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A change in insurance has led to a change in insulin.

We've used up our stash of Novolog, and the first cartridge of Humalog in several years went in the pump 3 days before back to school.

Some people say they experience no difference at all between the two insulins. Some think Novolog withstands heat better. Maybe Humalog sticks around in the system longer. Humalog could be more likely to clog infusion sets. We switched to Novolog a few years ago because it was reported to kick in just a little bit faster. Some of the differences are detailed here, on T1D Living.

The key difference to us is that insurance will pay for Humalog now, and it won't pay for Novolog anymore.

There are too many variables here for this switch to serve as a scientific experiment. The change coincided with an already established need to make some pump setting adjustments. It also coincided with back-to-school, and with the hamster wheel which is marching band season. A couple of things do seem obviously different, despite the chaos.

What we've noticed for sure is a greater need to pre-bolus breakfast. That aspect feels familiar to me from our switch from Humalog to Novolog a few years ago. Breakfast, after which my daughter's bg had spiked significantly almost every day since diagnosis, became more manageable with Novolog. The Humalog is a little more sluggish.

I'd also agree that Humalog sticks around a little longer. It's hard to see during the day, but I'm noticing that the Dexcom graph's downward slope continues longer on the last-before-bed bolus, or for any overnight corrections.

Because we're changing basal rates anyway, based both on feedback from our last endo appointment, and on the schedule changes from the start of school, it's hard to tell what other differences there are. It won't be until we finish tweaking that we can see, for example, if the total daily dose went up.

Given my druthers, I'd say Novolog is probably a snappier variety of insulin, and that it would be nice to go back. But in accounting for Humalog's more sluggish nature we're making adjustments that are working.

Humalog and NPH were the first insulins prescribed when my daughter was diagnosed. The glass-half-full part of me will note that Humalog's challenges are minor and manageable compared to the nightmare that was NPH.