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Not sure if I injected my background insulin

B

BradfordDan

Newbie
Messages
3
Hello,
Diagnosed on Dec 23 and everything is closed.
I'm not sure if I injected my backgound insulin, when I thought I was pulling out the needle a stream of insulin squirted out and the needle was at 90+ degrees.
Not sure what to do.
Any advice appreciate.
 
Whenever I wasn't sure if I'd injected my background insulin (I sometimes have the memory of a below average goldfish), I'd just leave it, and kept testing and doing corrections to deal with it rather than possibly taking it twice - which could lead to a lot of hypos.

However given it sounds like you've only just been diagnosed I'm guessing you may not have been told about corrections or many different things, so it would be best if you're in the UK to ring up 111 and see if you can get any advice about it - emphasize that you're very new to it all
 

Thanks, I think I can make corrections. I tried 111 the other night and after an hour and a half wait was told it would be 6 or 7 hours before they could get back to me >.<

How quick will I notice if I didn't take it?
 
BradfordDan said:
How quick will I notice if I didn't take it?
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Aw, that's just one of those things.
Having only been diagnosed for 5 days, you might not find out for sure at all, as everything is new and changing.

What background or basal insulin are you on?
What are your numbers like at the moment?
Are you on a quick acting insulin as well?
 

Background is glARGine (Semglee) dosage upped to 14 units today.
Fast acting is NovoRapid dosage upped to 10 units today
Will post numbers in an hour, ate and injected an hour ago, I understand it takes two hours for the numbers to stabilise?
 
BradfordDan said:
I understand it takes two hours for the numbers to stabilise?
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Depends on many factors, so early days I'd say test a lot, and keep notes on what you've eaten and when, how much insulin you took, and the numbers you see over the day.

In time, you'll learn to adjust your dose of NovoRapid to the amount of carbs you'll eat. As you can imagine, a steak plus salad needs a completely different amount of insulin than a pizza!
The more notes you take, the easier it will be for your diabetes nurse or consultant to help you work out your individual doses.

It takes time to get the hang of diabetes, and it's a marathon, not a sprint! Take your time learning.
 
We all make the odd mistake with our insulins. It takes a while to get into a routine and a bit of concentration when it come to time to inject.
I injected rapid acting NovaRapid instead of long acting Lantus one morning a few months ago and had to keep scoffing jelly babies until lunch time.
You'll almost certainly find your long acting and rapid acting dosages need to be adjusted over the next few weeks. NovaRapid is usually taken before meals and the dosage adjusted according to carb intake and your personal insulin sensitivity and the latter can vary according to time of day.
It's early days for you, so don't worry too much, you'll soon get the hang of things.
 
Did your team tell you what to do if your blood glucose levels are high and how long to leave between insulin injections ?
 
Novorapid lasts around 4 hours and is at it’s peak after 1.5 hrs after you have injected. It’s generally not advisable to inject the same insulin again within the 4 hours (unless you are ill) as you will be overlapping your insulin, this is called ‘stacking’ and you can then have a massive hypo that’s hard to correct later. A lot of factors effect absorption rates so if you injected and went for a quick walk it would probably peak quicker than if you were watching TV. Keep a lot of detailed notes at the moment as everyone is different you will start to realise what effects you.
jonathan183 said:
Did your team tell you what to do if your blood glucose levels are high and how long to leave between insulin injections ?
Click to expand...
 
Its not a good idea to correct within 4 hours of taking a fast-acting insulin (unless you can calculate insulin on board still) however if you have a meal (with carbs) less than 4 hours after your previous one you still need your insulin for that meal - its the correcting before 4 hours is up that can be your problem
 
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