I wanted to change my insulin pump, from an Animas Vibes to an Omnipod because of its wireless advantage. With the Animas I can get a small type of cooler to keep the insulin cooler. Can this be done with an Omnipad?
The conditions are being in a place for 10 days with the weather that can go on a daily basis at 110+ degrees and it is not by the beach or with a water source. This is a place with lots of people and it is very difficult to not be in the crowd for hours, so I can’t just do like we would at the beach and get into the water, etc.
Is that possible or should I keep my Animas Vibes until we come back (I wanted to order my Omnipod ahead of time before we leave, but now wonder if it would be best later)?
Hi assal,
Are you asking about keeping the insulin cool when the omnipod is attached to your body? Or keeping the vial of insulin cool? (the vial of insulin you use to fill the pod)
I just want to make sure I understand the question. Once the insulin is put into the omnipod, there really is no practical way to keep it cool.
Even going into the water will not do a good job of cooling it, unless the water is very cold. Most people could not stand to be in water that is cold enough to actually cool insulin.
Most insulin manufacturers recommend that you keep the insulin between 10 and 25 degrees C. Once the insulin is in the pod, it may be difficult to keep it at that temperature. It will make the insulin degrade faster if it gets too hot. Keeping the omnipod out of direct sunlight is very important!
You can change the pod more frequently. That would help. But in your situation, using the Animas might be easier, because if you can store your insulin VIAL in a cool place, you could just refill the Animas once-a-day while you are in the hot environment. You can’t do that with the omnipod.
Gosh, I’ve said a bunch of stuff! I hope I answered your question, but if not, post again and I will try better!
I’m sorry but I’m not quite sure what you are asking (maybe I just need more coffee!!!)
So from what I can tell you are going to be in a very hot climate for a prolonged period of time and with your Animas you keep the actual pump in a small cooler bag while it’s tethered to you because you are concerned about the insulin in the pump getting too hot.
I can tell you that I’ve worn the Omnipod for years and had it on in very hot weather for up to 10 hours at a time and never had an issue with the insulin degrading due to heat.
I think keeping it out of sunlight is important. I had one on my arm and it was exposed directly to the sun for about 90 minutes. The pod got extremely hot, it was just baking. It was like an oven cooking the insulin. It was totally useless after that. I had to ditch it and replace. I just wanted to mention that because I have learned since then to put it higher up on my arm so my shirt sleeve covers it. That makes a big difference in how hot it gets.
Your information is very helpful. My question was about the insulin in the pump, because I can keep the vial cool while I am out during the day.
You are right, with the Animas it can be easier, because I could use the mini foldable cooler that is a bit bigger than a cellular, but I would still have that tube, making it difficult to access with some cloth. I’m thinking I could desactive the CGM and separately use the Dexcom, so I would only need to access the Animas when eating or to give a temp basal if needed. What do you think?
Hello mikep… ohhhhhh, this is good to know. Yes, you are right in my situation, and sorry for not explaining correctly. In your situation, was the weather up to 110 degree Farheineit (40 celcius) and none stop for these 10 hours?
See, we are going for a pelerinage, which means it is for walking hours outside, but I am not sure for how many hours.
Hummmm, I’m thinking I could still order the Omnipod and if ever there is a problem, bring my Animas and use this one instead… hummm, maybe.
If you have been using the Animas for awhile, and you are comfortable with it, I would strongly encourage you to stay with it for the time of your pelerinage. You can easily switch when you are back, right?
Starting a new pump is a big change. Learning a completely new and different pump is not what you would want to do at this time! Enjoy your pilgrimage, and when you return, you can take the time to learn the new pump and try it. That would be my advice to you.
Ok, if you have a few months before your pilgrimage, I think you should probably keep the Animas, but get the omnipod and try it. Then after some use, you will be more comfortable and make a decision on which you should bring.
The temperature can have an affect, but you may notice it more the longer you have it on. Maybe it does not affect it much on the first day, but each day the insulin may get a little weaker. So that is something to keep an eye on and be aware of it.
Have you considered converting to multiple daily injections (MDI) for this pilgrimage? You have the time to learn how to do this with confidence. I suspect that keeping your insulin supply (vials and/or pen cartridges) cool would be easier than keeping the pump’s insulin (either pump) in an acceptable temperature range.
I’m a bit late to the party here, but you’re spot on.
I went to SE Asia during the summer in 2006. I wear an Omnipod now, but at the time had a more traditional Deltec Cosmo pump.
Fortunately, I thought ahead and bought several Frio pouches (including one that I could insert my insulin pump in, and wear on my belt). However, I didn’t use it right away (not realizing how the heat would affect the insulin in my pump) and it stopped working after a day or two! I broke out the Frio pouch and it saved my whole trip. (That is, until my insulin pump stopped working… and I had to convert to multiple daily injections until Smith’s Medical could send me a new one, which amazingly they did-- even going so far as to pay $2000 in “import taxes” that the Thai customs refused to waive)
I never used a Deltec Cosmo pump but I’ve heard and read many favorable comments over the years, many nostalgic. Smith’s Medical gave you great support. I would definitely travel internationally with a good back up plan. I’d strongly consider a second pump and CGM and likely back-up supplies for MDI.
I don’t know if it’s just because it was my first pump, but it really had quite a lot of features that seemed well thought out. I ended up switching to one of the old style Medtronic pumps afterwards (I was determined to be one of the first people using their early continuous glucose monitor system, which was terrible and had the unfortunate side effect of putting me off trying any other cgm, including dexcom, for years). The reason I went with Deltech to begin with is because I knew I’d be traveling in the developing world for many months, and I had to think ahead about how I could secure supplies in an emergency. Deltec used a generic luer lock infusion set, compared with Medtronic’s proprietary system. I thought if I lost my supplies, I’d have a better chance of finding generic tubing. Well, it turns out diabetic pump infusion sets are a rather specialized item (The closest infusion sets I could find were gigantic in comparison). In the end, the only one I could actually find was at the pharmacy at the Bumrungrad International Hospital. Guess which one they sold? Medtronic.
Oh, I’d also like to mention that I visited New Zealand a few years ago with my omnipod. In the middle of lunch, my PDM began alarming. I checked the screen and it said there was some kind of critical failure- It’s nothing I’d ever seen before. The PDM then went dead. I reached out to the manufacturer, expecting the kind of high quality, personalized support that I received from Smith’s medical.
Insulet was happy to send me a PDM to anywhere in America that I chose, but I still had three weeks in New Zealand! This was a bit of a problem, and was all the more upsetting knowing how Smith’s Medical supported me in Thailand when I really needed them. I switched over to multiple daily injections for the rest of the trip.
I really wish Smith’s medical were still in the game. They were an incredible company to work with, who made a really high quality pump.
