Forgetting if I took insulin?

[Gazzypops]

Well, as people have pointed out, there are at least two companies that have produced an object that attaches to an insulin pen -- which means lots of people have this problem. As one of those people, I went for the Timesulin product first as there was a special offer on it (I think it was around £20) -- got it for my disposable NovoRapid pens. And... it didn't work very reliably. The catch wouldn't always register whether the lid had been taken off (which triggered the resetting of the clock and therefore told you the last time you'd injected). Timesulin didn't offer an alternative but were very good and refunded me.

So I went to Insulcheck. This was a more cumbersome design (it attaches itself to the dial-end of the pen) so you might have to get used to using it. I had many problems with this product initially (the plastic would fall apart, like the reset catch wouldn't always catch). Each time, the customer services were very helpful and sent out a replacement. After about four issues of the product falling apart, I was told they had changed manufacturers as they'd had a lot of quality issues. Since then, I've not had any problems and it is a good indicator of whether I've injected or not.

Don't have the same product for my Lantus (I don't think it's supported). But I'd recommend the Insulcheck (now!).

Best of luck.

Gareth

 

[hh1]

I take my basal insulin when I go to bed and leave the old needle on my bedside table then i know I've taken it. On the odd occasions when I've simply forgotten to take it altogether, I've taken a half dose the next morning, monitored and adjusted boluses for the rest of the day, then slightly reduced the dose that night. Seems to work for me, but as is said on here so often, it's about finding out what works for you.

 

[tommo1968]

Used to have a Humane which recorded the Insulin taken. Battery went and now pen is no longer available.
I have been a type 1 diabetic for 32+ years and occasionally miss an injection. Missed the odd lunchtime injection but can feel it later in the day. The problem one to miss I find is the BI injection. To combat it I take half the dose in the morning if I know it has been missed. If missed a QA injection I just use the correction calculation.

 

[Carole T]

I am a T2 on insulin (insulatard) twice daily and I have forgot to take my Insulin on a few occasions in the evening and i have also forgot my tablets too.
I have recently done a trial of Needlebay (It's a great thing to keep my needles in a screw on ones for my pen injection but it wont be much good for keeping syringes in) and by using this and keeping it in my eye range daily it helps me to remember to take my insulin. So a result for Needlebay and now myself as i haven't forgot to take my insulin since using it.

 

[peterg251]

I can relate to this completely. I have had type 1 for 43 years and been on a pump for about 12 years. I still forget occasionally to dose myself after eating and have just been reminded that I should be dosing before I eat and then adjusting post meal if I eat more. The great thing about the pump is that you can set reminders, have the records to review and if you sleep through the set change reminders you know exactly how much insulin you have not taken and can adjust as required, it is all just fast acting. Is your health board funding pumps that might be better for your lifestyle?
Good luck in the future I am afraid that memory deteriorates with.......****** what was that word......

 

[buddyxyz]

it has happened to me i was not sure if i did me 24 hour lantus one distarction phone call had to wait up and c if blood started to rise. what i do now is i keep a strip of paper and pen in case with monday tuesday etc. and directlyi have done injection put a cross on day otherwise would of happened again. but these memory pens sound amazing good luck

 

[nolly53]

Hi everyone.
Just wondering if this happens to anyone else. Tonight I have some how forgotten if I've taken my night time insulin (levemir). I've had type one diabetes for 18 years now, and I've barely ever forgotten, but sometimes it just happens. Wondering what to do? I don't want to obviously give myself too much in case I've already had some, but also don't wanna not take any because I wake up with sky high blood sugars!
Are there any pens out there that can prevent this? Thanks! Bad diabetic alert ‍‍

I know that this does not answer your question, but it might help someone. I often forget whether or not I have taken my insulin. Now I put my needles in my pill box along with my Metformin.

 

[AndyZap]

These gadgets are great for the future.
However, if I forget if I have taken my basal tonight, what is the best thing to do?
Stay up with regular BG checks and measure whether fasting BG rises?
If it does, I guess you can assume you definitely forgot your basal. Do you take it later? I guess if you do, you need to take into consideration that Lantus lasts 24 hours so don't take it too early tomorrow?
Or is there another approach?

I use Levemir and Novorapid. If I have forgotten my night-time Levemir, the next morning, I will take at least half the missed dose as Novorapid (to bring down my blood sugar quickly) and the other half as Levemir plus my morning dose of Levemir. That may seem like a lot of insulin to take in one go, but it's replacing what you didn't get.

 

[noyahO21]

Type 1 diabetes for 50 years,; I don't forget to do my injection, I often just don't remember whether I've done my evening Levemir (6 units) or not, which I usually take around 7pm during week, 12 hours past my morning Levemir (12 units). I even ask my husband and children sometimes whether they remember if I did my injection. They hardly ever do as it's just so much part of our life, they don't notice me injecting. I've tried so many different ways of trying to remember, usually to no avail. Even having a set time to do my Levemir doesn’t help as I can still forget whether I’ve done my injection or not.
I’ve tried Timesulin but found it to be unreliable. I’m living temporarily overseas and have to keep my insulin in fridge or Frio (including an inner lining). Frio customer service good but unfortunately even the replacement they sent me was unreliable. I am thinking of trying it again hoping the technology has improved. I also tried a device called Insulcheck, similar to Timesulin. Also unreliable. Neither did the job they were meant to do, sadly.
What I find best is to try and do my injection when I'm not doing something else or talking to someone. Otherwise I'm distracted and can't remember if I've done it or not. Also putting my Levemir pen away as soon as I've done my injection helps sometimes.
If I really can’t remember if I took my Levemir at night or not, I check my bsl more often, do a smaller dose of Levemir if I do suddenly realise I haven’t done it and correct in the morning if it has gone high. (I follow the DAFNE program). I currently use FlexPen Novorapid and Levemir. I’m interested in the Novopen Echo & 5 which people are talking about and will speak to my Endocrinologist. Thanks for all helpful advice.

 

[Tymo]

Ive been type1 for 25 years and yes there are the occasions I think did I inject or didnt I inject. Over the years I have seen great advancement in pen technology. As for the NOVOPEN 5 with its minute digital display is really a second rate product especially for those with visual disparement. For the billions of pounds made by a small number of drugs companies its time they produced a device with a visual display and for those with visual problems a pen that will tell you when it was last used and the dosage administered. The nano technology is all there but drugs companies simply dont want to impact on their profit. I need to check out this insulcheck. Cheers john..

 

[SpudBovill]

I have been a type 1 diabetic for 46 years & yes one can forget ones injections. Easily done. I had a wooden stand made with 4 holes drilled in it enabling my injections to stand upright in them. I place my novorapid in the first hole which is breakfast then once used move it into the second hole for lunch & then supper. The other end hole is used for my Levemir & remains there all day until used in the evening when I then lay it down on the table & replace it into its hole the following morning. Sounds difficult but it gives me piece of mind & I can see at a glance if I have or have not had my injection. Hope this helps.

 

[neels]

Sorry to say but yes this is common and has been happening to me for a good decade or so (probably more). Right now I am on an insulin pump and take my insulin after the meal as I sometimes find that I don't eat as much I intended to or vice versa, but in doing this I find I do forget to dose myself with insulin afterwards. But, as I do my BG checks very regularly, I normally can catch missed doses within 2 hours, so I guess not too bad for me. Its the tablets that, when missed that causes problems as I don't realise I have missed them until the next morning!

 

[Peter Hulse]

I put a day's worth of pentips in a prominent place, so every time I walk past I can see how far I've got through the day.

 

[Dubhnacorrie]

I used to do this all the time. I've been a T1D for 32 years and it has become such a normal part of my life that I honestly couldn't remember if I'd taken my insulin 5 minutes after I had. This led to around 5 events each year where I'd end up double-dosing. Now, double-dosing the insulin I take for my evening meal is a big problem, it's quite a lot of insulin anyway and twice as much is a significant load. So I saw the sharp end of the GlucoPen a few times as well as one or two encounters with the local ambulance crews.

Timesulin wasn't suitable for me (it's for disposable pens rather than permanent ones) and the Echo was too small a dose, so I was still struggling.

Then I went to my hospital about 18 months ago and got moved over to the NovoPen 5. I've not double-dosed once since then... the number of "unexpected hypos" has dropped to, almost none.

 

[Dubhnacorrie]

[continued]
Thanks to the NovoPen 5 coupled with FreeStyle Libre my HBA1C is back in a "decent" range for the first time in those 32 years. I got the NovoPen 5 from the clinic and they've put it on repeat prescription for me (as the batteries will eventually give one, the carrier is also "flimsier" than the old ones so designed to "expire").

If you've not revisited your regime in a while, and are still working on "old" equipment, it's really worth having a chat with your diabetes care team and talking about the options; it's been a real life-changer for me.

 

[OTHill]

Hi, T1D 50 years, have forgotten insulin many times and I used to be in 5 injections per day. I asked my Doc about a pump as I've lost signs of hypo. I got my pump in 2010 and I haven't looked back. It made me feel 10 years younger and my quality of life has improved so much, it's just great. Best of all my ANIMAS Vibe has History in it, so if you think you've forgotten your dose, just check the history and it will give you date, time and dosage info. Life couldn't be easier.

 

[Hayden_McCall]

I have daily recurring alarms programmed into my iPhone calendar. I get an alert 30 minutes prior to the time I have to take them, again 10 minutes prior, and then at the time itself. Can never have enough reminders.

 

[Bic]

Hi everyone.
Just wondering if this happens to anyone else. Tonight I have some how forgotten if I've taken my night time insulin (levemir). I've had type one diabetes for 18 years now, and I've barely ever forgotten, but sometimes it just happens. Wondering what to do? I don't want to obviously give myself too much in case I've already had some, but also don't wanna not take any because I wake up with sky high blood sugars!
Are there any pens out there that can prevent this? Thanks! Bad diabetic alert ‍‍

Hi Chloesnavy,
I have the same problem, I often can't remember whether I took insulin or not. Timesulin is a good tool, I guess it can help avoid injecting twice instead of once. As for the opposite (not taking insulin at all because you simply forgot), I have a makeshift method: I put my insulin pen next and parallel to my diary after injecting. When I don't inject because BS are too low and I have to eat first and inject later, I put the pen upon and across my diary. When I am outside, I wrap a green elastic hairband around the pen-case after injecting, or a red one if I still have to. Of course everybody around the house has to know about it so as not to mess things…
Best wishes!

 

[Diane Griffiths]

Hiya everyone, I've been a type 1 for 45 year and yes I have forgotten my injection in a few occasions. The last time it happened I decided that when I check my blood sugars (before each injection 5 in total) in my dafne diary I put 12345 and as I do my injections I put a cross through the number. Since doing this I haven't forgotten an injection...Try it, its simple

 

[kzlorenz]

I had the same problem once. I since then make sure I write down on my diary the insulin I take (just the dig dose of Tresiba in the evening).
In doubt do not take it! You can correct with rapid acting afterwards (I know it is an hassle).