ASK GINGER – Insulin and Winter Temperatures!

Hi Ginger,

You said you went into DKA once because you were outside in the winter and the cold messed up your insulin. How cold does it have to be for that to happen? I snowboard a lot, but I was only diagnosed last March so I’m kinda worried about my pump.


-Dan



Hey Dan,

Great question, because this is really important if you’re a snowboarder! When I was out in the cold that night stringing Christmas lights, my biggest mistake was that the insulin pump was only protected by the thin material in the pocket of my pants. I didn’t have it inside my coat or surrounded by snow pants – so of course, after being outside for longer than I planned to be, the zero degree weather killed the potency of my insulin.

If I could go back in time, I would have done either of two different things:

1. At the very least, tuck my pump inside my jacket where it’s next to my body and therefore keeping much, much warmer from my body heat.

or

2. I could have temporarily disconnected from my pump for that hour outside after taking a small bolus to compensate for the basal rate insulin I would’ve missed by being disconnected. Plus, I was working pretty hard, so that would have almost been like disconnecting for light exercise.


As a snowboarder or skier, you probably shouldn’t disconnect from your pump and then head up a mountain, because that will leave you really unprepared and you’d also be disconnected for way too long. So, it would be a better idea to find a safe pocket inside your jacket or your pants pocket (if you’re wearing snow pants, too) and make sure your pump is close to your body. If you want to buy an extra pump cover to help keep it warm, that’d be smart. Depending on the brand of pump you have, you can easily get a cool cover by searching online.

Another thing that cold weather can do is zap the juice in your pump batteries! So, basically, it would be a really good idea to have an extra set of batteries, extra infusion set and extra insulin packed somewhere safely in your snowboarding bag (that is sitting warmly in the ski lodge), so you can be prepared if you’re out there on a super cold day.

Don’t let your insulin pump keep you from snowboarding! You just need to make sure you’re prepared. (And keep glucose tabs on you, too, so you're prepared for a low blood sugar even if you're stuck on the chair lift!)

Ginger