Protecting diabetes supplies from the sun

Summertime is great, for its long days, its sunny weather, and the free time it gives a lot of us to pursue fun outdoor activities. In addition to slathering on sunscreen, drinking lots of water and following general safety precautions, we must also remember to protect diabetes supplies from getting too hot.

A Type 1 diabetic cyclist recently told me that he usually clips his insulin pump to the outside of his shorts while he is biking. One day the pump clip broke and he was forced to tuck the pump inside his shorts, close to his body. The bolus he gave for dinner a few hours later didn't work, and he figured out that the insulin in his pump had gotten so hot during the bike ride that it wasn't as effective as usual. This problem was something he had never anticipated, and it could really happen to anyone.

Whether you're sitting by the pool all afternoon or sightseeing in Peru this summer, you will probably have your insulin and glucometer close by. It takes less than an hour for these supplies to heat up and "go bad." According to insulin manufacturer Novo Nordisk, insulin exposed to temperatures over 86 degrees Fahrenheight will literally expire. During the summer, there is a high risk of your insulin losing its potency, and this can lead to unexplained high blood sugars.

We all know that parked cars get hot, fast. So never leave your glucometer or insulin vial inside a car during the day. There have been times where I have accidentally left my OneTouch meter on the front passenger seat, come back an hour later and realized that the test strips had been ruined. If the test strips feel warm, they won't give accurate blood sugar readings and they'll have to be thrown out.

If you wear an insulin pump, be aware of how much sun it gets when you're outside. Lying down on the beach? Cover your pump with a towel or t-shirt so it gets some shade. While disconnected from the pump, do not just leave it in a bag or under the towel/t-shirt. Store the pump (and your glucometer) in a lunchbox or cooler while you aren't using it.

By taking these precautions, you should save yourself from wasting insulin and test strips, and from unexplained highs. If, after a long summer day, your body is not responding to insulin the way you expect it to, your insulin may still have gone bad due to heat exposure. After troubleshooting and eliminating all other possibilities that could have lead to the high bg, opening a new vial or filling a new cartridge of insulin should remedy the situation.