin is exposed to high heat, then I'm willing to concede that's possibly the problem. Personally, I've never been affected.
Ricardo |
06-08-2005, 08:12 PM
|  | Senior Member | | Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Manassas, in the Old Dominion
Posts: 6,538
| | | I sound like a broken record, but this is why you test your sugars right? You're out in the sun all day, you think *maybe* your insulin got a bit toasty, you test, your okay, you test four hours later, still okay, blouses okay, then you declare everything is okay...right?
I haven't had a problem but I'll admit I haven't been known to lounge around in the sun--but I have toiled for hours in my yard, etc., in July/August VA heat, with nary an issue. To me, I would be more concerned about the insulin in the tubing being exposed to sunlight--that can be up to 20 units lost, right?
__________________
I'll mend myself before it gets me... |
06-08-2005, 08:34 PM
|  | Super Moderator
I am a: Type 1 | | Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Northern California
Posts: 7,390
| | | I have gone hiking in 110 degree weather and kayaked in 100 degree weather. What I have found is that my insulin does fine. I bought a Frio pack for my insulin and occassionally if I know it will be hot, I put my pump in that to keep it cooler. Works like a charm.
Nancy |
06-09-2005, 05:22 AM
|  | Senior Member | | Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Tennessee
Posts: 2,371
| | | I lounge by the pool almost daily in the summer time. I have not had any problems ....yet...doing this for the better part of 7 years on the pump. I do usually have a small cooler so when disconnect I place the pump in it....so it won't be in the sun. Why risk it?
__________________  Belinda
"- work as if you don't need money, - love as if you've never been hurt, -
dance, as if nobody can see you, - sing, as if no one can hear, - live, as
if the Earth was a heaven."
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06-09-2005, 09:53 AM
|  | Member
I am a: Type 1 | | Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Québec City, Canada
Posts: 272
| | | As my reservoir lasts about 3 to 4 days, I have not had problem with the heat in summer. Maybe if you keep your vial in hot weather outside of the refrigerator, you'll have problems but for 3 to 5 days, I don't think it will be a problem.
__________________
Type I Diabetic since 1992, Pumps Used since june 2004 : Minimed 715
The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts. (Bertrand Russell)
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06-11-2005, 05:53 AM
| | Member
I am a: Type 1 | | Join Date: May 2005 Location: Quinte, Ont. Canada
Posts: 126
| | I am sure there will be a few things to adjust when I get going.. ..so I am glad that this particular worry about heat and insulin temp in the reservoir is not a concern for y'all.
'Nancy': that little Frio pack solution sounds like a great idea as a safe guard  .
Thanks everyone!! |
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