Pumping in High Altitudes

[BrendaK]

We are thinking of going skiing over Christmas Break and I'm wondering if anyone has pumping experience at high altitudes. We took Carson to Winter Park, CO when he was 15 months old and had very weird experiences with air pressure in the vials of insulin. I'm concerned that the air pressure difference would make the insulin either "squirt out" more or not enough. I'd like to know your experiences.

I need to check my meter, too. The last time we went several years ago, the meter was only tested up to 7000 feet and we were staying at over 9000 feet. We use the Freestyle Flash now.

[Becky]

We are thinking of going skiing over Christmas Break and I'm wondering if anyone has pumping experience at high altitudes. We took Carson to Winter Park, CO when he was 15 months old and had very weird experiences with air pressure in the vials of insulin. I'm concerned that the air pressure difference would make the insulin either "squirt out" more or not enough. I'd like to know your experiences.

I need to check my meter, too. The last time we went several years ago, the meter was only tested up to 7000 feet and we were staying at over 9000 feet. We use the Freestyle Flash now.


We skied at Loveland, CO a couple of years ago and I didn't have any trouble. I made sure that my pump was in my jacket to stay warm and that I was eating enough. I seemed to go low faster than I do skiing in PA. I guess breathing the thinner air makes you work harder and therefore burn more carbs. I don't remember any weird pump alarms or high BGs.
Have you called the pump manufacturer? I'm sure that they have tested things like this.

Good luck and have a great trip!

[BrendaK]

Thanks for the info, Becky. I really appreciate it. The time we took Carson before (at 15 months old) he was on injections and every time we would draw up the syringe, the air pressure would either make the syringe squirt all of the insulin out or it would be impossible to push out. It was frusterating. And at that time we were trying to measure 1/4 units in a syringe.

I'll definitely call the pump manfacturer before we go. When went the first time, I didn't know the altitude of Winter Park and I called the meter manufacturer and the rep assured me that nothing was over 7000 feet and we would be just fine. WRONG, we were at over 9000 feet and I ended up having to call them from our condo and they overnighted me a bunch of control solutions just to make sure the meter worked. (And it did). But it was a stressful trip!!

[rickst29]

Your problem is that the air, which is already inside the insulin bottle from lower altitude, expands and pushes harder when the air pressure OUTSIDE the bottle is reduced.

Although you haven't physically ADDED any extra air, it has become "too much air" due to driving/flying/hiking up high.

SOLUTION:
You need to take air out of the bottle. Set it down, plunger side up (air, not insulin, at the top). Put in a needle on which you have NOT pulled back to inject air. (Leave the end up in the "air" portion of the bottle, not down in the insulin). Now pull back, removing air. Take out the "right" number of units and the pressure will be balanced, and the bottle will no longer "squirt".


- - - - -
Lots of products with air in them, like ice cream and yogurt, have the same problem if they're made in low-altitude California and then trucked up to Reno. They puff out, trying to leak their contents. In the case of ice cream, it "looks like" they gave you an extra 1/2 inch for free, even though it's just the air expanding the ice cream as it "puffs out".

We have the same effect, for nearly any sealed package with air in it, as we drive up from the Reno shopping areas (4500 ft) to our house. Pre-washed salad bags always puff up like balloons.


- - - - -
On vacation, especially skiing, people burn WAY MORE calories than they do in "normal" life. If Carson is a skiier, be particularly wary of a nigh-time crash-- when I go on an active vacation, I need to cut my basal down to as little as 60% of normal, because even though I might go to bed with normal readings, my liver is trying to replenish it's glucose store during the night, and I'll have a 3, 4, or 5 AM crash if I don't cut basal down.

With air bubbles avoided in tubing and cartridge, my pump has been happy and functional at more than 17K. And yeah, there are no mountains that high in the lower 48, I was in Mexico.