Hi
I'm type 1 on a pump using Humalog insulin. When not on the pump I use Lantus as back up.
After a recent nightmare in hospital I wonder if anyone else has ever had issues whether on a pump or not with insulin and heat.
To cut a long story very short, one night while in hospital my pump insulin failed. I believe this was due to my being extremely hot and the pump being in contact with my very warm belly. I had two pens as backup. A Humalog one and a Lantus one. The hospital was very warm but I used the Humalog pen. I found the pen insulin seemed sluggish and not as effective as normal. A bit later on after correcting slightly high bloods it stopped working. The hospital then had to administer Actrapid.
The insulin in the pen had been out of the fridge ten days and the insulin in the pump, four days.
Two things to bear in mind. My bloods run at normal figures and I'd had surgery, post surgery my bloods were running at no higher than 5 and no lower than 4.5. It was the night before leaving when this happened.
It appears in my experience (this has happened on two separate occasions in the last six months) that Humalog is extremely sensitive to heat. Has anyone else found this?
Are there any better more heat resistant insulins? What do people use in warmer countries such as Spain etc?
Dom
I'm type 1 on a pump using Humalog insulin. When not on the pump I use Lantus as back up.
After a recent nightmare in hospital I wonder if anyone else has ever had issues whether on a pump or not with insulin and heat.
To cut a long story very short, one night while in hospital my pump insulin failed. I believe this was due to my being extremely hot and the pump being in contact with my very warm belly. I had two pens as backup. A Humalog one and a Lantus one. The hospital was very warm but I used the Humalog pen. I found the pen insulin seemed sluggish and not as effective as normal. A bit later on after correcting slightly high bloods it stopped working. The hospital then had to administer Actrapid.
The insulin in the pen had been out of the fridge ten days and the insulin in the pump, four days.
Two things to bear in mind. My bloods run at normal figures and I'd had surgery, post surgery my bloods were running at no higher than 5 and no lower than 4.5. It was the night before leaving when this happened.
It appears in my experience (this has happened on two separate occasions in the last six months) that Humalog is extremely sensitive to heat. Has anyone else found this?
Are there any better more heat resistant insulins? What do people use in warmer countries such as Spain etc?
Dom
