I left my insulin at home ‍♂️

[Mamu1979]

Hi everyone. I’m new here and in a bit of a panic. I was diagnosed as type 1 on the 2nd of January this year but i’m sure i’ve been diabetic for a loooong time.
Anyway, i’ve come away for a night and left my insulin supplies at home. I had everything packed and ready to go but left my bag by the front door.
So now i’m Wondering if I need to start worrying or if i’ll Be ok for 24 hours until I get home.
My daily readings range from 7.6/8.0 in the morning to 5.5 throughout the day. I inject 5 units in the morning, 6-8 at lunch and 8-10 before dinner. My nighttime dose is 25. I know this is a bit of a ‘how long is a piece of string’ question but i’m Just looking for advice from someone who’s been in a similar situation.
I do have access to a glucometer as my mother in law is type 2 and is letting me use hers.

 

[Diakat]

You may still be in the honeymoon jade and be able to get away with no insulin for a short while but this is not a great idea!
How far away is home? Any chance of popping back?

 

[Mamu1979]

2 hours. Not really an option

 

[Diakat]

How are your levels now and when are you off home? You could try an out of hours doc to see if you could get an emergency prescription as it is too late to call your go to ask them to send to a local chemist.

 

[Antje77]

What long acting are you on? With Tresiba and maybe Toujeo you might be alright as far as your long acting goes. Until you have your mealtime insulin do not eat any carbs, stick to eggs, cheese and meat if you must eat, unless going low. Is there a pharmacy or hospital near? Mayby you can get something there.
Do you use facebook? You might get lucky if you post where you are and what insulin you need, especially if you're friends with someone in that area.

2 hours. Not really an option

If all else fails I'd say 2 hours is a much better option than DKA and a hospital admittance, but your pancreas might still produce enough insulin to keep you safe.

Good luck!

 

[DCUKMod]

Hi everyone. I’m new here and in a bit of a panic. I was diagnosed as type 1 on the 2nd of January this year but i’m sure i’ve been diabetic for a loooong time.
Anyway, i’ve come away for a night and left my insulin supplies at home. I had everything packed and ready to go but left my bag by the front door.
So now i’m Wondering if I need to start worrying or if i’ll Be ok for 24 hours until I get home.
My daily readings range from 7.6/8.0 in the morning to 5.5 throughout the day. I inject 5 units in the morning, 6-8 at lunch and 8-10 before dinner. My nighttime dose is 25. I know this is a bit of a ‘how long is a piece of string’ question but i’m Just looking for advice from someone who’s been in a similar situation.
I do have access to a glucometer as my mother in law is type 2 and is letting me use hers.

Are you in UK Mamu?

 

[Mamu1979]

I’m in Poland and no I don’t use Facebook. I’ve just done my morning reading and it’s 5.8.... That’s lower than it normally is when I have my insulin so that’s weird. I’m heading home after dinner so I’m about 8 hours. Hopefully if I keep my carb intake low then I should be ok or am I being naive? Is there anything else I should be looking out for or is a low blood sugar level enough to keep the ketones away?

 

[Mamu1979]

*in about 8 hours

 

[Juicyj]

Hello @Mamu1979 Sounds like your doing ok at the moment, blood glucose is low enough to avoid ketones, if it goes above 17 then this would be cause for concern, good idea to keep your carbs to a minimum and just keep a close eye on things, as your newly diagnosed you could be benefiting from the honeymoon phase so your pancreas still has some function. Hopefully today will be problem free

 

[DCUKMod]

In the bigger picture, @Mamu1979 , Poland are EU members, so, with an EHIC card you would have access to basic health care, like a local. What the basic Polish health care system is like I have no idea, or whether you would be directly provided with insulin.

 

[lipilintu]

Happened to me countless of times when leaving for school. My sugar tends to rise to around 14 during the day if I don't have insulin, so it's not the worst. Doesn't feel very good though

 

[DCUKMod]

I'd probably just reiterate to test LOTS today, @Mamu1979 . Any doubts, please call medical services.

 

[Antje77]

I’ve just done my morning reading and it’s 5.8.... That’s lower than it normally is when I have my insulin so that’s weird. I’m heading home after dinner so I’m about 8 hours.

If it were me I'd feel safe by now with those numbers. Diabetes is sometimes weird like that, especially in the beginning when your pancreas can have good days and bad days.
When you get home, give your pancreas a friendly pat and thank it for saving your a** this time

Hope you've had a nice trip, despite these worries!

 

[Mamu1979]

Hello ‍. I did survive. Over the 24 hours that I was without insulin I ate normally (even had two beers ) and my levels never once went over 7.0.
Which brings me to another question- have I been misdiagnosed and should I be type 2??? For example for lunch on the Saturday I ate a high carb meal purely because I knew I was on my way home shortly and my levels were nice and low. 2 hours later my sugar level was 7. So this shows me that my pancreas is still pretty active and I’m not entirely convinced I need insulin. Anyone have any ideas or similar experience??

 

[Mamu1979]

I would also like to thank you all for your help and support with this post. You were all very helpful and it’s nice to know the help and answers are there when I need it

 

[KK123]

Hello ‍. I did survive. Over the 24 hours that I was without insulin I ate normally (even had two beers ) and my levels never once went over 7.0.
Which brings me to another question- have I been misdiagnosed and should I be type 2??? For example for lunch on the Saturday I ate a high carb meal purely because I knew I was on my way home shortly and my levels were nice and low. 2 hours later my sugar level was 7. So this shows me that my pancreas is still pretty active and I’m not entirely convinced I need insulin. Anyone have any ideas or similar experience??

Hi Mamu, no, no, no, no! It does not mean anything of the sort, you may be in what they call the honeymoon period, meaning your pancreas is still producing insulin (probably in small amounts). This may last a short time or a long time but you will still be type 1 unless there is some other reason they got it wrong.

 

[Antje77]

have I been misdiagnosed and should I be type 2

What was the reason they decided you're T1?
Positive antibodies? If so, you're T1, period.
Ketoacidosis upon diagnosis? If so, you're very very likely T1.
Age, weight and very high bg? If so, you're probably T1.

It's pretty common with LADA (the version of T1 mostly seen in grown ups) to have your pancreas wake up enough to not need insulin for a while.
Also, depending on what long acting you're on, you still might have active insulin in your system. And all the travelling and such may well count as exercise, reducing the need for insulin.

 

[Mamu1979]

What was the reason they decided you're T1?
Positive antibodies? If so, you're T1, period.
Ketoacidosis upon diagnosis? If so, you're very very likely T1.
Age, weight and very high bg? If so, you're probably T1.

It's pretty common with LADA (the version of T1 mostly seen in grown ups) to have your pancreas wake up enough to not need insulin for a while.
Also, depending on what long acting you're on, you still might have active insulin in your system. And all the travelling and such may well count as exercise, reducing the need for insulin.

Hi, at the time of diagnosis I had a blood sugar level of about 18-19. I had no ketoacidosis. I’m 39, 6” 6’ and 108kg’s. I’m convinced I’ve been diabetic for years. I remember as a child and going through my teens that if I was hungry (i.e low blood sugar) my mood would change to bad very quickly and I’d be quite shaky but as soon as I ate everything was ok again. The only reason I went for a blood test when I did was because of a fungal infection I had that the doctor suggested could be caused by diabetes. He was right. My dad is also type 1 diabetic, has been for 42 years now. My long acting insulin is Abasaglar and short acting insulin is Liprolog.

 

[Antje77]

Hi, at the time of diagnosis I had a blood sugar level of about 18-19. I had no ketoacidosis. I’m 39, 6” 6’ and 108kg’s. I’m convinced I’ve been diabetic for years. I remember as a child and going through my teens that if I was hungry (i.e low blood sugar) my mood would change to bad very quickly and I’d be quite shaky but as soon as I ate everything was ok again. The only reason I went for a blood test when I did was because of a fungal infection I had that the doctor suggested could be caused by diabetes. He was right. My dad is also type 1 diabetic, has been for 42 years now. My long acting insulin is Abasaglar and short acting insulin is Liprolog.

So no antibodies test or C-peptide were done before your diagnosis of T1?

 

[Mamu1979]

So no antibodies test or C-peptide were done before your diagnosis of T1?

I’m embarrassed to say I’m not sure. I had numerous blood tests done. The last blood test I had done tested for two specific things and was sent away to a specialist clinic for testing because the hospital didn’t do that test in house. I’m pretty sure that was a hemoglobin test and one other ‍. I’m due back at the clinic at the end of May. I’ll just carry on with my insulin until then