? Power outage - insulin going bad

I'm really irked because this is a brand new bottle too! Power's been out for over 13 hours now, I put the insulin in a cooler when it first went out and packed ice packs with it (not touching). It's over 90 degrees here, probably more in the house. The ice packs have already begun melting so I put everything in the freezer chest with everything else. All our surrounding counties are out of power and it's apparently going to be a while until we get power...and more storms are coming tonight. If my insulin does go bad before the power is back on, should I run to Walmart and pick up NPH until I can get more ProZinc ordered? :/

 

You may be able to buy more ice from a grocery store. I know the store I worked at when I was younger kept the freezers running through emergency generators. Although, people maybe have bought out all the ice already due to the outages. Might be worth a shot?

 

If you can buy more ice for the freezer chest then you should be able to keep up a small separate cold storage for the insulin.

My power outage plan is to put the vial in a thermos along with zip lock baggies of cold water (melted ice if I have it) that can be swapped out at dose time, then keep the thermos sealed and as protected from heat as I can manage, probably keeping it in an insulated lunchbox, and in the coolest part of our home. I think that would keep it refrigerator temperature without the risk of freezing.

Fingers crossed that power is back soon.

 

We did buy a couple bags of ice earlier for the freezer chest but when I last checked (trying not to open it) it looked like everything was still starting to melt. Power is still out, what do I do if it goes bad? :/

I saw there's an item called a Frio Insulin pack that doesn't require ice or refrigeration, just water, I'll be ordering that for next time, they don't appear to sell them locally.

 

Well, I think it will probably be ok for today and tomorrow if you can keep it isolated and cool. Remember that people get vials shipped everyday, with no power or ice replenishment once it is sent, just surviving in an insulated package with whatever cold pack they include with the vial. I think the key is to keep it in something small and easy to protect, that doesn't get opened except to pull a dose.

It might not be a bad idea to order more of the ProZinc asap to have on hand as back up. If the current bottle does fail, you will have a replacement, and as expensive as it is, lots of people keep two vials on hand, ordering another back up when they near the end of one. The trick is how to get it safely to you in this heat.

I think introducing an alternate type of insulin would be tricky. I see you used to use the NPH though, so maybe that could work as your back up.

 

Get blocks of ice, they'll last way longer than cubes and are usually the last thing people buy. This is stating the obvious but keep this in the basement and don't let the insulin come in contact with the ice. If the power is on at Walmart they might take pity on you and store your insulin. This is not anything I would normally recommend but if you go that route you could pre-load 2 or 3 syringes to carry you through to closing time at Walmart tomorrow when the power will hopefully be back on.
Any friends or relatives within a 30 minute drive? What about the local animal emergency clinic, they may have back up power. Same thing with fire halls and most seniors residences.
Just to be clear, preloading a syringe for any extended period of time is never a good idea and if things go bad this cannot come back to me. If you're wondering what the big deal is it's the seal in the syringe that can degrade and get into the insulin.

 

Hi. I'm sorry & hope the power comes on. I have the Frio. Some pharmacies carry them but you can also get them in one day via Amazon Prime

 

I checked online and it said ProZinc can be kept at room temperature, below 80 degrees for 28 days.

 

So sorry you are having this issue, where are you?

This is a good wake up call for the rest of us. I didn't have a power outage plan for insulin when we were using it, or even for when we just kept the vial in case the remission failed.
You just never know for sure when it will happen, how long it will last or if you can replenish ice supplies.

 

this is one reason I keep our insulin inside a vacuum-type coffee tumbler, inside the fridge
stays chilled even when it's out -- even when $%^& family member leaves it out on the counter overnight
we lose power fairly regularly, especially when windstorms blow through -- got ice packs always in the freezer, got coolers available
one great thing is to find someone who has ordered from Omaha Steaks -- the cooler boxes those come in, are great

alternatively, ask at sporting goods stores for cooler box that worms come in

if we have to use them, we then pile duvets and coverlets on them, keep them in the basement where the floor is cool even in 100* temps

another thing might be to find a neighbor with an RV who has an onboard refrigerator running on propane

 

Is that for an open vial? I could only find info on unopened ones.

I'm in SC, we're having some nasty storms right now out of no where. I was just thinking the other day about what would happen in a power outage do I researched and that's how I knew what to do with a cooler and ice packs but it's definitely not ideal for this long of an outage, it's been 19 hours now. :/

I am definitely going to order this Frio pack once the power's back up, only $20 on Amazon and seems to be a long-term solution. I'd order it now but my phone doesn't want me to log into Amazon and obviously I don't have wifi right now, sigh. My phone will be dead soon too argh. Lucikly I used her insulin an hour ago and it was still a good temperature.

 

Of course you probably already know this, but avoid opening the refrigerator and freezer unless absolutely necessary. If the insulin is normally stored in the door, move it towards the back where it is cooler.

 

Can you charge your phone in your car? Drive to a restaurant/library in another town with wifi?

 

I hope everything has turned out ok & your power is back on. A few other items that are helpful:

The other purchase is the MedAngel which is a temperature sensor w/APP for your phone which will make sure your insulin is at a safe temperature:

https://medangel.co

I ordered 2 FRIOS so that if I need to wet a 2nd one I can. Each is supposed to keep cool for 45 hours.

I also would highly recommend buying an Anker or Morphie brand Portable Cell Phone Charger & keeping them powered up so that you can keep a charge on your phone. I also own a solar charger.

 

I hadn't even thought about charging in my car! :0 well my car is too old to do it but I could use my parents.

Power is still out but surprisingly her insulin is still good, it almost feels cooler than normal. I'll be checking out your suggestions Amy when I go to work shortly. Sorry my replies are so brief > <

 

Tried to send you a message but it won't allow me to. Not sure where you are but I'm a Prime member & would be more than happy to order what you need & have it sent to you!

 

Sorry Amy! I think I fixed it. I'm going to message you but if you don't receive it assume my phone died and I'll do it once I'm at work!

 

All you need in the car to charge it is a cigarette lighter and the car charging cable.

 

for that matter, there are coolers that charge off car batteries through lighter sockets also .. sold through auto supply stores, RV supply stores, maybe even some big box stores

 

So I keep and refreeze the cold packs that come with my insulin. I had my power out for two nights in April I believe. I also keep my insulin in the special insulated mailer it comes in, while in the fridge. When my power went out, I kept it stored with the cold pack and didn’t open the refrigerator for anything but insulin, then after about a day I switched to a big cup of ice from a store and packed it around (without directly touching). This was with Lantus. It’s possible it may have lost a little bit of efficacy over time, but it still worked fine for our needs.

I hope your power is restored soon.

 

@Lisa and Witn (GA)
Hi Lisa. Will you please link your source? If we end up putting info together regarding storage of insulin products for our members, we'll have to provide links to the information.
Thanks much!

 

Thank you everyone for your input and suggestions! <3 Power is back on finally, was out for over 30 hours. The insulin did in fact make it, I'm surprised but grateful. It's extremely humid where I live and no basement, nearest town is over a half hour away where I'm at so it's pretty isolating finding help. I definitely didn't expect the ice packs in the cooler I packed to melt so quick but that's what happens when you live in the deep south I guess. Again thank you all! Hopefully this will help someone else get an emergency outage plan together before something happens. >.<

 

@Jill & Alex (GA) Maybe a new permanent yellow sticky named "Travel/Evacuation/Power Outage Supply List"- I actually put together a kit as part of my yearly Hurricane Prep, but it would be good for travel &/or people who lose power as well.

 

So glad your power is back on!! Some other thoughts: don't open refrigerators/freezers except for insulin/insulin related purposes. The bottom ofthe fridge, at the back, is the coldest. Some areas, where country folk go infrequently to supermarket & then drive ferocious distances to get home, give out dry ice with packed groceries If you are in a city, maybe you could buy some. Be careful with it, as it's a Whole Lot Colder than water ice. Yup, a big block of ice will last longer. Jeep your freezer full (of ice, food,whatever) and it will stay cold much longer .same for refrigeration: I find gallon milk jugs handy. If you have a stream, you can put insulin in a small sealed container and put it in the stream. Root cellar in the basement? And another question: do you live in an area where power goes out now and then? I guess we all do, these days. You could consider a small solar system, or fossil--fuel powered generator. There are bicycle systems too; the rear wheel is off the ground, and when you pedal, you power q small generator which charges marine (better for your needs) or car batteries. Thanks so much for your post; I hadn't considered this issue at all. How cold is your tap water? Maybe construct a small gadget with running tap water, if cold enough. Yes, to this being a sticky.!!

 

@Amina&M'row those we’re aome really amazingly awesome and creative ideas. Like the stream thing! I wouldn’t stick my own self in natural water around where I live but it’s so brilliant where possible!

And the dry ice, too. Nice.