I forget to take my insulin
before I eat. What can I do
to remember? —Forgetful
Dear Forgetful,
Rapid-acting insulins like
Humalog, Novolog, and
Apidra should be taken 10 to
20 minutes before eating. But
it can be hard to remember to
do so.
To help you develop the
habit of taking your insulin
on time, try setting a goal that
links your medication routine
to an existing habit that you
already do before eating, such
as washing your hands. A goal
statement using cues might
be: “15 minutes before I eat I
will: 1) wash my hands,
2) check my blood sugar,
and 3) take my insulin.”
Setting a goal like this that
is specific—you know exactly
what you have to do and
when—and that holds you
accountable (i.e., it’s easy to
tell if you followed through or
not) can help you develop a
new routine into a habit over
time. Establishing a habit is
difficult, especially in the be-
ginning. But rest assured that
it will get easier (and more
automatic!) as time goes on.
Bottom line: Using
prompts that lead you to the
behavior you want can give
you the outcome you are
looking for. In this scenario
we used hand-washing as a
prompt to get the ball rolling.
TOBY SMITHSON, M.S.,
RDN, CDE, uses the above
strategy to link her exercise
routine with watching the
news: she tapes the news to
watch when she hops on her
elliptical for 30 minutes of
evening physical activity.
Ask Toby
The Goldilocks Effect
Insulin keeps its effectiveness longer when it’s neither too hot nor
too cold. Until the manufacturer’s use-by date, unopened insulin
is best stored at 36 to 46°F (fridge temperature); store opened in-
sulin at room temperature. These tools can help keep insulin (and
you) safe, no matter where your summer takes you.
FRIO
This one-of-a-kind case uses
evaporative cooling (aka
magic) to keep meds cool and
safe—without ice packs or
refrigeration. ($20+,
FrioInsulinCoolingCase.com)
MED ANGEL
Together with the MedAngel
app, this wireless thermom-
eter will notify you if the
temperature of your meds
goes out of range, even in the
fridge. ($50, MedAngel.co)
Talk: INSULIN
Uplift &
Empower
A place for athletes
with diabetes to
share their stories.
When record-setting col-
legiate athlete Sam Benger
hung up his football jersey,
he knew he wanted to inspire
other PWDs to follow their
dreams. So Benger founded
GamePlanT1D, a nonprofit
that shares the stories of ath-
letes with diabetes through
podcast interviews and guest
blog posts. GamePlanT1D
also fundraises to help other
nonprofits, like Insulin for
Life USA, improve access to
diabetes supplies for PWDs
around the world (see p. 44).
To learn more about how
you can get involved, visit
GamePlanT1D.com.
PETE SALOUTOS / IMAGE SOURCE / OFFSET.COM; COURTESY MEDANGEL
SUMMER 2019 / DI ABETIC LI VING 11
