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DKA - feeling like I'm losing it again.

dancer said:
Does it hurt all the time or only sometimes? What sites do you use? Do you pinch your skin or just press in the needle?
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Not every time. But every so often it does. For my novorapid I inject in my stomach but my Levimer I inject in my thighs or my bottom. It's been that painful sometimes it's reduced me to tears. I pinch the skin x
 
Does your DSN know about your pain? I think there's something you can put on (a spray?) to help with this but, sorry, I don't know what it is - don't even know if it's on prescription.

Just a thought, does it happen with both insulins?
 
dancer said:
Does your DSN know about your pain? I think there's something you can put on (a spray?) to help with this but, sorry, I don't know what it is - don't even know if it's on prescription.

Just a thought, does it happen with both insulins?
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Yeah. Sometimes it can draw blood too. Don't know if that's normal or happened to anyone else?
 
Robynberrill said:
Yeah. Sometimes it can draw blood too. Don't know if that's normal or happened to anyone else?
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Make sure you use the shortest needle (4mm) and a new one each time you inject, also inject slowly and allow the insulin time to absorb, by rushing the injection it can make it painful and lead to small bleeds at the injection site.
 
Robynberrill said:
Yeah. Sometimes it can draw blood too. Don't know if that's normal or happened to anyone else?
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Hi!

In terms of your injection pain I have a similar experience sometimes. It is mainly with my lantus (which seems to be because of it's makeup, and unfortunately I can't do much about that). But, occasionally it happens with my novarapid. I find it's usually the spot I've chosen and it does tend to bleed a little when it does hurt. I actually can normally tell as soon as the needle goes in and I've found that I just start again and move slightly!

I have also found I can't inject in my legs, don't ask me why but I just always have a bad reaction - it's as if I'm allergic and my injection sites very quickly swell and become hard and sore :'( so, I just don't ever inject my legs!!

I don't know if that is any help, but I always find it useful when people shard their experiences!

I hope the injecting gets better soon and that your set insulin is relaxed soon, it really does make you feel more in control of things :-)

Good luck!
 
Hang in there, buddy. Sounds like you haven't had much real help from some of your professionals, and you've been left to find out what do on your own :( That consultant who shouted at you... that makes my blood boil. He's darn lucky you didn't make a formal complaint. You never, ever have to tolerate being treated like that by a health professional. If anyone does it again, either say "that's not ok" or walk out of the room and contact their manager. It's a good idea to take a support person with you, safety in numbers and they can act as a witness if need be. They can also help you remember information, and just help you to feel more confident all round.

You're on the right track now, I think. There's lot of good advice and support here. One day at a time, things will get better :) Hugs.
 
i bought the carbs n calories book and weighing scales, it's brilliant, non diabetics would say very tedious weighing your foods all the time, but hey that's the way we roll. now i'm on the bolus/basal my b/s have improved dramatically, after getting advice from experienced diabetics I am now feeling more confident with what I am doing, when I first started on it I was on 1-10g carb, my b/s shot up, dsn kept tweeking them, I have now found what I am more stable on, 2-10g carb and 13 basal at night, feel so much better now my levels are in single figures, hope you find what you need soon, because once you do you will soon realise you can get your life back, good luck.[/QUOTE]
 
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I find that my injections sometimes hurt momentarily - usually it's the Lantus and it's a stinging sensation caused by the insulin itself. Occasionally the injection itself hurts a bit, whether it's Lantus or NovoRapid, but I find that some sites are better than others. For me, I favour my stomach as an injection site. It rarely hurts there. Upper arm doesn't usually hurt for me, but I do get bruises there, which can look a bit grim. My thighs are the most sensitive and I avoid them. These days I tend to use a brand new needle for every injection, I haven't always bothered and that is daft of me. I agree it's a good idea to talk to your DSN about your occasional injection problems: you don't want to feel nervous about injecting - you need that insulin!
Your consultant had a bad moment, shouting at you for your DKA! I agree it's a good idea to take someone with you if you have to face this consultant again. If it happens again, take the advice from other messages above, and say, "I'm expecting you to speak to me in a polite and reasonable manner".
Don't worry about the carb counting, it gets pretty easy after a while and you can eventually learn to sum up a plate of food with one look. It's probably best to wait a while for your DSN to calculate how many units of insulin you need for grams of carbs, and this ratio can vary at different times of day. Your DSN will need to see your blood sugar results so that she/he can work out this ratio for you until such time as you can do it for yourself.
Your consultant's alarmed reaction shows that they want to keep a close eye on your blood sugars for the moment. He sounded like he was 'telling you off', but he was maybe (and probably rightly!) worried that he and his team had not given you enough guidance!
 
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