What happened to the Bank Holiday??

[lizdeluz]

Once, listen, I was so disorganised - I'd left both my pens at my place of work, and didn't wake up to the fact until late at night when I wouldn't be able to go and fetch them. I found some spare cartridges in my fridge, but discovered I had no basic syringes to draw up the insulin. Oh dear. I'm very grateful to out of hours clinic who provided me with spare syringes just before midnight! . It was a bit embarrassing to be driven by my husband (who thought I'd lost the plot and therefore couldn't be entrusted to the steering wheel!) through the dark streets to the hospital....

 

[Spiker]

I remember holding a pen needle onto the end of a bare cartridge and trying to push the plunger up the cartridge with the end of a chopstick. Not a good technique! Since then I have always had spare pens and syringes (and meters) on hand.

 

[Jaylee]

It's not quite the same but you could carry a small U-100 syringe. This was suggested to me as a backup to my pump. They are teeny tiny.

Good point & would take up less space in a suit for instance.. Kept In a small pouch with a pen fill cartridge.
I miss the "trainspotting" days when i drew my own...

The pen is cool carried in a bag. but even in a cargo trouser pocket it could sit more comfortably about 2 inches shorter...

I'm not a massive fan of the wife carrying it... I take care of my own!!

 

[Eva9]

I remember coming back from holidays in Sicily when going through customs I was called out of the queue and taken to a room. There the customs officer understood that I was diabetic and needed insulin/pens/needles etc but why so much, how long was I away for. I explained I liked to bring a spare of everything. Why? I said if for any reason some part broke or got lost I would have back up. He was happy with that answer.

and yes I rember the olden days too when once a week you would have to boil the glass syringe and LONG needles and then bottle them up in surgical spirt till the following week. remember the smell so well.

 

[Jaylee]

Had a bit of a wake-up call, when I tried to replace a faulty pen. I'd been given it yonks ago, it still functioned, but the numbers had rubbed off, and it was becoming a bit of a guessing game to inject the right amount! Ok, I thought, I'd better replace it.

Hi,
Was this the "Autopen"?
The Autopen was prone to markers rubbing out.. I only used that device for basal doses (once a day) i went through scores of these...

A few moths back i changed to the "Clikstar" my nurse reckoned with the Autopen if the dose was misdialed? it was difficult to correct & needed to be fired away...?
But i had found a way round this issue.. Just remove the cartridge & reset the plunger.. (As you would with a refill.) You did need to calibrate the plunger again if for instance the cartridge is half used.. But an air shot let you know it was back on track!

 

[Jaylee]

I remember coming back from holidays in Sicily when going through customs I was called out of the queue and taken to a room. There the customs officer understood that I was diabetic and needed insulin/pens/needles etc but why so much, how long was I away for. I explained I liked to bring a spare of everything. Why? I said if for any reason some part broke or got lost I would have back up. He was happy with that answer.

and yes I rember the olden days too when once a week you would have to boil the glass syringe and LONG needles and then bottle them up in surgical spirt till the following week. remember the smell so well.

Yes i carry the spares..
I have never had any issue with the D stuff.. I have however had a gun pulled on me once, as i tried to explain the "light sabre" toy i used as a stage prop in my bag..

 

[Scandichic]

Rotten luck! Glad you're ok! Take carex

 

[lizdeluz]

I remember holding a pen needle onto the end of a bare cartridge and trying to push the plunger up the cartridge with the end of a chopstick. Not a good technique! Since then I have always had spare pens and syringes (and meters) on hand.

Yes, I expect you have! That sounds like a tricky (but classy (chopstick!)) operation!

 

[lizdeluz]

Hi,
Was this the "Autopen"?
The Autopen was prone to markers rubbing out.. I only used that device for basal doses (once a day) i went through scores of these...

A few moths back i changed to the "Clikstar" my nurse reckoned with the Autopen if the dose was misdialed? it was difficult to correct & needed to be fired away...?
But i had found a way round this issue.. Just remove the cartridge & reset the plunger.. (As you would with a refill.) You did need to calibrate the plunger again if for instance the cartridge is half used.. But an air shot let you know it was back on track!

Yes, it was an Autopen. The manufacturer admitted to an historic fault with the numbers. And yes, there was a problem if I misdialed, and I used to do what you did, firing away multiple airshots until back in business. I used to think they thought we had all day! - and that they should try it!

 

[Jaylee]

Yes, it was an Autopen. The manufacturer admitted to an historic fault with the numbers. And yes, there was a problem if I misdialed, and I used to do what you did, firing away multiple airshots until back in business. I used to think they thought we had all day! - and that they should try it!

I felt the Autopen had a feminine design.. At least with regards to shape..?
Then there were those stupid rubber attachments designed for the "less dexterous"..

For me? I was just glad I wasn't carrying it about during the day like the Novopen 3 (only using the Auto for the basal shots.)
I always stipulated I wanted my Novos in the "brushed steel". If I had it my way? I wold have em all in black.

 

[PhoebeFlorence]

Ouch that sucks.

I always do a 2 unit airshot.
I was taught that I should do an airshot, if that gives nothing or less than expected try again.
If the second gives nothing then swap the tip and repeat the airshot.
If that fails (no insulin at all) then new pen.
If it just seems like a short shot then do the 20Unit test in the cap.

I always have a spare pen but I have a friend that managed to get some syringes on prescription from his Dr and he keeps a few of them and just does a draw from the refil cartridge if he sees issues. He also keeps a spare box at work with some sealed syringes and a penfil cartridge. They are simple tech but they are almost fool proof.

One word of caution though... you must make sure that if you go that route the syringes are for t he same insulin concentration as your pen cartridge is filled with.

/A

Thanks AndyS I think I have been too trusting or stupid. I just never thought these pens could go wrong in any way....till now.
It has definately been a wake-up call for me so perhaps it is a good thing to have happened to me. At least I will be more questioning in the future when I get blood test results I am not expecting.

 

[AndyS]

Thanks AndyS I think I have been too trusting or stupid. I just never thought these pens could go wrong in any way....till now.
It has definately been a wake-up call for me so perhaps it is a good thing to have happened to me. At least I will be more questioning in the future when I get blood test results I am not expecting.

Trusting, maybe.. stupid no. You were just forewarned / forearmed with the correct training and information.
Yet another example of the sheer variance in the standard of care / education. I think I just dropped lucky that I have an awesome DSN team.

 

[AndyS]

Yeah, now I think I need spare pens for bolus and basal. I do have some basic sealed pack syringes which I use to draw up insulin if my pen fails, but I didn't understand what you meant



Yes, Having followed this thread, I think I need spare pens. I do have a few sealed syringes which I use to draw up insulin if my pen fails, but I didn't understand what you meant by 'same insulin concentration'? My spare syringes are empty and, if I need to, I just draw up insulin from a cartridge.

Had a bit of a wake-up call, when I tried to replace a faulty pen. I'd been given it yonks ago, it still functioned, but the numbers had rubbed off, and it was becoming a bit of a guessing game to inject the right amount! Ok, I thought, I'd better replace it. I emailed the manufacturer, got a very nice email in reply saying that I should post them the pen, for their 'quality control', before they could send me a new replacement.

(Hmmm! Thinks. Actually I need the pen to inject my insulin! I can't send it to you because then I would be without my insulin pen. )

It wasn't until this point that I realised I needed spare pens - in my possession, not at the end of a prescription request, or at the end of an email correspondence. I'm a bit slow on the old uptake.

We need spare pens for bolus and basal, don't we? And a few spare basic syringes, too?

With regards to the same concentration it's something that some folks know.
If you look on your pens / cartridges you will see something like 100U/ml so 100 Units per millilitre. Some Insulin preparations have higher or lower concentrations per ml so if you use say syringes designed for 50U/ml then you get half obviously (I don't know if that is a concentration available so please forgive me if I am wrong and you know better) obviously getting it wrong the other way round can lead to pretty sever OD situation and major hypo risk.

Just on one additional side as part of this. If / when you go away on holiday I was always told to take at least DOUBLE what you believe you will need for the duration. Saved my bacon at least once when a hotel fridge messed up and froze half my insulin.

 

[Spiker]

The syringes you want are U100 syringes, which means they are graduated in 100 units to a ml. In my experience this is only ever an issue outside of the UK. In the UK I've never come across an insulin that wasn't U100 (though I read apidra might be an exception?). But if buying insulin abroad you need to check on the label it is U100 insulin, and make sure that your pen or syringe matches the insulin.

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[Spiker]

Just on one additional side as part of this. If / when you go away on holiday I was always told to take at least DOUBLE what you believe you will need for the duration. Saved my bacon at least once when a hotel fridge messed up and froze half my insulin.

Definitely. And keep each half of the insulin supply in different travel bags while you travel, different parts of the fridge when in your room.

 

[CollieBoy]

The syringes you want are U100 syringes, which means they are graduated in 100 units to a ml. In my experience this is only ever an issue outside of the UK. In the UK I've never come across an insulin that wasn't U100 (though I read apidra might be an exception?). But if buying insulin abroad you need to check on the label it is U100 insulin, and make sure that your pen or syringe matches the insulin.

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

There is one in the US, Humulin R U-500, for high insulin resistance http://www.humulinhcp.com/Pages/index.aspx

 

[PhoebeFlorence]

Trusting, maybe.. stupid no. You were just forewarned / forearmed with the correct training and information.
Yet another example of the sheer variance in the standard of care / education. I think I just dropped lucky that I have an awesome DSN team.

Thanks AndyS. What is a DSN team please? I am only seen once a year by my GP and believe me, he isn't that good. How do I get with a Team?

 

[AndyS]

DSN = Diabetic Specialist Nurse.
If you are in the UK you should actually be seen at least annually by a Diabetes specialist which includes also a DSN and potentially, if you require, a nutritionist. If you are only being seen by your GP maybe you should ask for a referral.
I live in Cambridge and I see my primary care for Diabetes as being from Addenbrookes Hospital which my GP doing their own thing each year so they can tick their boxes. Same thing here though, my GP and practice nurse have both admitted that I am way beyond them so I stick with talking to the specialists when I have a question I can't find an answer for here.

I suspect someone on here can probably give you a link to NICE guidelines on getting the correct treatment.
Also if you haven't done DAFNE yet that is absolutely worth a week of your time to complete
DAFNE = Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating

 

[Spiker]

NICE guidelines have been a revolving door but currently they have come back to the policy that if you are T1 then your diabetes care should be directed by a hospital based diabetes specialist unit, with consultants as well as DSNs, and your GP just prescribes meds and supplies more or less as directed by the hospital team (and does somewhat pointless annual tests that duplicate what the hospital team do). In certain parts of the country this can involve significant travel to the nearest team.

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[PhoebeFlorence]

Wow really out of my depth here. Never heard of DAFNE or NICE. I live in Bournemouth so think I will ring the Royal Bournemouth Hospital and see if I can be seen there. So glad I found this site. Thanks all.