Another pump question....if insulin shouldn't be in temperatures above 86 degrees, and you are wearing the omnipod under your shirt, pads and hockey uniform and then sweating in a game or practice for over an hour....will anything happen to the insulin? Even if you are wearing the pod on a really hot day it would get over that temperature...as you can tell still very new to the pump idea, but we will be ordering one very soon.
I have used a pump for 10 years. I wear it in my pocket or bra, so it keeps pretty warm. I don't change my set for 4, sometimes 5 days. I have never noticed a problem that specifically looked like it was caused by heat.
Lots of runners here who will know more.....
I like to wear dresses, so the only place to put my pump is clipped to my bra and facing my skin. My pump gets pretty warm here, but I don't see a change in blood sugars.
I know from belonging to a lot of diabetes groups that people from Texas that say the hot temps down there have no effect on the efficacy of their insulin.
The insulin in the pod will be fine.
I think it's long term storage we have to be worried about, as in weeks, not short term usage.
The key here is keep testing, testing, testing.
Insulin is a perishable hormone and exposure to high heat can have an impact on its life. However, the "above 86 degrees" is from the manufacturer regarding storage. IOW, once opened keep insulin in a certain temperature range and the insulin will be good for at least 28 days.
My experience is not exactly the same as wearing a pod under a hockey uniform, but I did live on a sailboat for 5 years in very warm climates with my pump right next to my body. There were a small handful of times where the insulin would begin to lose its effectiveness after being in my tubed pump for 9 - 10 days. Multiple tests where my BG was high and not responding to correction boluses let me know to change out the insulin.
While I do not use the Omnipod, I have found that in the Texas summer heat and working outside "all day" I will begin to see higher blood sugars both with no insulin on board (basal only) and also when bolusing for carbs, usually by the middle to end of the third day and always by the fourth day. I do not see the same changes in the cooler winter months. Therefore, in the summer time, I will change sets more frequently as compared to the winter months. So as Mike Ratrie said, you will have to test to see how the activity affects you personally.
I'm a new pumper and this has been a concern for me also. My job is outside and during this last summer of extreme heat here in Tennessee I saw air temps rise to 108 and to 115 near the streets and sidewalks of the city.
Since I wear a tubed pump I plan to invest in a Frio pump case. If you haven't already decided on which pump you're going to get this might be a consideration.
I wear multiple layers in winter and our temps get into the triple digits in summer. I haven't had any problem keeping my sets in for 3-4 days. When I go somewhere away from home for a period of time I do take my extra vial of insulin in a frio of course.
I agree with the others here. I don't think there is a big problem in overheating of insulin while in a pump. Chances are that it doesn't get as warm as we think. I live in a climate where temperatures are regularly well below zero in the winter, and my pump has never frozen, and in the summer, temperatures are well into the upper ninties, and my insulin has never failed to do its job in controlling my blood sugars. in your case, I doubt that things would be hot enough for a long enough time to affect the potency of insulin.