Been there, done that!

This blog from a type 1 diabetic about losing her insulin while in the US reminded me of my own experiences. Here's the comment I left on that site (just in case it does not get past moderation).

I live in the UK and for five years I used to speak at US conferences four or five times a year. My T1D was usually not an issue, although there were a few issues - like security at Birmingham International telling me I had to put my insulin in the cargo hold and me demanding the airline book me an ambulance at Chicago because I would arrive "unconscious" without my insulin (OK, a bit over the top, but they "made an exception" for me).

On one occasion I was a bit lax. I had enough insulin for the trip, but on the way back the transatlantic plane was delayed and I had to stay overnight in a hotel. I needed to change the basal insulin in my pen and I did it in the bathroom. (Lesson: don't change cartridges in the bathroom, the floor is hard). I dropped the cartridge and it broke. This was my 'spare' (I was in the US for one day more than I had planned).

What to do? If you are a clinician, do not read on.

I had the same dilemma mentioned in the blog, except my only option was #3 - find a doctor and get a prescription. However, this was 1 am, so the choice of doctor and pharmacy was limited. I didn't want the option of spending hours and hundreds of dollars that it would cost. I had travel insurance, but the administration involved in getting the refund was far too much. Anyway, I had also spent a day travelling, I was tired from a week's work at a conference, and wanted to go to bed.

So I got a spare disposable syringe and sucked as much insulin as I could out of the smashed cartridge. (Lesson: carry disposable syringes, you never know when you'll need one.) There was enough for that injection. But what about the plane trip home? Usually, to take into account time zones, I would inject a half dose half way across the Atlantic. There wasn't enough remaining insulin in the smashed cartridge for that.

However, while travelling I had got into a habit when changing cartridge of putting the spent cartridge in my wash bag to dispose of at home. Except I didn't remember to dispose of the cartridges at home, so there was quite a collection in my wash bag. So I had spent basal cartridges from this trip, and from other trips in my wash bag. In each was a little bit of insulin and, with the syringe, I was able to draw out enough for the half dose on the plane. The insulin was old, and not stored at a cold temperature, but in that situation, any insulin was better than none.