How cold are Frios?
I'm buying some diabetes travel supplies for when I travel for work. I'm thinking buying this case to keep all of my supplies in. I want the blue one so it's easily visible. I had my pump supplies in a ZipLoc bag last trip and forgot to put them back in my bag when they emptied it to search. I didn't realize I'd left them until I went to change my pump site that evening. Luckily I had been heading back home and not to a hotel somewhere!
Anyway, that case has a gel pack in the back which is supposed to (I think) keep insulin cool for up to 12 hours. I would like something that keeps it cool for as long as possible. (I won't be in really hot places. I just would like to be able to bring long-acting insulin without having to toss it a month later for being "unrefrigerated", as I usually don't end up using it and only bring it in case of pump failures.)
I was wondering if a Frio would be cold enough to put in that pocket behind where the insulin pens would sit (instead of the gel pack) and keep them cool for longer. Or does it only work if the pens are actually inside the Frio itself? Keeping in mind I won't be going to any desert environments or anything.
I also have an Epipen which is NOT supposed to get too cold (or too hot), so maybe I could stick a Frio with long- and rapid-acting insulin in the area where the gel pack goes, and the epipen and other stuff in the loops on the front. I've never seen this or any other travel case in person so have no idea how big they are for organizing supplies.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Sam on -
Yeah the seem to work fine even in a cargo pocket of my pants.. They'd most effective in wide open air, though, and zero percent effective in a ziplock back--- everything in between would be a matter of degree. they are a pretty brilliant design actually-- I just find it interesting how they work. I mainly use mine at work to store the pens I am currently using in during the hot months, while I keep the unopened ones in the fridge
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Permalink Reply by nel on
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I am a Frio pack user ,using same pack for numerous years ...and received the one for FREE from my Pharmacist :) I have traveled to much warmer temperatures , than at home ,without complaints . If I am clear I can trust the refrigerator where I am staying , I put spare insulin in fridge and I write myself a reminder note to take out of the fridge before departure ...It only takes once to leave spare insulin behind and that was NO fun :(
http://frioinsulincoolingcase.com/howitworks.html
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Permalink Reply by Jen on
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I think you mentioned once before (maybe to one of my blog posts?) that you got one for free ... I asked the pharmacist at Safeway where I go about one and she had no idea what a Frio even was!
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Permalink Reply by Howie767 on -
Try asking your CDE. They have tons of freebies. Our DEC is like a gift shop. My Frio is quite old and it's beginning to look quite tatty and faded. It's time to get a new one. Sometimes the drug stores still have some sample Frios that they may give out.
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Permalink Reply by Howie767 on
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If you are traveling to multiple cities or even countries, your replacement pump might encounter extreme difficulty finding you. In which case, you might end up being on injections for weeks. Second problem is that, in Hawaii at least, they would not accept my Canadian prescriptions. I carry 5 new basal insulin pen cartridges in a gen pack just for the duration of my flights or train trips. With overhead this can be over 15 hours if you are flying intercontinental. I put the basal insulin in the hotel fridge and put a thermometer in with it. I've have had cartons of milk freeze solid in hotel fridges. I set the temperature to about 42°F.
During the day I carry a couple of syringes and a vial of my pump insulin in a Frio Pack. Like Sam, I carry the Frio at least partially exposed to the air for most of the time.
When I get home I put the unused basal insulin in the fridge and it lasts for at least another 6 months.
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