Pump Emergency Kit

Hi Everyone…

I’m starting to sort all my pump supplies for my pump start, and wanted to ask opinions about something I heard at the pump expo.

They said that if you are going to be on a pump, you should have an emergency kit with you all the time, including insulin pen/syringe, spare meter, ketone strips etc.

I was wondering, what do people have in this respect? I don’t want to carry a lot of stuff with me so I plan to have spare supplies, etc in the car and at work… I’m going on a Medtronic 522, and I’m going to use Quicksets which means I’ll use a quickserter… do I really need more than one to have around or to carry with me?

What do other people have / carry with them?

Cheers,

Henry.-

I just carry a syringe.

If my pump fails, then I could draw insulin out of the pump resevoir with the syringe.

I also carry at least one new infusion set, my meter, a few foil wrapped ketone strips, glucagon, glucose tabs, …

I think that’s all. Sounds like a lot, but I have a small toiletries case that I put it in and just keep that in my backpack.

I’m not on the pump long so I’m not an expert but I carry my pens (I just havent taken them out of my bag yet, should do though, the insulin hasnt been changed in them for at least 6 weeks now).

I carry my glucometer and glucose tablets. I dont carry an infusion set in my hand bag but I do have one in work. Not sure if I’d be comfortable changing it without the inserter thing but I have one anyway…

I’ve never carried a glucagon with me or ketone strips. I’m not very good at checking ketones to be honest and I never thought about carrying a glucgon on my person.

I’m interested to find out what other people carry too. Good question!

I just woke up… Once I come back to my desk to work, I’ll post pictures of what is in my emergency kit :slight_smile:



Finally back in my office

Above is my kit, and what it looks like once it’s contained.

I keep 2 spare quick sets in my car they are ok with the temperature changes. I also keep 2 sryinges so i can excract insulin from my pump if need be. Other then that i just make sure I always have a good 50 units in the pump. if i have lower then that i do take spare insulin with me.

I also have a quarter in my pack just in case I need to change out the battery on my pump.

Interesting question! When I first started pumping, I carried extra Quickset infusion set, insulin vial, and inserter tool. Two years later, I have trimmed the list as long as I’m within an hour of home – I no longer carry insulin vial, extra infusion set or inserter tool. My logic is that, in an emergency, I can be home in less than an hour to take care of any problem. I do carry extra batteries for pump and meter, extra test strips, ketone strips and color key. Hadn’t thought about carrying glucogon (I do have it at home).

When traveling further from home, I carry additional insulin, infusion sets, inserter tool, glucogon, Skittles (quick glucose source), alcohol wipes, and glucogon.

I hadn’t considered carrying a syringe for use with insulin from the pump reservoir as Kristin does, but it sounds like a smart idea…

Gerry

my syringe is in my testing kit :slight_smile: As well as a penny. If you’re in a bind it will work to correct the high until you can get home. I met another pumper and their emergency kit was huge. They had a Levemir pen, a novolog pen, several pen needles, everything I had above, a hypo-kit, 2 infusion sets, 2 reservoirs, a pack of batteries and I don’t even remember what else. I asked them if they planned on moving in - they pretty much had everything to do so!

I carry it all with me. I’ve had to change sets at work a few times, so I have a little make-up bag that fits 2 infusion sets, 2 reservoirs, syringes, insulin, serter, ketone strips and extra batteries. I also have swabs and, of course, test strips, glucose tabs, but they are in my testing pouch. Everything fits into my purse, so it’s not a big deal…may be a bit trickier for you :wink:

From how I see it, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

I only carry a spare battery and a quarter for my pump emergency kit, unless I’m far enough away from home that I can’t just get back there quickly. Then I pack of supplies which include set change items, syringes, insulin, and my pump manual. I used to carry insulin and a syringe with me always but never used them so I don’t anymore. It’s good to keep extra supplies handy just in case, but remember to replace them before expiration.

1 Like

I’m a bit lax in this department. I carry an extra battery, a syringe, candy, and a glucometre kit. I figure if my pump dies despite having a fresh battery, or I accidently rip out my infustion set, etc. I can still take insulin by syringe with my reservoir and can easily get anything else I might need at a nearby drug store or at home. Now if I’m travelling, it’s another story - I pack a lot of extra supplies of everything, including a spare pump (free service with Medtronic).

For me it depends on where I am going, who I am with and how long I plan on being out. If it is just to the doctor and I will be with a friend I will carry meter, juice and glucogan kit. If I am going to be away for a longer period I will have meter, juice, glucagon kit, glucose tablets, some sort of snack like a granola bar, syringes, depending on how much insulin is in my pump, a vial of insulin, and a spare infusion set, and normally a battery.

The pump manufactureres and trainers are always overly cautious, IMHO.

I generally don’t carry any extra insulin or syringes with me on a daily basis. I’m rarely so far from home that I can’t get back in time to refuel.

I keep a back up supply of insulin pens, long and short acting, at home in case of pump failure, but I don’t carry them around with me.

If I’m going somewhere where I can’t easily return home, or I’m to be gone overnight or longer, I bring one infusion set for each three days I’ll be gone plus one extra. Of course I bring the insulin, too. (I forgot it once, but I was within the U.S. and had no difficulty transfering the prescription to where I was and getting it filled there.) I do have to carry an extra toiletry bag for all that crap, plus a syring or two, extra test strips, alcohol pads and such.

Terry

And, oh yeah. Batteries. Just one or two and just if I"m travelling.

I have 2 kits, one that goes in my purse and one that is in my house with everything I would need for at least a month in case of natural disaster. I have a client who was in hurricane Katrina and he almost died waiting to be rescued as he had no supplies. His story motivated me to be ready to go in a flash if ever some major event made me have to leave my home…he was in ICU for 3 weeks once he was rescued.

My purse kit:

I use a small purse like a teen or little girl would carry with a juicy juice box, a tube of glucose tabs, one infusion set, 2 syringes, a vial of Humalog, some alcohol wipes and IV wipes, 1 battery for my pump and a quarter to get the cap off. I also have my glucometer too. This fits inside my real, “big girl” purse very easily.

My big kit:

20 infusion sets, 350 extra strips, glucagon, lancets & extra lancing devices, iv wipes and alcohol wipes, keytone strips, extra battery caps and cartridge caps, 2 extra glucometers (all I use is one touch brand so they all use the same strips), extra clip for the pump and case, a full bottle of glucose tabs, some protein bars, and lots of batteries. All I have to do is grab the Humalog out of the fridge and go. I keep in all in one of those snap top rubbermaid containers that is easy to carry. It is amazing how much stuff you can pack into a small one of those!

my essentials (which usually fit in a small zipper bag): infusion set, iv prep, reservoir cartridge, bottle of insulin, syringe, penny (for cap), AAA battery, tagaderm (tape), glucose tabs, bottle of strips, glucometer

Thanks everyone for the ideas… Keep them coming…

One question… has anyone taken the approach of leaving multiple sets of emergency supplies in different plates? (ie. Car, Office, etc)

I must be super slack in this area! I always carry glucose tabs, and that is about it! I do work in a health care setting so if my pump stopped working I always have access to a syringe. I do need to carry extra pump supplies but I just usually forget, my purse is already the size of a suitcase, I am not sure I have room for it!

I do …

I work from home, however, I do have an office I venture to once or twice a month. I have a little kid’s hello kitty purse there with a set of supplies with the exception of insulin.

My mother also lives down the street, she’s a pumper but we have different pumps so I have a set there as well with the exception of insulin. That way, if I run into any issues she can run it to me - even if I’m out on the town. :slight_smile: