Yes this is our process also. Has worked like a charm for us since beginning to use the omnipod.
3 Likes
I had to laugh at this comment! No doubt because of holiday dinners and parties, my insulin needs have been higher than usual but yesterday was a mystery that made me wonder if my insulin supplies are getting a bit old or were not properly stored. During peak COVID worries I kept almost a year worth of insulin on hand, just in case the supply chain failed. Now I am down to a 45 day stockpile. I am of the opinion that I never saw an insulin degradation issue when I used up the extra insulin, some of it almost a year old. Yesterdayās āissueā was resolved this morning when I noticed the bag of Christmas treats a neighbor brought. I remember eating a very heavy very rich very sweet bread and wondering if a bolus for 65 grams of carbs was about right. Had I guessed 150 grams of carbs, I would have had no issues but I usually err on the side of going high with my sugars. Especially with the hospitals in Colorado filled to overcapacity just now, this would be a very bad time to end up in the Emergency Room with hypoglycemia!
5 Likes
@BillKast Those home baked treats are the best! But also really hard to figure out sometimes how many carbs are in them. I still have not figured out a vegan pound cake a girlfriend bakes and sends me off and on. There seems to be a real lag when some of the carbs (hours) hit my system and that is the part Iām having trouble figuring out.
2 Likes
Because of where we live/work, we bring as much insulin as possible with us when we leave the U.S. Since we are here for several years at a time, I expect my insulin to expire before I use it all. Sometimes itās been expired for a few years before I start using it, even though I always use the oldest insulin first. I was pretty nervous about this originally, but have never had a problem with it. It always works fine.
Some of this insulin is in vials, but much of it is in disposable pens. I typically use a syringe rather than pen needles.
This is my experience, but itās anecdotal rather than scientific. 
8 Likes
You are correct; Iām an, āI donāt know what I want, but I want it NOW!ā kind of guy; itās half a second shorter to whack a needle on to the pen and inject it into the pod than it is to whack the needle onto the syringe, whack it into the pen and dial the dose into the syringe, then whack it into the pod. The latter method is far more efficient, far more effective and it just works (no need to blow air out of any orifice; just tap it to the top of the syringe.)
Some day we should organize the Omnipod Olympics. I am going to win the pod-change-dash, I am.
5 Likes
Besides some going to the beach all the timeā¦
@Carol Same here on expired insulin!
I have some Humalog pens that expired 3 years ago, itās a different strength so I donāt use it in my pods. It mostly just gets used when I have a pod failure and I take a shot to make sure I get some insulin. Itās been in different refrigerators, in different spots in the refrigerator, itās been on a plane with me, I probably had cool packs with it. But they wouldnāt have lasted getting here and then turning on a refrigerator and the refrigerator taking time to cool. Itās Humalog and it still works fine!
5 Likes
I appreciate everyoneās experiences!
Random anecdotal point from meā¦I started a fresh pen from my newer stock today, Iāve had to cut my meal doses down to 50% of what I had been taking on the oldest pens. And Iām in high hormone days when Iād typically need at least 20% extra for my meals.
I am currently residing in the āinsulin can last forever, but it is not guaranteed toā camp at the moment.
Iām just really excited that I get to eat and go low and eat more. Because thatās been a REAL struggle for wayyyyyyy too long for me. Itās like my body suddenly recognizes insulin again and Iām really excited about that!
If all I have to do is use fresher pens, then sign me up!
9 Likes
@T1Allison Wow, that sounds much nicer!
Itāll be interesting to know if you are more sensitive to any change or if it is totally the insulin. Canāt wait for @Eric to try it so we can find out!
3 Likes
This is a good example. It doesnāt matter how itās supposed to work. Our job is to watch what actually happens in our bodies, and go from there. So if fresh pens continue to make it easier for you, it doesnāt matter that old pens work well for someone else.
At first glance, my comment looks anti-scientific, but actually itās not. It is a recognition that there are many variable factors, and our bodies are not all the same despite sharing the common characteristics of humans. I.e., YDMV.
6 Likes
Sounds like there is a bunch of fat so it acts like pizza. But that doesnāt make a ton of sense to me, since most of the recipes for vegan pound cake only have a small-medium amount of vegan butter or coconut oil. Do you respond to pizza the same way? If not, then I am out of guesses.
1 Like
@Chris Yes, I bet a really high carb/fat content like pizza. She converted her 90 year old mamaās southern recipe to vegan. Agave, Vegan Margarine,etc. All things I eat butā¦ā¦ Iāve dosed hours later for the pound cake, but itās been hard to figure out what I need when.
1 Like
Ahh, it starts to make sense. Converting a recipe to Vegan isnāt easy.
Type 1
āI didnāt want to go to the Quaker Steak and Lube, but Eric made me do it!ā
I am not sure how to quote posts ā hopefully you get the gist of what Iām referring to. Just wanted to say I will NEVER not love this quote, this story, the pictures, ā¦ thinking about all of it, and desiring a group field trip to The Quaker Steak and Lube, wherever that magical place may be. I would travel a great distance to meet you all there. (AND I AM VEGETARIAN.). xoxo
7 Likes
@T1Allison - I wonāt be too cryptic about this, but I have reached a hormonal replacement point that has resulted in much excitement over higher insulin sensitivity and increased ability to recognize insulinā¦ and eat what I want! REFRESHING!
For inventory management (I only use vials), I use the FIFO methodology and am working with vials that are two years old at this point. They seem to be functionally just fine (although I havenāt thrown a current vial into the mix for awhile for comparison). How many units are in each pen? I will have to do the calculation to figure out how many units are in each vial.
5 Likes
Yay!! Good for you!!!
The disposable pens hold 300 units. My vials hold 1000 units.
2 Likes
I love this!! It would be an even more magical place if we did a FUD meet up there!!! 
4 Likes
Starting insulin pen comparison this morning. @Eric suggested putting the pen insulin in sterile vials and comparing efficacy via syringe to rule out dosing irregularities from the disposable pens.
I just want to note that 31G syringes seem much more resistant to going into my skin than my 31G pen needles. I tried poking the syringe in my easiest spots and it was totally stubborn and grabby on removal. I hate syringes, by the way.
4 Likes
Which syringes are you using?
Count me in!
4 Likes
Same brand: BD. 6mm syringes vs 5mm pen needles.
4 Likes
And anecdotally, Iām super pissed bc my breakfast and lunch dose via syringe of the older insulin (expires 11.21) worked swimmingly today.
I give up. My whole theory is going to pot. 
6 Likes