Do you have plans in place for 'critical failure?'

If I am going to a concert, I will carry a pen “just in case” because there is no way I’m going to leave the concert due to high bg’s on the outside chance that I’;ve got a set or pump failure, but that’s about the only time I’ll bring a pen with me when I’m within a few hours of home.

I had one MM pump destroyed by water. I was in the middle of nowhere and got soaked by rain. Now, I carry that stuff in a waterproof box when I’m biking and stuff. That has helped.

By “pump failure” I’m referring to a failure anywhere in the system. Ripping an infusion set out, having an infusion set stop working, running out of batteries or insulin…

The last two times my pump ran out of insulin I was at work. So that would have been a three to four hour round trip to go home and change cartridges. And the last time I accidentally ripped out an infusionset, I was at a conference doing a presentation with my boss four hours from home, so that would have meant leaving and not coming back.

I feel much more “free” with diabetes having these supplies with me and being able to deal with it in five minutes if something happens.

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I have 2 or 3 of the high impact cases (I think they call them Sport Guards), but I don’t use them. I SHOULD have used one when I tipped over a jet ski in Mission Bay (San Diego). The 508 pump get dunked and managed to work until we returned home from our vacay. A couple days later it gave up the ghost.

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Thats interesting. It took a couple days to die? I wouldn’t expect that.

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It took about a week to fail. I had more days left in SD before returning home.

I thought u meant it was a bit of a stretch for you to say that I wasn’t paranoid. LOL!

No. Sorry for the misunderstanding. I removed that part of my post.
I worded it very poorly.

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I wasn’t upset. I was just curious why you (my mistake) thought I was paranoid about something, is all. no biggie.

I always interpret Tim35’s talk of paranoia with respect to himself. He is a very paranoid cat, as am I. This entire thread was built of my deep, unshakable paranoia about impeding incarceration in the hospital, LOL.

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If I’m at home, no issues. I was taught at an early age to stash extra of things important. And when early on I dropped a bottle of Lantus, I really learned the value of saving back up stashes!!!

But at home, I have plenty of food, my mom taught me you don’t run out of things you use all time. I have extra insulin for me and my dog, pods, sensors, syringes, pen needles, finger sticking glucose meters and sticks, (just lacking a extra transmitter, but I am going to probably buy an extra at costco and switch it out).

I carry with me the kit that Omnipod gave me at the onset, with an extra pod, a pen I switch out each time I start a new pen (I use pens for my Omnipod as it means I always have a current back up to give a shot if needed) I have pen needles in it too. A meter and I also carry candy and a candy bar. So it still can become a little trickier if I’m stuck somewhere that’s not at home for a length of time. But at least I would have a pens worth of insulin and can reuse the pen needles for shots. And since I might not be eating much, I would expect my insulin needs to go way down.

Without insulin, I would die pretty quick. My liver loves to make glucose, I can go up within hours to over 300 if I don’t have any insulin and that’s without eating. I know this from the couple of pods I’ve put on that didn’t work.

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Same (my child). Infusion set problems and it is unreal how fast it goes up. Couple hours - absolutely over 300 and climbing. For us at least. I am sure everybody is different.

My child always has backup syringes. In case of any problems as long as it does not involve running the pump to empty then it is easy to extract insulin from the pump cartridge and dose manually with the syringe.

@Eric2 told us about that which has been enormously helpful.

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Many years ago I dropped a vial of insulin. I was shocked that what looks like such a sturdy little bottle would shatter like it did. Therefore, whenever I travel out of state, I carry 2 bottles with me, just in case I have a repeat case of the dropsies.

For the Zombie Apocalypse, I have firearms and ammunition, but like Becky Z. for me it will have to be resignation and waiting for the end.

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I’m the same, which is a big reason I wouldn’t feel comfortable being somewhere without insulin. I have heard some people say they can go a few days or a week without insulin, but I don’t think I could do that. All it takes is a couple hours for me and my blood sugar and ketones skyrocket.

I wonder if my next pump will allow me to extract insulin from the pump cartridge with a syringe. My current pump (Animas) doesn’t seem to allow this, or at least I haven’t figured out how to accomplish it.

I am one of those who carry a complete set of supplies with me - and am grateful that I do. There have been several occasions in the past where we have been several hours drive from home meeting with friends or attending a cultural event when I have accidentally pulled out an infusion site or the pump battery suddenly gave the ‘30 minutes left’ alarm and had supplies on hand to take care of the matter. I learned my lesson the hard way by having driven 2 hours to a cultural event my husband and I both wanted to see that would have lasted about 4 hours plus another 2 hour drive home and I had a blockage in my infusion site. I had only been pumping for about a month at the time - and we had to drive back home so I could get a new site. We missed the event - and the tickets had not been cheap. It is easier to be prepared than to be disappointed - or worse.

I am the same way. 90 minutes without insulin and my blood glucose levels are up in the 300s and climbing and I am throwing ketones - and this is without eating. I don’t have any real ‘safety’ time factor if something decides to mis-behave which is why I have had to stop using my new Medtronic 670G - I spent most of the last month fighting ketoacidosis as site after site failed.

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I don’t believe that people could make it a week. If those people are out there, speak up. I thought we all died within days. Maybe thats an invalid assumption, though.

Geeze, sorry about that site failure, Kathryn41. I’ve heard similar complaints. Omnipod is expensive, but tends to alarm when there is a failure, which is one reason why I changed. Fewer unknowns.

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The type of battery and the type of pump I use doesn’t have issues with the battery suddenly failing. Energizers used in a 530 will last for weeks. I never get caught unawares over battery issues. Because of the type of set I use and the usage of an IV3000 over it, it’s not going to get dislodged. The only issues that could happen would be if the set became occluded or if the pump failed. Occlusions with the type of set I use occur at the rate of about once every 2 years. failures of the pump hardly ever. But like I said, if I’m at a concert, I will take a pen with me. When I go out of state, I take a Glucagon (despite not having needed to use it since prior to pumping which was '96). I take extra sets, reservoirs, and IV3000’s also. Around town, I take NOTHING extra for pumping. Just Skittles, and sometimes a meter (I wear a G5–very accurate on me).

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I regularly turn off my pump for roughly an hour or so and my bg’s will remain in great shape because I turn off my pump in order not to go low when going up steep inclines when hiking if my bg is slightly low. It works out well. No way I’m I going to go up to 300 by shutting off basal for an hour or two. even if I was at home doing nothing but sitting on my duff, an hour off my pump isn’t going to cause the types of elevated bg’s that you get.

I think I’d be a nervous wreck if I knew my bg’s would skyrocket in such a short time from not getting basal for a few hours.

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