MedicoolInsulin Protector Compact Case 2 Freezer Cooling Pack 16 Hours Cool for Diabetic | IP Blue

When I got this Medicool Insulin Protector my life changed for the good. It is by far the best product available in the market. I have been around and buying and trying different products, for more than 40 years. Medicool is the best, no doubt about it. I have diabetes since I was a 7 year old and I do move around and travel a lot. I always keep my insulin with me at all times, with my Medicool companion right there with me.I've just bought one more Medicool because my last 2 are a little worn out. I do notice something very important for you to know.The old Medicool that I purchased 20 years ago, says like this, imprinted in the refreezable cooler pack, and I quote: "FREEZE FLAT WITH THIS SIDE DOWN. FREEZE AT Oº TO 10º F FOR SEVEN HOURS OR MORE UNTIL SOLID. REMOVE FROM FREEZER, AND SET IN ROOM TEMPERATURE FOR 10 MINUTES.OR HIGH POWER MICROWAVE FOR 1 MINUTE BEFORE INSERTING REFRIGERATED OR COLD INSULIN. MEDICOOL, INC. TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA. PAT. NO.4738364".The NEW Medicool that I purchased 10 days ago says like this, imprinted in the refreezable cooler pack, and I quote: "PLACE IN REFRIGERATOR FOR 3 HOURS OR MORE BEFORE USE. TRAY WILL ACCOMMODATE 2 INSULIN VIALS - DO NOT FREEZE. READ ACCOMPANYING INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE USE. MEDICOOL, INC. TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA. PAT. NO.4738364".Both cooler packs look exactly the same, the old and the new, just they seem to differ only on the imprinted words stamped on both of them. It changed from FREEZE FLAT UNTIL SOLID to DO NOT FREEZE. Why is that ?I have always used this Medicool according to the first set of instructions, that is, FREEZE FLAT FOR SEVEN HOURS OR MORE UNTIL SOLID.And by doing this, my insulin is kept cold for 12 hours or more, depending also on the temperature of the surroundings.Insulin stays cool even for 16 hours if you manage to put the Medicool Protector inside a small portable cooler, such as the Igloo Collapse & Cool Cooler that sell in Wal Mart 4.99 dollars. Inside this cooler you may also put your camera, your phone, your passport, your glucose monitoring system, your test stips, some swabs, some extra syringes, and 2 miky ways for the insulin reaction in case they are needed.Very important thing for this product to work perfectly for me (based on my own personal experience) is that once you take this product out of the freezer, I am talking about the refreezable cooler pack, allow the product to gain some room temperature, so this product would not freeze your insulin bottles.I have performed a lot of trials to find out (using empty bottles of insulin and then filling them with gatorade) if it is possible for the "insulin" to freeze and only when I did this test while I was snow skiing in Colorado and the weather was really cold I did notice that the gatorade inside began to form some crystals.So you have to be careful but if you leave in a city with high temperature and you do wait a 10 minute period of time allowing the cooler pack to get warm, then, in all my life, no time ever, has the insulin turned out to become frozen. You must check this for yourself also but in my case it has worked very well by allowing the product to get warm.I have travelled a lot in my life and I have gone from Mexico to Europe more several times, and some other 12 hour flights just as San Francisco to Honk Kong and I have always been grateful to Medicool Inc.Many of you could be guessing: why the company changed the imprinted info? Any ideas ? Maybe, just a guess, sometimes in some cases the insulin did become frozen ? We all know that frozen insulin is a big problem for diabetics. Freezing damages the insulin.Well this review is far more large that I intended to but anyway I hope it helps some of you to have a better life managing your diabetes. Contact me if any doubts.

Yes, this thing is kind of bulky.From Medicool Site: Size 8" x 4" x 3"Fits in my wife's LARGE purses, but takes up a lot of room.BYETTA pens have to be in the fridge before their first use.After that, it's recommended to keep them between 36F and 74F -- I generally leave mine in a fridge whenever possible, but that doesn't work when travelling, going out for dinner, etc, which is when I use this thing.The unit comes with two cooler packs which are put in the FRIDGE.The instructions in the product are inconsistent, but the blue cooler pack clearly states to put it in the FRIDGE, not the freezer.A BYETTA pen *without the blue cap* fits in the slot designed for two insulin vials.It's not exact, perfect contact the length of the medication because of the small plastic separator for vials, but once you slide the cooler pack and BYETTA pen into the sleeve, it'll stay cold for hours in "reasonable" temperatures (85 or below in my experience).For hotter climates (e.g. Las Vegas) this is probably only going to get you from point A to point B on an hour walk, or in an air-conditioned vehicle, but can maintain the cool temperature when inside a climate-controlled environment.If you don't have a fridge, you can ice down the cooler packs for a half hour, dry them off, and then use them as if they came out of the fridge. I've found that to work well.I used mine on a flight that wound up being over 9 hours due to delays, and the BYETTA pen was still cold when I arrived.This is much more convenient than carrying around a small cooler and having to empty & re-pack with ice constantly.This did raise a question from the TSA during the airport security screening, but just keep your prescription label with you to answer any questions.Oh, and warn the agent if there are used needles in the sleeve/pocket....

Works well to carry and keep insulin refrigerated

It has always worked perfectly for me. I wouldn't use another product. The zipper broke early on but I was able to repair it. No complaints here.

I have the Frio Duo for daytrips with insulin, but wanted something better for traveling with my vials when we go out of town for longer periods of time. This was recommended to me by a diabetic friend, so I ordered it. With Prime shipping, it arrived very quickly, just in time for a weekend trip away.The first thought I had is that it is BIG. I don't know what I expected, but with the foam and the plastic tray, it takes up quite a bit of space. I would compare it to a bottle of shampoo in size, a little wider and not quite as tall, in case you are wondering how much space it might take in a suitcase or carryon. Definitely too big to fit in my purse like I had hoped.It comes with 2 cooling trays, which you actually put in the refridgerator, NOT the freezer, and holds 2 vials of insulin, just as pictured. They do feel loose, they don't snap into place at all, but once inside the cooler, that doesn't matter. The pouch on front was bit enough to hold several alcohol pads and about 4 syringes. I found it difficult to open and close the top, as the foam is really well-packed around the cooler, but I guess that makes sense. You don't want things sliding around in there!Despite the size, this is an excellent option for keeping insulin cool for longer travel, as long as you don't need immediate access to it. I throw this in a carryon case or checked bag, and still carry a couple of syringes in my purse.