{"id":27634,"date":"2012-05-30T09:10:43","date_gmt":"2012-05-30T13:10:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=27634"},"modified":"2016-01-08T06:16:26","modified_gmt":"2016-01-08T11:16:26","slug":"hot-insulin-and-other-ways-a-person-with-diabetes-know-its-summer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=27634","title":{"rendered":"Hot Insulin and Other Ways a Person With Diabetes Knows it’s Summer"},"content":{"rendered":"

How do you know that summer has arrived? Some may go by the calendar (June 21st<\/sup>) and some may mark the last day of the school year as the beginning of summer, but I have my own signs that let me know it\u2019s summer.\u00a0 My signs are ones only a person with diabetes can understand.\u00a0And I\u2019ve come up with some solutions to my summer diabetes issues.\u00a0 If you have other ones, please share.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \u00a0Sweaty hands make it hard to check blood sugar.<\/strong>\u00a0For the past few days as it has become hotter and more humid, I\u2019m sweating more during my morning runs. I have found myself looking for something to wipe my fingers on when I stop to check my blood sugar because there is simply too much sweat on them to get an accurate reading.\u00a0 During the winter I just use my shirt if I need to wipe at all.\u00a0 But when summer comes, my clothes are too soaked in sweat and I find myself wiping my finger on trees and walls, and then trying to test my blood sugar as quickly as possible before the sweat takes over again. I know some people carry\u00a0a small microfiber cloth in their glucose meter kit but my running pack is already so stuffed. Any ideas?<\/li>\n
  2. I find myself trying to calculate the correct bolus for watermelon.\u00a0 <\/strong>I love watermelon and I live in a place that grows spectacular watermelon.\u00a0 It\u2019s one of the few foods I find totally irresistible, and eating it almost always causes a blood sugar disaster. Why is it so tricky to bolus for watermelon?\u00a0\u00a0 Watermelon has only 8g of carb per 100 grams (8%) and a relatively low glycemic load because of the high water content.\u00a0 However, it has a GI of 76 (way higher than orange juice), meaning it raises blood sugar very fast and without a pre-bolus it\u2019s almost impossible to avoid high blood sugar.\u00a0 But a large bolus which can keep up with the quick rise in blood sugar usually means eating much more watermelon or other carb a few hours later when my blood sugar comes crashing. My solution is to t<\/strong>ry and enjoy small amounts of watermelon or spread it out over time so the sugar rush doesn\u2019t come all at once. \u00a0This requires self control.<\/li>\n
  3. Dehydration.\u00a0<\/strong>A few weeks ago I had a headache so severe it frightened me.\u00a0 It started at the base of my skull, radiated across my head, and throbbed over my eyebrow.\u00a0 It lasted several days, and I could barely function.\u00a0 When I moved my head suddenly, I felt shooting pains.\u00a0 My wife told me to either drink more water or go to the ER.\u00a0 She suspected dehydration, which made sense as the weather had become significantly hotter and I was continuing to run long distances without increasing my water intake.\u00a0 Drinking more water worked.\u00a0 My headache improved.\u00a0Dehydration is dangerous to all people regardless of diabetes but those people with diabetes who have kidney complications need to be much more careful since dehydration can seriously affect damaged kidneys. So as it gets hotter it is imporatnt to drink plenty of caffeine-free beverages like water and sparkling water. It is also important to drink before you exercise and while you exercise.<\/li>\n
  4. I start to worry about my insulin overheating.<\/strong> Like many people with diabetes I like to stockpile diabetes supplies. I store most of my supplies in bathroom cabinets and drawers, and I keep my insulin in the refrigerator. This includes all insulin, except for the insulin in use. Before I started using an insulin pump this meant two insulin pens. Now that I\u2019m on the pump it means the insulin in my pump (which is always with me) and the vial of insulin I\u2019m using for refills. I used to keep the \u201cin use\u201d vial in the refrigerator too, but was told that to avoid air bubbles, it needs to warm up before filling the reservoir.\u00a0 So I keep it out of the fridge in a shady place.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been told that as long as it doesn\u2019t get too hot, it\u2019s fine. Can anyone define too hot<\/em>? And what about the insulin in my pump?\u00a0<\/strong>I just came back from a three day sailing competition with my son. I spent most of each day on a small motorboat helping the coach and learning about sailing. I covered myself with sunscreen and UV protective clothing but my pump was exposed to the sun and the heat most of the time. I knew I needed to keep my pump dry, but didn\u2019t know what to do about the sun and the heat.\u00a0<\/strong>According to Joslin Diabetes Center<\/a>, \u201cThe pump housing provides some insulation from the heat. If you are concerned about heat, you can use a protective pouch with a small, cold gel pack placed inside the pouch as a way to protect your insulin from the effects of heat. If you are spending an extended amount of time in the sun, cover the pump with a towel to protect it from prolonged direct sunlight. Disconnecting your pump for up to an hour is another option, but if it is disconnected for a longer time, you will need to adjust your insulin infusion rate accordingly to allow for the missed doses.\u201d<\/li>\n
  5. My infusion set comes out when I exercise.<\/strong> Last Friday I \u00a0knew summer had really arrived. I went out early in the morning for a 13 mile run. As always, I reduced my basal rate to 30% before heading out. When I finished my run around 7:30 a.m., dripping in sweat, I grabbed my pump off my belt to cancel the temporary basal rate. When I did, I noticed it wasn\u2019t connected to me.\u00a0 The sweat had caused the infusion set to fall out.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Joslin Diabetes Center<\/a> says, \u201cIf perspiration is a problem, try using a spray of antiperspirant on the insertion site after your usual skin-preparation routine. Others have success with skin-barrier preparations such as Mastisol, Skin-Tac H or a compound tincture of benzoin applied to the skin.\u201d\u00a0 I\u2019m afraid that the no amount of antiperspirant or skin-barrier preparations is a match for my sweat, kind of like hoping a flimsy umbrella will keep you dry in a hurricane. Can anyone recommend a tape with very strong adhesive? Other solutions?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Happy Summer!<\/strong><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    I find myself wiping my finger on trees and walls, and then trying to test my blood sugar as quickly as possible before the sweat takes over…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":41696,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1428],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nHot Insulin and Other Ways a Person With Diabetes Knows it's Summer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A cold gel pack placed inside your pouch as can protect your insulin from the effects of heat.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=27634\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Michael Aviad\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=27634\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=27634\",\"name\":\"Hot Insulin and Other Ways a Person With Diabetes Knows it's Summer\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=27634#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=27634#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/iStock_Watermelon.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2012-05-30T13:10:43+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-01-08T11:16:26+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/#\/schema\/person\/9f5612f866b93b894ab1ede7211e94c4\"},\"description\":\"A cold gel pack placed inside your pouch as can protect your insulin from the effects of heat.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=27634#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=27634\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=27634#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/iStock_Watermelon.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/iStock_Watermelon.jpg\",\"width\":854,\"height\":562,\"caption\":\"Hot Insulin and Other Ways a Person With Diabetes Knows it's Summer\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?p=27634#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Hot Insulin and Other Ways a Person With Diabetes Knows it’s Summer\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/\",\"name\":\"ASweetLife\",\"description\":\"The Diabetes Magazine\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/#\/schema\/person\/9f5612f866b93b894ab1ede7211e94c4\",\"name\":\"Michael Aviad\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asweetlife.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3ba3fc6587a14adc91df0f8eec748ed5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/3ba3fc6587a14adc91df0f8eec748ed5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Michael Aviad\"},\"description\":\"Michael Aviad is co-founder of ASweetLife. 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