Aging, Type 1 Diabet & Cognitive Decline: A Practical Video Guide to Insulin Spoilage Mitigation

This video holds a special place in our hearts. Originally produced for a dear friend who was grappling with frequent issues of his Humalog insulin becoming cloudy, it was designed to address his specific needs, to be viewed weekly in a private setting. However, recognizing the value this information could offer to others, he has generously agreed to make it public. Our goal is to assist those who are navigating similar challenges with their insulin regimens as they age.

With this video, he was able to complete the insulin regimen without any help, every week.

The original video was shot intended for him for himself to view weekly to remind himself how to deal with his Humalog vials. An introductory captions were added for this public release.

*** Please consult your doctors for your specific needs. ***

The Issue at Hand:

Despite using separate needles for Lantus and Humalog, and even after closely examining his weekly routines involving the transportation and storage of his vials, my friend found that his 10 ML insulin vials would often spoil before he could use them up. This resulted not only in waste and inconvenience but also in undesirable high blood sugar levels due to the ineffective insulin.

Our Collaborative Solution:

In our quest to find a remedy, we discovered that switching to smaller 3 ML vials could help mitigate the losses when they go bad. Initially, his prescription was one 10 ML Humalog each month. With this regimen, he switched to one 3 ML vial a week. However, due to his insurance, since we made the video, he now extends the usage of each vial to ten days – he replaces his vial every ten days regardless of the quality/quantity of the insulin vial he is currently using.

What’s Coming Next:

We have more detailed information about these 3 ML vials coming soon, including their pros and cons, as well as tips for procurement.

Our Hope for Public Sharing:

By making this video public, we aim to offer valuable insights to aging diabetics and their caregivers. Our goal is to provide more options for effectively managing insulin dependencies as we age.

The Setup for the Video:

At all times, he carries one vial of Humalog that he uses and another as a backup when he makes a once a weekly two day visit out of town.

Once a week, he tosses the vial he has used for the past week, moves up the one week old unopened Humalog as his “current” use vial. He then introduces a new vial from the refrigerator as his backup insulin.