Keep your insulin cool and safe with a diabetic supply case

Insulin is a hormone, a protein that in liquid form requires injection of a very specific amount determined by your doctor. For obvious reasons you do not want to dilute the insulin by allowing water or any liquid to leak into it. It comes in a small bottle that allows you to insert your clean needle only, thus lessening the risk of contamination. However, an insulin supply pack can further insure an uncontaminated supply. It is especially useful when traveling.

Temperature is another consideration in the general maintenance of insulin. The general rule is if you use one bottle of insulin within thirty days, you can keep it at room temperature. Otherwise, you would want to refrigerate it. Since it is a protein it can easily be broken down by excessive heat or cold, rendering it useless.

Most people take insulin twice a day, so even a short trip requires that they carry the insulin and supplies that they need with them.

In summer months, or warm climates, the car can get very hot, reaching temperatures of 140 degrees or more. Leaving the insulin in the glove box, even for an afternoon at the mall, could ruin it. The same would be true in cold climates, or during the winter.

An insulin supply case will protect your medicine and supplies in several different ways. First, having the bottles and supplies in a case protects them from breakage. Most cases have small bands of material that you insert the bottles into so that they can't move around and be hit against each other, or anything else. Some cases do this by using pockets tight enough to hold the bottle securely.

Secondly, the supply cases protect against temperature extremes, by using a simple kind of gel-pack. The gel-pack can be removed easily and put into your freezer, and then when your ready to travel reinserted into your supply case. It will not freeze your insulin, but will keep it at a cooler or refrigerator temperature which is perfectly safe.

There are a variety of sizes available, from a large wallet size to a small purse. Some of the features vary also. They are almost always made of a water proof material, and have specific, secure compartments that hold at least two bottles of insulin, syringes, and alcohol. Some have even got small pockets for credit cards, id's, keys, and change, and come with a shoulder strap.

Prices vary from just a few dollars to around one hundred, depending on size and features. Most cases come in plain black, but I have run across a dark blue model. They vary in size but are mostly rectangular in shape, ranging from about seven by seven by three inches to around nine by four and a half by three and a half inches. I would highly recommend all diabetic patients to obtain a supply pack for peace of mind. You should enjoy your travels without fear or worry about spoilage or breakage of insulin bottles or supplies.