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Warning re. Hot Weather

Heathenlass

Heathenlass

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,631
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Yesterday it was unusually hot for the Lands Beyond The Wall, and I was under pressure to get out of the house ASAP . So instead of doing the sensible thing and waiting a few minutes more to soak my dried out FRIO, and retrieve my insulated "grab bag" I bundled my insulin pen roll in to a carrier bag along with lunch and stuff and headed out the door.

I was outside all day, with the bag in the vehicle, tested at lunch time, didn't need Novorapid and carried right on.

So last night, did the usual test (normal) meal and insulins , then noticed my BG's were climbing higher than normal but not unduly so at bedtime ,then off to bed.

I woke at 5am (usual time, argh !) feeling like absolute cr*p and with BG's off the scale, ketones 8mmol/l :hungover:

It dawned on me that yesterday, I probably cooked my insulin and it wasn't working.

So I changed the vials, injected to cover and have drunk a small pond's worth of water, and it's coming down to normal ranges.

The moral of the cautionary tale is :
a) Keep your insulin cool, folks, get a FRIO or other insulated cool wossname..
b) Don't let anyone hassle you to "get a move on" when getting your supplies together before going out. B*gger 'em!
c) If in doubt, change your vials/ penfils or disposable pens.
d) If you feel rubbish with rising BG's for no other reason, get assistance, and get to A&E if you are not confident in managing it.

Otherwise, enjoy the sun ;)

Signy
 
I did exactly the same a week gone Monday, had higher than usual bg readings 2 days before so changed the insulin cartridges, problem solved and back to normal. It's surprising how fast the heat can deteriorate insulin.
 
Wow - that's a short space of time for it to go bad! My insulin is in my pump and in my bra so in this weather gets really hot when I'm out and about all - I haven't noticed any deterioration. Scary stuff but glad you're getting it sorted.
 
Riri said:
Wow - that's a short space of time for it to go bad! My insulin is in my pump and in my bra so in this weather gets really hot when I'm out and about all - I haven't noticed any deterioration. Scary stuff but glad you're getting it sorted.
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I need to mention that I work outside for around 12 hours sometimes, and the vehicle is a working Land Rover that gets very hot, inside so this was probably exceptional. I imagine that insulin in a pump would not ever get as hot as mine did, plus the likely culprit was the Insulatard. To be on the safe side, though, I dumped both vials.

@noblehead , yes it does! I've done things stupidly similar before, and had it deteriorate but not to this extent. :( I really should have known better, and also had the sense to think about dumping the vials before using them , I was just too hot and tired to think straight!

Signy
 
Heathenlass said:
@noblehead , yes it does! I've done things stupidly similar before, and had it deteriorate but not to this extent. :( I really should have known better, and also had the sense to think about dumping the vials before using them , I was just too hot and tired to think straight!
Click to expand...

Sometimes it gets that way, at least you spotted the problem and rectified it.

I've no excuse, I keep my pens in the hall where its cool as there's a window close by that lets in a cool breeze, however it must have got warmer than I thought :rolleyes: Now got my Frio wallet out and pens kept in that, had the wallet for 5 years now and it's still doing the job, had to stitch the end as the gel started to come out but apart from that.........
 
When I was prescribed insulin both the consultant and the DN emphasised the importance of keeping it cool. I suppose that's the difference between the insulin experience in the tropics (where I lived then) and Scotland!

Kate
 
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