I have the privilege of being able to do many distance races over the years (sailing, cycling, etc). But when a race becomes a multi-day affair things get complicated quickly. With the OmniPod, I only have a maximum of 3.5 days of life. What’s my backup? Well, it may surprise you, but it’s not another Pod. It’s heading back to MDI. Rocking and rolling at sea is not easy to load up the pod and keep it flat while it initializes; however, I’ve been giving myself shots long enough to be comfortable with a tiny pen needle in pitch black (or my red-light headlamp to keep my night vision stable). And I’ve made the mistake of moving it once during the initialization process — the Pod just kills itself.
As I’ve mentioned before about “feeding the basal” (taking more Lantus, or basal in the pump than is required to sustain a BG). I do this so I can eat small snacks throughout the day and not need to test/bolus for everything I eat. My PDM rarely comes out of its plastic bag, and never comes topside (it always stays down below in my bag).
This weekend we are headed for a 150 mile sailing race. Should be a 24-30 hour event. I’ll put a new Pod on 12-24 hours before heading out.
Diabetes Packing List
- Waterproof bag 1: PDM w/vial of test strips & pricker
- Waterproof bag 2 (backups): meter, test strips, pricker, lantus & novolog pen + pen needles
- Waterproof bag 3 (Pod backup): 2x backup Pods, vial of Novolog, alcholol wipes
- Secret Stash: 1x bottle coke, small candy, Gu
Notice that this is not a lot of stuff. My sailing gear takes up 98% of my bag – no room for excess stuff that I will not use (but I could live for a week in survival mode with what I bring).
