 |
This blog is long long long overdue and for that I apologise. I think subconsciously I have taken my time with it as I will be reminded of kicking back and lying on a beach without a care in the world... good times. Now that I am well and truly switched off from holiday mode and have returned to the daily grind of uni, work, uni, revision, uni, uni, uni, work, eating and sleeping, I have slowly (at a snails pace) started to catch up with blogging and trying out all of the diabetes bits and pieces that fall through my letter box... (cont)
So, this blog is about Frio wallets and firstly I have to say that I absolutely love them (as do many people I talk to online it would seem)! In September this year I went to Hurghada (Egypt) for a weeks break; sun, sea, cocktails and all that jazz... oh and scorching heat! This was the first time that I had been on holiday with my insulin pump and if you follow me on facebook then you would probably have seen that I was a little nervous. In the past I hadn't cared much about where or how my insulin was stored on holiday because at the time I was barely injecting any. Now that I am slightly wiser (I use that word very loosely) I know that insulin must be kept cool in order for it to do its job! So, I took to the internet as I usually do for advice from the ever helpful and all knowing #doc (diabetes online community) who gave me a wealth of advice and information, some of which was to try a Frio wallet.
What's a Frio wallet?
It's basically a wallet that keeps your insulin cool in hot weather. Pretty simple. I'm sure there's much more to it than that.
How does it work?
So I don't know the ins and outs of the technology but I know that the wallets have little inserts which seem to be filled with little magic beans. You soak the magic bean filled insert in cold water (I soaked mine for 20 minutes) and then pat it dry. You then pop the magic back into the wallet along with your insulin, insulin pens or insulin pump, close the flap and you're good to go!
Does it actually work?
Yes it does! It worked really well and I was very impressed! In the morning I would soak an insert while I was getting ready, then once it was soaked and patted dry I would put the insert in the fridge (where I was keeping my insulin) for 10 minutes or so and put the insert and my insulin in the wallet when I was ready to leave. It lasted all day (even in the scorching 40 degree heat) and evening (which was still very warm). I had 2 wallets - one for my insulin pump (accu-chek spirit combo) and one for my pens/insulin vials. During the day I used both, carrying around my pump and a spare pen. After a day or two I realised that I could also fit my lipbalm into the wallet which made me feel very happy as it was slowly melting away in my beach bag.
On returning from my holiday I had an email from Frio asking if I wouldn't mind trying a few of their products in exchange for some feedback - I was tempted to suggest that, in order to be able to fully test the products, they should send me back to Egypt. I didn't though. Free stuff is good enough!
I was sent an insulin cooling wallet, 2x drinks coolers and a make-up cooler wrap. I was slightly gutted that I hadn't noticed that Frio sold make-up coolers before I went away but now I know this I will definitely be using it next time. All of these products work very well, they look good and they aren't badly priced either (always a bonus!). The pump wallet was a good size for my combo and the insulin pen wallet had loads of room in it. All of the products are very easy to use, not at all messy and work well all day. Most people that I have spoken to online about Frio wallets in particular have used the same ones for years, so they seem like a good investment. I can't find any faults with these products so I'm not going to write any more for the sake of writing. If you're going away or even if you're staying in the UK and we have one of those rare warm summer days then I'd recommend trying a Frio wallet to keep your pens/pumps cool.
Twitter - @FrioUKLtd
Facebook - Frio UK Ltd
Website - www.friouk.com
Ninjabetic x