It has been so hot where I live lately. My daughter’s BG is through the roof. Could the heat affect the insulin in her OmniPod?
I can’t say for you but in my experince I am a firefighter and medic and even fighting fires with my pump on and in the houses my insulin seems to work fine and it gets way hot in there. some do say it makes theirs go bad so not sure if I am just special or not but I have yet to have a problem. BTW I do not use the omnipod I use minimed 722 not sure that makes a difference
I’ve heard that insulin should never be stored above 30 degrees Celsius, however I’ve never had a bad experience with heat and insulin because i live in atlantic canada, and our summers do not get overly hot. Whenever I am outside catching some rays I always take an ice pack and put it next to my pump. I think the main thing is to keep insulin out of direct sunlight for long periods, and make sure she is not outside in the sun for an extensive period of time without breaks in the shade or cool indoors.
It’s hot here too ( 32 C …approx 93 F ?? ) …I found my numbers challenging today …I think I was dehydrated as well .
I put my pump( MM ) on the inside of my pants with the reservoir as close to my body as possible with the hope it is cooler, rather than wearing it outside of my jeans .
Daughter’s OmniPod could be " posted " on a cooler body spot as well , I hope ??
Be well
I personally have spent a lot of time outside between with my pump at temps 100F-118F and have not really seen much change. I use Novolog, which I keep refrigerated until I fill the pump.
change out sites more frequently in the heat…yes insulin is affected by heat. Also check sites to insure they are adhering properly - sweaty skin? I only fill my cartridge 1/2 way during the summer to insure I’m changing out at 2 days max. Also, is it hot where you are storing the supplies? Possible the insulin has degraded prior to use. Plus these temps are stressing the body anyway - find a cool spot for a few hours and check again, she just might not be able to tolerate heat/humidity in this particular heat wave.
It absolutely can affect the insulin. But not only that, some people’s blood sugar rises in the heat (some drops). Hydration can help quite a bit. But you may have to adjust basal rates as well.
Okay so I was thinking I have a little cooler case for my minimed pump my mom made ( yes I am 28 and yes mommy still helps me when I need it lol ) the case has the opening for the pump and then on the inside the lining has a removable gel pack to keep it cool the gel pack goes on the out side of the body not next to the skin. I know omnipod is on the skin but is there someway to come up with something that would adapt to the omnipod you know what my brother and mom has built stuff for my insulin pump like you would not believe so let me ask it can’t hurt worst they can say is no…
Thanks med464rescue. Your Mom and brother sound great. My daughter is actually switching to the MiniMed at the end of the month. She is not crazy about the OmniPod for several reasons. Maybe they should market their inventions. My daughter’s been inside today in the air conditioning and her BG is much better. It’s a constant struggle isn’t it? Thanks for your input and be safe.
With the minimed when you get it just let me know cause I have a few of the cases with the gel packs so you could have one to help out. we just did so much research out there to find one to keep it all cool the insulin and the pump and could not find one so mom being the creative one and my brother always coming up with something new made it and it works great I have five of them one pink of course to go with all my pink clothes then the black one for the ninja look the blue for working out and going out with friends one with dinosaurs on it Don’t ask I was a kid at the time!! and a navy blue one for work to match the blue pants and shirts we wear on the ambulance
besides no kid should have to stay in just because of the diabetes insulin!! she should be free!!
Renee:
If the issue is present, even with a new set, think about the insulin. If you received ]it at the pharmacy , ti is likely heat stressed, if you got it form mail order, it could be heat stressed at the mail order place. Have you doctor order a new single vial from a different pharmacy, even if you need to pay for it , and put it in the pump and give it a complete run through of one vial, in my case two changes, if the highs remain, you know its not the insulin, if the highs go away, you know it is the insulin and take it back immediately. The pharmacy has no way of knowing if insulin has gone bad, except the expiration date. In several cases over the past 35 years, I have had bad insulin. It is always in date, and it always behaves as you are describing.
rick phillips
Maybe it was more a case of dehydration. I find I must always carry some water, and sip it every once in a while. I have had the OmniPod for two years, and swim a lot, so I am at the pool in the hot weather. My only concern is dehydration. Hope your daughter does not mind the tubing, and the the “procedure” of tubing changes! Good luck!
Yes, Renee. The heat can affect the quality of the insulin in the pump which could, in turn, affect how it is working in your daughter. Just as I was advised by Medtronics, I would keep it out of t he sunlight (maybe under some clothes) and limit the amount of time she spends outdoors. You can tell (somewhat) if a vial is bad by the cloudy look or if it has particles in it. It is harder to tell if the reservoir insulin is bad because of the limited view you have. Best bet in all, avoid an overexposure to the heat.
Lois
I think it be great if there was a test strip for insulin potency… talk about the big ? mark in the summer…
Surprised noones come out with a visual/chemical strip you drop some insulin on and compare the color…
I dont know why but my BG is skyrocketing in this heat and im not doing a damn thing different…
Kinda fustrating… have had to switch out cartridges after 2 days or they just dont work reliably.