What to do if you run out of diabetes products

Consider this situation: While packing for a trip, your carry-on bag starts to get full, so you decide to pack only immediate diabetes products (one pump site change, a fast-acting pen, and insulin vials) in your carry-on. After arriving at your destination and waiting patiently, your checked bag (containing the rest of your supplies) never shows up on the baggage claim carousel. After a round of discussions with the airline, your bag is deemed lost.

While the goal is to never get to this point (always pack medications and supplies in your carry-on!), the reality is you may find yourself in a situation where you're running low on diabetes supplies. Here are a few tips.

Tell friends or family

Running out of diabetes products, depending on your backup options, can be life-threatening. Enlist the help of friends or family when facing a situation like this. Use them to help you locate a 24-hour pharmacy, call your doctor, or pull up the address of a hospital. They may even be able to help you crowdsource to pull together a few supplies from other people with type 1 diabetes (t1d) in the area until you're able to get a full stock.

Don't panic; call your doctor

Even though the situation may feel intense, you're not the first person to run low on supplies, and you definitely won't be the last. A good place to start is by calling your doctor. The 24-hour nurse line may be able to provide assistance in locating a pharmacy, reordering prescriptions in a new city, or connecting you with a local endocrinologist's office for limited pump products or supplies. Your doctor can also help you make a short-term game plan to maximize whatever supplies you have left. In my experience, a quick call to the doctor's office can help relieve stress and give you confidence that an educated advocate is looking out for you.

Insurance resources

Most insurance companies provide a 24-hour hotline, which can be used to find nearby pharmacies with supplies or to place a special shipment. I have personally used this hotline to find out what to do after a tornado passed through our area and I didn't have access to my supplies. Your insurance personnel should be able to help you through the process of transferring a prescription or reordering an emergency set of supplies.

Reach out to other resources

As a last resort, or in a case where you need diabetes products to tide you over until the pharmacy opens, you may have some resources to draw on. There are over-the-counter glucometers if you can't access your continuous glucose monitor (CGM). You might find an insulin pen or insulin vial in place of an insulin pump if the site supplies are a few days out. There are also diabetes community groups available that offer additional local resources.

Don't forget that worst case, in a critical situation, you can always go to the emergency room or hospital for care.

Preempt the emergency

Enrolling in Edgepark's ContinuCare service is a great way to make sure you always have the supplies you need on hand. This program will automatically remind you when it's time to reorder supplies so you can set that part of your diabetes management on autopilot.

Interested in learning more about managing the logistics of diabetes? Check out these tips on what to do if you experience a CGM sensor failure.