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Sooooo Stooopid!!

porl69

porl69

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,639
Location
Pontypool, South Wales
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Stupid people
Last night, just before bed (11pm) I got my Tresiba out, dialled up 13 units, injected, went to put the lid back on and realised I had injected Fiasp and not Tresiba. DOH!!!! Both pens are the same size, one is green, one is yellow and my Fiasp has a Timesulin top on it!!! Really wasn't hungry but knew I HAD to eat. Worked out I would need aroun 120g of carbs. My other half went mad with me for being soooo stoopid. I had half a swiss roll and custard and 2 rounds of toast. Woke up this morning and my bloods were 21.5!!! Obviously I mis calculated what I needed OR what I ate, Glad to say by 9am my bloods were down to 5.4 and have been perfect since.
 
I have done the same thing, was half way though injecting a 31 unit dose of Levemir when I realised it was my Novorapid pen in my hand. I pulled it out immediately, and insulin continued to squirt out of the needle. The pen showed that I'd delivered 21 units, but I didn't know how many of them I received and how many had ended up on the floor! I also ended up with a large bedtime snack that I didn't really want :(
 
It’s just so easily done, isn’t it? Glad you’re ok, it’s scary when we make mistakes like that. My biggest T1 worry is accidentally taking 17u Novorapid instead of my Tresiba... My pens are quite different, I use a metal Novopen Echo for the Novorapid, so they feel very different in the hand, but still.
 
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I have had memory problems and have developed various strategies to cope - if you keep both pens together - could they be separated? I have two fridges set at different temperatures - so one insulin could be in the top of the colder fridge, on a lower level in the warmer one - not that I need insulin - just picturing the scenario as it would need to be if I did.
 
porl69 said:
I had half a swiss roll and custard and 2 rounds of toast.
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OMG, of course I don't envy you the over-dose of insulin, but the food you ate sounds sooooo delicious!!! (And in the past I wouldn't have given you a thank-you for Swiss roll, though I did always love custard, and also toast. How scarcity boosts perceived value!
 
Resurgam said:
I have had memory problems and have developed various strategies to cope - if you keep both pens together - could they be separated? I have two fridges set at different temperatures - so one insulin could be in the top of the colder fridge, on a lower level in the warmer one - not that I need insulin - just picturing the scenario as it would need to be if I did.
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Good ideas; or one could use the long acting of choice for you (they are all a bit different) and a different makers rapid acting analogue in a different pen - works for some. Hope your memory is doing OK. best wishes.
 
Yikes sorry to hear that @porl69 it's so easily done, particularly if you're not paying full attention due to feeling sleepy, it's not stupid though, just a simple mistake, don't be down on yourself , you managed great and waking up high is no hardship in comparison to how it could of been, if it ever does happen again (which i'm sure it wont) just set your alarm for around 2am to check your BG levels because the insulin would of been depleted and you can do your correction then, glad your ok :)
 
I have made mistakes with my vast array of daily medications many times. Not the same as doing it within insulins as a T1 but still a major facepalm moment each time, lol.

Just today I double dosed on the anti-emetic ondansetron, (which is about a 3rd line treatment - the first two are contraindicated because of other meds I take.) I realized what I'd done just after swallowing the little blighters. I didn't fancy trying to reverse my decision so looked up the drug info online. The potential side effects would be similar to the problem I was trying to treat, and I wasn't alarmed enough to head to A&E.

I don't think any harm's been done but I have taken steps to prevent recurrence. The packaging is far too similar to the paracetamol I take up to 4 times a day. I am so used to popping two of those out at a time, that I forgot I only needed one ondansetron tablet.

I've literally taped up the ends of the ondansetron packet with blue coloured first aid tape, so that while I'm wondering why it's taking so long to get into the packet, a lightbulb will go off in my head to slow down and just take one tablet.

I don't think this would work for insulin pens that are used every day though. I hope you find a solution. It's a very normal mistake to make.
 
Resurgam said:
I have had memory problems and have developed various strategies to cope - if you keep both pens together - could they be separated? I have two fridges set at different temperatures - so one insulin could be in the top of the colder fridge, on a lower level in the warmer one - not that I need insulin - just picturing the scenario as it would need to be if I did.
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It’s a good idea, but it’s not advised to keep the in-use pens in the fridge. It can make injecting very painful if the insulin is chilled. It lasts for a month at room temperature (well, a British room temperature!) so most of us keep them where they are to be used. For example, I keep my Tresiba by the bed, alongside the Novorapid, because I inject Novorapid at around dawn, and the Tresiba at 8am. In theory I could keep the Novorapid downstairs, but I get a massive “foot on the floor” rise if I get out of bed before allowing it to take effect. So I take it at stupid o’clock and stay in bed to stop the rise. I could keep the Tresiba downstairs, but I keep Novorapid down there too ;)
 
Pleased to hear that worked out ok, a swiss roll sounds good.

I've had a few accidents. One night I went to sleep, and suddenly woke up, and thought I hadn't taken my Lantus, and without thinking I did it. I then had a terrible feeling that I might have done it twice, and spent the rest of the night eating a lot, and watching my blood sugar. Needless to say, by the end my blood sugar was too high.

These days I try to create a few steps that I have to go through before I can inject, so I have time to think. Because injections are done so frequently it's too easy to switch to auto-pilot. My other worst habit used to be thinking about doing it, and then getting distracted by something else, and not doing it. Then a bit later, I would remember thinking about doing it, but couldn't remember whether I'd actually done it, or not.

Now I try to make sure I consciously think about it, and sort of watch myself as I do it, and bank it in my memory, and make sure I'm not on auto-pilot.
 
Resurgam said:
I have had memory problems and have developed various strategies to cope - if you keep both pens together - could they be separated? I have two fridges set at different temperatures - so one insulin could be in the top of the colder fridge, on a lower level in the warmer one - not that I need insulin - just picturing the scenario as it would need to be if I did.
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Both insulins are kept out of the fridge. My Fiasp has a different top on it, compared to the Tresiba (Oh and colour !!!) Only the second time I have done this in 46 years!! BUT twice too many!
 
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Alison54321 said:
Pleased to hear that worked out ok, a swiss roll sounds good.

I've had a few accidents. One night I went to sleep, and suddenly woke up, and thought I hadn't taken my Lantus, and without thinking I did it. I then had a terrible feeling that I might have done it twice, and spent the rest of the night eating a lot, and watching my blood sugar. Needless to say, by the end my blood sugar was too high.

These days I try to create a few steps that I have to go through before I can inject, so I have time to think. Because injections are done so frequently it's too easy to switch to auto-pilot. My other worst habit used to be thinking about doing it, and then getting distracted by something else, and not doing it. Then a bit later, I would remember thinking about doing it, but couldn't remember whether I'd actually done it, or not.

Now I try to make sure I consciously think about it, and sort of watch myself as I do it, and bank it in my memory, and make sure I'm not on auto-pilot.
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I try to use similar strategies with my pills regimen. Sometimes I have to just write down what I've done on a piece of paper for the day, so I don't skip or double up on something. I have memory issues from having chronic fatigue syndrome for >20 years and high BPs don't help my memory issues either. Today I messed up my Ondansetron dose because I didn't write things down. I have my list ready to go for the morning now.

I can tell when I'm getting a flare up of CFS when I start putting things meant for the microwave into the fridge, that sort of thing. Rest assured I don't drive when I'm like this, lol.
 
Jenny15 said:
I try to use similar strategies with my pills regimen. Sometimes I have to just write down what I've done on a piece of paper for the day, so I don't skip or double up on something. I have memory issues from having chronic fatigue syndrome for >20 years and high BPs don't help my memory issues either. Today I messed up my Ondansetron dose because I didn't write things down. I have my list ready to go for the morning now.

I can tell when I'm getting a flare up of CFS when I start putting things meant for the microwave into the fridge, that sort of thing. Rest assured I don't drive when I'm like this, lol.
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I'm more forgetful, and less organised, when I'm a bit stressed, I find. Hopefully once you've worked out what to do about the Lantus you'll feel happier.
 
I took 3 x my normal amount of novorapid instead of lantus not long after I was diagnosed - just before bed as well. "luckily" we had a packet of 3 toffee crisp in the house, so I went on a chocolate binge.

Now I take Tresiba in the morning alongside my novorapid for breakfast. I find taking the 2 together is helpful and it also means if I ever do make another mistake like that then I'm not going to sleep on an error.
 
Alexandra100 said:
OMG, of course I don't envy you the over-dose of insulin, but the food you ate sounds sooooo delicious!!! (And in the past I wouldn't have given you a thank-you for Swiss roll, though I did always love custard, and also toast. How scarcity boosts perceived value!
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You beat me to it! Any danger apart, what a flipping good excuse to cram lovely carbs down your throat!
 
Alison54321 said:
Pleased to hear that worked out ok, a swiss roll sounds good.

I've had a few accidents. One night I went to sleep, and suddenly woke up, and thought I hadn't taken my Lantus, and without thinking I did it. I then had a terrible feeling that I might have done it twice, and spent the rest of the night eating a lot, and watching my blood sugar. Needless to say, by the end my blood sugar was too high.

These days I try to create a few steps that I have to go through before I can inject, so I have time to think. Because injections are done so frequently it's too easy to switch to auto-pilot. My other worst habit used to be thinking about doing it, and then getting distracted by something else, and not doing it. Then a bit later, I would remember thinking about doing it, but couldn't remember whether I'd actually done it, or not.

Now I try to make sure I consciously think about it, and sort of watch myself as I do it, and bank it in my memory, and make sure I'm not on auto-pilot.
Click to expand...
I thought I had taken my Lantus twice last night because, as you say, the slightest distraction and the fact that you do injections so frequently makes you easily forget. It's a pity there isn't a pen for Lantus that reminds you, such as the Echo for Novorapid which I find invaluable.
 
I have two different basals in same coloured pens as 1/2 unit pens in my brand come just in red or blue.

One case and one insulin as a fabric plaster on it marked insulatard and the other has the same but tresiba on it.

When I accidentally choose wrong one its always with novorapid though... always morning 3.30 or 7am when I'm really tired and struggle to wake up and rollover to get them. I dont get up as I need jabs at 3.30 or before putting feet to floor.

Sometimes so tired I can sleep through alarms at 3.30.. so this is a nuisance.

Dont know why, its always taking a red pen for bolus accidentally, never the other way round.

My memory is shocking too so I also have to write down the 4 injections and the doses the night before..
 
Hard luck there!

My pens are different colours to help prevent that, but in 33 years I skipped my Lantus once thinking I'd taken it and was ill the next couple of days, and I once had my Lantus twice, and the following day I bought my first cream cakes in years, I went to the shop twice in fact and a while back I had a meltdown when the burgundy Humapen was discontinued and the new Luxura was green :)
 
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