Glucose Meters, cell phones and floods

One of the problems in flood areas recently, according to a friend in the area, was that many diabetics had their glucose meters submerged when escaping the floods (as well as their cell phones), and both immediatly stopped working. Water and glucose meters are not a happy combination.

This calls to mind the fact that of all the disaster plans I have read, none require a stockpiling of replacement meters. or provision for timely emergency delivery of a large quantity of meters and test strips to a flood area.

The first thing that comes to mind is to have an emergency plan to transport your meter and cell. A sealed garbage bag works for me. Cut to size, of course.

Secondly, for diabetics to have an "emergency eating plan" for disasters when they won't have their meters available.

This plan would tell you that "x" number of units of regular insulin, for example, before a 1,000 calorie meal, will keep my sugars below 200, along with "y" units of Lantus.  Such a plan would allow for you to permit slightly higher glucose readings for a few days and rigid observance to a food/insulin cycle that you KNOW will not induce hypoglycemia. Shooting for a level of 200 in an emergency will provide reasonable temporay control without the dangers associated with extremely precise control of the blood sugar.

You don't need a physician to work out such an "emergency food intake/insulin protocol". If you are diabetic and regularly use a meter it sounds like a good weekend project.

[caregiver222]

Needless to say, if you are insulin dependent, keep a supply of hypodermic syringes in a sealed bag. Think about a seven day emergency supply. If submerged in a flood plastic syringes can't be autoclaved.

In an emergency you can use the same needle three to five times without any problem. Do not wash the needle with alcohol after each use. It's not necessary. This takes off silicone lubricant.  Just seal them back up. This is against manufacturers protocol, but you have a chance of contaminating them by wiping them, as well as removing lubricant, and thousands of people re-use them without re-sterilizing the tip without problems or infection.  It is also not essential to wipe the site with a swab before minjection. Nice, but don't delay your injection because you have no alcohol wipe. Some needles have a sliding "lock-tip" that prohibits re-use. These are not acceptable in your emergency kit.