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Failed pens on holiday

I

IanA123

Well-Known Member
Messages
63
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Anyone on the Grimsby area have a spare aposra pen please? On holiday and I have had 2 pens fail, only brought 2 with me, possibly got a bad batch. Tried 111 and as bm's are rising rapidly and currently at 26.3 I can't be waiting for a gp to call back.
 
Unless there is a late night pharmacy open around you, or a walk-in centre, to be honest, get yourself to A&E. They will be able to help, even if it isn't with your preferred insulin.

If you go the pharmacy route, they will be able to guide you accordingly, and make whatever calls you might need made.

Better safe than sorry, and if 111 call back and decide they want a GP to speak with you, it could take even further time.

DKA could seriously take the edge off your holiday..............

Let us know how you get on.
 
I forgot my sons meds (not diabetic meds) on holiday a couple of years ago, didn’t realise until midnight when I come to give him them, called 111 and they got an on call GP to speak to me - had a prescription waiting at the nearest chemist at 9 am the next morning and it was a Sunday.
 
lovinglife said:
I forgot my sons meds (not diabetic meds) on holiday a couple of years ago, didn’t realise until midnight when I come to give him them, called 111 and they got an on call GP to speak to me - had a prescription waiting at the nearest chemist at 9 am the next morning and it was a Sunday.
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The problem is that tomorrow morning may well be too late to prevent an urgent hospital or ICU stay when you don't have access to insulin when already this high in the evening.
IanA123 said:
Anyone on the Grimsby area have a spare aposra pen please? On holiday and I have had 2 pens fail, only brought 2 with me, possibly got a bad batch. Tried 111 and as bm's are rising rapidly and currently at 26.3 I can't be waiting for a gp to call back.
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Please let us know how you are, and if you managed to solve the issue.
Do you have any means to test for ketones?
Should you develop a tummy ache, nausea, funny smelling breath, either of those can mean an emergency situation needing hospital treatment right away. Better safe than sorry.
 
Hopefully you managed to get some apidra @IanA123 .

You've had some good advice here.
I've got a suggestion for the future.
1) change to reusable pens and cartridges and always carry a few syringes and spare cartridges with you. (Or you can get syringes from a pharmacy without a script).
2) If a pen fails (or in my case you lose it, as I have done a number of times) you can draw insulin direct from a cartridge into a syringe to inject.

Last time this happened to me I was in the UK and would have had to go to a GP or A&E to get a new pen. Having a few syringes meant I could go to a chemist and buy some syringes and keep going till I got home a week later.

Good luck, I hope you are OK now.
 
DEBBIESCOTT said:
I would go to Diana, princess of Wales hospital in Grimsby, really good hospital
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Useless I’m afraid. They carry no stock as I found to my cost when I needed emergency needles.
I’m hoping you are sorted now @IanA123 but if not I rang my Gp who arranged to have an emergency prescription emailed through to the chemist near by.
I’m from Gy and was visiting parents. Do you have a connection too or just holidaying at Cleethorpes?
 
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