Be Prepared

Southern California recently had one of its biggest earthquakes in nearly over 20 years. The 7.1 magnitude quake happened on Friday, July 5th around 8:19pm near Ridgecrest which is over 100 miles from the coast. The first of two large quakes measuring 6.4 shook our home on Fourth of July and felt as if I was having a dizzy spell until I noticed items in the house beginning to tremble. Both quakes were felt as far away as Las Vegas. So far, no injuries or deaths have been reported based on KTLA5 News as of today.

This was Coral’s first experience of earthquakes and she was literally shaking and scared. I remember my first when I was living in North Hollywood, CA back in 2006. We don’t really get any earthquakes in HI unless a volcano’s about to erupt on the Big Island. Seismologists from Caltech are predicting another couple temblors magnitude 6.0 or higher over the next week. So, we knew it was time to recheck our diabetic supplies and repack our emergency kit. It’s always better to be prepared than sorry [for procrastinating].

See our lists of Outdoor/Survival supplies and typical T1d Supplies on Amazon.

Our Emergency Backpack

We will need to switch out supplies pending expiration dates and size of clothes for the girls as they grow. Try to find a tactical lightweight backpack similar to this that’s water-resistant. You can also pack a waterproof or dry bag rolled up and placed inside. My husband would grab this backpack and Coral. I would carry baby Kaila and the diaper bag. Kiala’s diaper bag is always organized and stocked with our daily essentials such as Coral’s DKit, low snacks, some diapers, and one empty Tomee Tippee bottle with powdered formula.

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Coral’s daily Dkit always has the following:

• Audrey diabetes case & Omnipod PDM gel skin from Sugar Medical
  • Use our affiliate code typeonediabeticlife for 10% off a single purchase on Sugarmedical.com
• Genteel lancing device
• Lancets
• Freestyle lite glucose meter
• 1 bottle Freestyle lite test strips
• Alcohol swabs
• CleanWell spray sanitizer
• Fiasp FlexTouch pen
• BD 4mm pen needles or Pip Lancets new pen needles
• BD 1/2U syringes (31G = 6mm)
• Foldable mini scissors
• Unisolve wipes – for adhesive removal
• IV prep wipes – use to cleanse and leave a sticking agent on skin prior to applying any adhesive such as Dexcom or Omnipod (less abrasive than SkinTac)
• T1dTruth cards – artwork designed by me and printed & sold on Zazzle.com

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See more of our favorite diabetes things here

Some Tips Before the Next Natural Disaster

Insulin can last up to 28 days per manufacturer’s pamphlet inside each box at normal room temperature. Do not throw it away if you’ve been in a snow storm/power outage like what’s happening in TX and the east coast as of February 2021. The concern with snow storms would be freezing of insulin. Per Kaiser Permanente, keep unused bottles, cartridges, and pens of insulin in the refrigerator (between 36°F and 46°F). If stored properly, these will be good until the expiration date listed on the insulin. Keep insulin cartridges and pens that you’re currently using at room temperature (between 56°F and 80°F.)

Please speak with your healthcare provider or a savvy diabuddy to help you prepare the following:

• Be sure to have your endocrinologist write you prescriptions that will allow you enough supply to stock-up in case of an emergency
• Contact all of your dermal medical suppliers (ex: Dexcom, Libre, Omnipod) to make sure your endo’s prescriptions went through – always follow-up!
• Have endo send your prescriptions to a chain drugstore such as Walgreens or CVS so that you won’t have too much trouble if you should have to pick it up at another location or out-of-state within the US
• Set reminders either as a Reminder List or in your iCalendar for when to request refill prescriptions
• Include a list of all your prescriptions and a copy of health insurance cards
• Include a list of all your medications and when you take them
• Keep medications in their original containers for easy identification
• Make an emergency / evacuation plan for your family and coordinate it with school and work
• Include your pet(s) in your emergency plan
• If you have to evacuate, try to relocate to a location with an operational hospital
• Use a water resistant tactical backpack with lots of compartments for your emergency grab-n-go bag
• Only pack what life-sustaining items will fit into your emergency bag enough for at least 14 days
• Recheck supplies and expiration dates of items in your emergency bag every month
• Stay calm and your child will remain calm
• Encourage your Type 1 toddler to learn how to give his/herself an injection and poke her own finger to check her glucose in case of pump or CGM failure
  • Be sure to reward her for a job well done and do this on a daily basis with regular T1d management
• Have a written list of emergency contacts in emergency bag and/or on the fridge
  • Update this contact list accordingly

See below to right-click, save, and print this Emergency Supply List from your desktop computer. Practically all items except insulin, glucagon and dermal medical supplies can be bought on Amazon.com. Get Prime membership. It’s worth it especially being or having a child with T1d.

Some Important Phone Numbers for Diabetic Supplies

NOTE: I will try my best to keep these resources up-to-date, but it is your responsibility to find current information for yourself and well-being.

American Diabetes Association (ADA) has developed a new program at insulinhelp.org. Please visit InsulinHelp and/or share with a diabetic who may be in need. Their site lists some of the resources I’ve gathered on this post and more. Carefully read it ASAP.

American Red Cross National Headquarters
431 18th St, NW
Washington, DC 20006
1-800-REDCROSS (733-2767)
To speak to a Red Cross Emergency Communications Specialist call
1-877-272-7337

American Red Cross Los Angeles Region
11355 Ohio Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 445-9900

Find an open shelter near you

GetInsulin.org
A recent program developed in 2020 by Beyond Type 1, another non-profit organization dedicated to helping insulin dependent diabetics founded in California. Please navigate and read through their resources and share if you or someone you love is need of insulin and/or diabetic supplies. Enter your zip code here to see what programs you may qualify for long-term access care to diabetes supplies.

Insulin for Life
A non-profit that contributes to the international efforts in improving access to insulin and diabetes supplies for people in developing countries who cannot afford it. To donate supplies, contact your local affiliate here.

Insulin for Life USA, Inc.
2555 SW 76th Street, #130
Gainesville, Florida 32608
(352) 327-8649
staff@ifl-usa.org

Dexcom
Customer Sales & Support
1-888-738-3646
M – F 6AM to 5PM PST
Sat 8AM to 2PM PST
customerservice@dexcom.com

Technical Support
1-844-607-8398
Available 24/7

Omnipod, Insulet Corp.
100 Nagog Park
Acton, MA 01720
Customer Care
1-800-591-3455
Available 24/7
Contact customer care online here

Tandem Diabetes
Corporate Headquarters
11075 Roselle Street
San Diego, CA 92121
(858)366-6900

Technical Support
(877)801-6901
Available 24/7

Order Support
(858) 375-1473
M – F 6AM to 6PM PST
Contact customer care online here

Medtronic Operational Headquarters
710 Medtronic Parkway
Minneapolis, MN 55432-5604
Toll free: 800-633-8766
Worldwide: 1-763-514-4000

Eli Lilly

One of the three major pharmaceuticals (aka Big Pharma) that manufacture and supply life-sustaining insulin. Visit the Lily Diabetes Solution Center to speak with a live representative to assist you in alternative options for diabetes supplies. Call 1-833-808-1234. The helpline is available Monday through Friday. Click here for savings cards if eligible.

Novo Nordisk

Makers of Fiasp, GlucaGen, Levemir, Tresiba, Novolog, and more. See their resources for access and affordability here. Their US contact info is listed below:

800 Scudders Mill Road
Plainsboro, NJ 08536
Tel: 1-609-987-5800

CVR-no. 24256790

Sanofi

Another Big Pharma and makers of insulin. Frankly, you’ll have to do some digging as I wasn’t able to find any savings cards. Try this link here regarding their goals for Access to Healthcare and Pricing. For patient in the U.S. please see their contact info below:

55 Corporate Drive
Bridegwater, NJ 08807
Tel: 800-981-2491

Email Sanofi or type in cs@sanofi.com

Last updated: 2/24/21