Animas pump question

[TracieandJim]

From this site http://www.diabetesadvocacy.com/insulin_pumps.htm

This paragraph...
I do NOT change the insulin cartridge with a site change (that's wasteful). I change it when the pump tells me there are 20 units left in the cartridge. With Animas, there is simply a needle to get the insulin into the cartridge which is wonderful to be able to tip a nearly empty bottle to get all the insulin out.

Will someone explain this to me about the insulin bottles? Im using vials right now and we waste alot at the end of each month. Is this method thats mentioned a way to make the insulin last longer by taking the insulin thats leftover and adding it to a more full bottle?

[Nancy in VA]

I don't think that's what he's saying.

I think that the way that the Animas cartridges are loaded, by screwing a needle onto the cartridge and then putting that needle into the vial, makes it easier for him to get every drop out of the insulin vial

I used to throw away a ton of vials when we were on shots. Now we get cartridges - they are 300 units instead of 1000 units, so we use more before it goes bad. Also, you will "waste" more insulin with a pump. The tubing holds 10-12 units so when you change it out, that will go in the garbage. Also, you will use change a cartridge with about 6 units or so, so that will be thrown out. You will prime out insulin from time to time.

We also don't change the cartridge every site change. I do reprime out 10 units when I do a site change or make sure I change the tubing, because I have found that the insulin if its in the tubing gets old faster (the numbers seem to creep up)

But I'm pretty certain he's not saying take old insulin and put it in a bottle with new to extend the life. You can, however, draw from two different vials. You just draw from one and then take the needle and put it in the new vial and draw from that one.

[Thoover]

We put 100u of insulin into our cartridge for the pump and change it every 3 days. The reason we change it even if there is 20-30u left is because its summer time she is outside and the cartridge can get warm. I see alot of higher numbers around day 3 in the summer time.

You can change the site and not the cartridge. Its very easy to do but I chose to change everything on the site day change..

[LizinTX]

We use Humalog, and we notice that Jacob's numbers start to creep up and be completely out of range, the longer the bottle of insulin has been opened. In other words, when we open a new bottle of insulin we write the date on it, and usually around the 28th day we start to see unexplained high numbers--by unexplained I mean by any other reason except the insulin.

Maybe it is just Humalog that starts to break down???? I am not sure. I just know that for us, if we used every drop of insulin and it was past the 28 day mark, and then mixed it with fresh he would probably run high, until we completely changed it over to fresh.

[Nancy in VA]

We use Humalog, and we notice that Jacob's numbers start to creep up and be completely out of range, the longer the bottle of insulin has been opened. In other words, when we open a new bottle of insulin we write the date on it, and usually around the 28th day we start to see unexplained high numbers--by unexplained I mean by any other reason except the insulin.

Maybe it is just Humalog that starts to break down???? I am not sure. I just know that for us, if we used every drop of insulin and it was past the 28 day mark, and then mixed it with fresh he would probably run high, until we completely changed it over to fresh.


That's one of the reasons we switched to getting the Humalog in the pen cartridges instead of the vials. Because it is a smaller amount in the cartridge, we go through it quicker so we never approach the 28 day mark.

We use, on average, about 13 units a day. I load about 120 in a cartridge and get 6 days out of it. So, I get approximately 2 cartridges, or 12 days, out of a vial. Much better than pushing the 28 day mark with a vial of 1000 units, that would take me 48 days to go through using my 120 units for 6 days method.

[Thoover]

[QUOTE=nowimscrappin;195299]That's one of the reasons we switched to getting the Humalog in the pen cartridges instead of the vials. Because it is a smaller amount in the cartridge, we go through it quicker so we never approach the 28 day mark.


That is smart... so you don't even buy the vials you get the pen cartridge of insulin? That is smart.. You get what is it 5 in the box? they are 100u cartridges right?/ Gosh my mind is going blank when we used the Novopen jr... You know Im gonna have to start doing that. When I get to the bottom of the Vial of insulin I have to pull the needle out to get the very last drip..lol.. Its bad sometimes. And other times since we get one vial at a time, Im always afraid im going to drop it.. I learn something new everyday on here.. Thanks

[Seans Mom]

I asked during pump class about using the pens to fill the pump cartridge so I wouldn't throw so much insulin away every month, but was told they wouldn't do that because the pen cartridges are easily contaminated by puncturing them and exposing the insulin to air whereas the vials are protected by the rubber(?) top. I'd asked because I'd read of others doing it that way. I change the cartridge w/ every site change (3 days). We're going to throw the insulin away one way or the other, I'd rather have fresh insulin w/ every change.

P.S. To the OP, yeah he/she was just talking about how you can use the needle that comes w/ each cartridge to get the insulin out of the vial. Keeping the insulin in the cartridge beyond 3 days could compromise the reliability of the insulin (that's what we were told anyway, and I'd rather not risk it) Our endo writes our insulin for 2 vials/mo. so that we have plenty for priming, corrections, bad sites, whatever. We use mail order thru our ins. so we get 6 vials for one co-pay ($20) for 3 month supply.

[Thoover]

Don't they have the red rubber thing on the vials as well? I will have to go unscrew the pen with the old vial in it and check it out tonight. I will play around with it and see what happens..

[Nancy in VA]

I don't get PENS, I get the cartridges that go in the pens. Humalog has "refillable" pens so you buy a box of 5 cartridges. They have the same rubber end as a vial. Only difference is that the bottom isn't glass, its a plunger, so you cannot inject air when you draw the first time or you'll shoot the plunger out the other end.

[Thoover]

I don't get PENS, I get the cartridges that go in the pens. Humalog has "refillable" pens so you buy a box of 5 cartridges. They have the same rubber end as a vial. Only difference is that the bottom isn't glass, its a plunger, so you cannot inject air when you draw the first time or you'll shoot the plunger out the other end.

Sorry if it came across wrong it wasn't intended that you buy the actual pen its the pen insulin cartridge you get. I wasn't sure if it was 5 or 6 that come in the box. but that is pretty smart to use those. Good reminder not to push air in there like you do the vial.. I would have had a huge mess.:eek: