Medical Bag for 1st Holiday abroad to keep insulin cold.

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Mark Johnson

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Steroid Induced Diabetes
Hi All ,

We have booked a holiday in France with our 10 yr old who has T1 , My question is we need to take insulin with us on holiday and can anyone give us some advice what they take ie ice packs (to keep the insulin cold ), They will need to be put in a freezer each night or fridge to use the next day which hopefully our hotel will help with , As there is no fridge in the room.

Many thanks in advance. Mark. ps we will be a disney land and it most probably will be very hot weather.
 
How long are you staying for @Mark Johnson ? I’ve always used Frio cases (no need for ice packs).

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Insulin is fine at room temperature, and presumably your room will be air conditioned? So nothing needed in the room. You could use a frio when out and about, no freezing necessary
 
Please do not put insulin in the freezer it will deactivate it! personally i do not let my insulin/diabetes kit out of my possession on holiday and i would not trust handing it to hotel staff. Unless the location is very hot, insulin will usually be fine out of the fridge. Frio wallets as Inka suggests are very effective, available on amazon.,no ice packs needed. Make sure you bring at least double the kit you would expect to use. Have agood time 🙂
 
Saoirse said:
i would not trust handing it to hotel staff
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No, that sounds like asking for trouble. Asking them to freeze ice blocks would be fine, though. (Make sure the insulin isn't too close to the ice blocks. Cold is at least as bad a hot for insulin.)

Frio wallets are probably what you want. They work well enough and are easy to use with no need for a fridge or freezer (just water).

Insulin is fine at warmer temperatures than is usually recommended, so don't go crazy and leave insulin in the sun on the windowsill or in a car (even in a Frio wallet), but in a hotel room or with you as you walk around it should be fine (particularly in a Frio wallet).
 
I too would recommend Frio wallets.
These are small, easy to carry and activate.
I bought a couple about 18 years ago and take them with me when I visit somewhere hot where I will be spending time outside. They have accompanied me to Miami, Barbados, Morocco, Venezuela and other places where I have no access to a fridge.
 
If travelling there are a few things to remember
- take at least twice as much of everything that you think you might need. If you use reusable pens, take a spare. Take plenty of test strips even if you have a CGM.
- you may need more (or less) because your usual regime is different.
- while travelling, keep all medications in your hand luggage. Do not check it into the hold
- if flying, keep hypo treatment with you in your seat not the over head locker.
- have fun
 
D Land, so the original one in Los Angeles? I mean no matter, the mouse is just the same whether its in France, Florida or California! Wherever - it's A Lot of walking involved so do, do be careful with hats, sunscreen and all that jazz as well as making sure you have plenty of plain water with you as well as the available fizzy pop. Oh - and take your own teabags unless you enjoy gnat's pee! 🙄
 
Mark Johnson said:
We are going for 5 days , Brilliant , Thanks so much for your help All.
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5 days should present no problems at all Mark 🙂

Insulin in use is fine at ambient temperature for up to 28 days (best to keep it out of direct sun as much as you can).

If you have ‘spares’ in the room a Frio would be good shout - I’d really worry about a freezer block getting too close to the insulin and potentially ruining it 😱

Similarly I’d be a bit nervy about hotel-room mini fridges, in case they are a bit over-enthusiastic, and freeze the insulin (which I think may have happened to one member here, but I forget who!)
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
Similarly I’d be a bit nervy about hotel-room mini fridges, in case they are a bit over-enthusiastic, and freeze the insulin (which I think may have happened to one member here, but I forget who!)
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Oh yes! I had a near thing with a hotel fridge, when I took the picnic stuff out next morning and realised the ham had frozen solid! Fortunately my spare insulin was in its plastic bubble, in the box with the PIL wrapped round it, and was insulated enough not to have frozen. Lesson learned!
 
I’m not long back from holiday, granted it wasn’t abroad. I took double of everything, spare pens went straight into the room fridge on arrival.
I put my insulin in a small cold lunch/sandwich bag if the weather is a bit warm out. Worked like a charm down the U.K. coast and the bag was small enough to sit in a small back pack. If I’m out and it’s warm I keep all the betes things in a small lunch bag.
I keep a clean bag in the fridge at all times. U.K. weather has been wonderfully unpredictable recently
 
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