Once you have diabetes you become a pack mule. I recently got a call from a patient who learned this lesson the hard way. She was 2000-plus miles away from home when her pump stopped working. Another pump was shipped immediately, but she had to get through about 26 hours with no pump.
When we are brand new to diabetes or to insulin pumps, we may closely follow all the instructions/recommendations. But after we settle into our routine, we start to forget the details. This patient had everything she needed for pumping insulin; however, she no longer carried a syringe. She didn’t have her basal rates written down, and so on.
When you wear an insulin pump there are extra things to remember: write down your basal rates and keep them in your wallet (you could also put them in your phone or email them to yourself as back-up to your back-up). Keep a couple syringes with you, in case you have to inject at some point. You might even consider having your health care provider help you figure out how much and what type of insulin you would need should your pump malfunction. Write that information down and keep it with you.
If you take insulin, keep blood glucose monitoring equipment with you. Find a way to carry this stuff when you are hiking, biking, or otherwise away from home. You never know when you’ll need to check in. I was recently hiking up a mountain when I felt I just couldn’t go any further. I had no energy. I checked my blood glucose, and I was low. But I didn’t feel low; we can’t always count on low symptoms. Be prepared.