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Helpish - forgot to shake my Insulatard

LucySW

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,972
Location
Denmark
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi guys. I took my Insulatard tonight without shaking it. I take a small dose, three units. I realized as soon as I looked down, after injecting, that the insulin wasn't blended at all. First time I've ever done that. So I could have taken the equivalent of a significantly higher dose of NPH (or lower: I don't see any way of knowing). Insulatard is NPH cloudy human insulin, similar to Insuman and Humulin.

So - it peaks at five hours and falls off after seven hours. I'm planning to eat a few extra carbs before bedtime and then set my alarm to wake up and check blood sugar every hour through the night, with dextrosols and some more complex carb at the ready if required.

I'm in nutritional ketosis, BTW, and my blood sugar changes have always so far been very gentle.

So - any other advice? Anyone else ever done this? @Heathenlass, did you ever? All help appreciated.

Lucy

Edit: forgot to add, TDD is 11-12 units, quite low.
 
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Hi Lucy! Oh dear what a pain. I forgot to shake the Insuman once - it worked a lot quicker and was out of my system too quickly - I went a bit low as it all sort of worked in one go - not as fast as rapid, but maybe more like a short-acting and then it was gone, so my BG started to rise and I was too scared to take any more, so I left it and ended up higher than usual. No harm done though. On such small doses I'm sure you'll be fine - just keep testing. I expect it will be out of your system in a few hours.

Not sure, but I think the clear liquid might be the insulin and the milky stuff is the particles used to slow-down the absorption and turn it into a longer-acting insulin - so if you don't mix it, you get the clear liquid without the slowing-down stuff.

Smidge
 
I took cloudy insulin for 31 years but never forgot to shake it - it came in vials so was quite easy to see if it was shaken.

Hope you don't go low Lucy.
 
Hey Lucy,
Don't panic, I did it once on about the same dose as you, with a similar effect to Smidge, but less so. Do what you plan to do, then take the next dose at the usual time . It's all part of the learning curve, trust me, you won't ever forget to shake and roll again

Keep us updated, eh ?

Signy
 
Heathenlass said:
. It's all part of the learning curve, trust me, you won't ever forget to shake and roll again
Click to expand...
You bet I won't Signy! I could kick myself. I just got distracted and did it on autopilot, and Hey Presto. I'm going thro one of those phases where you forget to do things - you know, start to eat and then remember you haven't injected. I think it's because things have been going well and I get bored and think I'm going to be rewarded by not having to do stuff any more. As if !!!!

Ah the diabetes mind games.... Speaking of which, found a nice blog today on emotional ups and downs of living with D - http://sixuntilme.com/wp/

Three hrs into my vigil and fine so far. I overdid the birthday cake so I was high anyway and currently 7.7. Not so bad in the circs.

Reading Ice Station Zebra which makes it very easy to stay awake .. fantastic thriller.
 
awwww!! Bless you LucySW. you've done all the right things though and glad you realised !

I still make mistakes and forget things D related even after 42 years -- none of us are perfect
 
Hi Lucy, so pleased all worked out okay in the end. I used to be on Insulartd but then put on Levemir, I remember the rocking and rolling of the vial, not so great when very tired and you just want to go to bed. Take care RRB
 
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himtoo said:
awwww!! Bless you LucySW. you've done all the right things though and glad you realised !

I still make mistakes and forget things D related even after 42 years -- none of us are perfect
Click to expand...

That what makes us human we can all concur with you on this
 
Made it without mishap. I was 6.9 at 4am, at Insulatard plus 6 hours, and then to bed.
 
I'm glad you are OK , Lucy ! You did the sensible things and never, ever again It is one of the bugbears of Insulatard, as RRB says, rocking and rolling the **** vial when you you just want to get it over with

That's a great blog, BTW, and I SO agree with the brain/body divide with night time hypo's Been there, done that, and I think something like a klaxon going off ( BWAAA! BWAAA! BWAAA ! :***: ) would have done the trick in making the "musttreathypo" connection . If nowt else, it would probably alert the entire population of the county !

My eldest cat was very good at waking me up out of a hypo in the Lantus years, by oh so sweetly hooking a claw in my nostril ! Dead to the world to fully alert in a nano second !

Signy
 
Hell yeah! I've been there in the old days... No real harm done.
I'm glad Yer good though!

Funny enough I still can't pick up a spray paint can without shaking it..

 
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