Do you use insulin pens? Introduce yourself here!

Treatment Insulin
41

Dear friend,

Diwali is a festival of enjoyment, forgetting all the difficulties faced by us during the year and gives us an occasion to meet in families, relations and friends to enjoy the best, ofcourse, within our means.

I wish you the marvelous Diwali and this happiness to accompany you throughout the year.

Happiness generates energy, positiveness, it strengthens our thoughts and invigorates our energy to get over all the hurdles in a cheerful and winning manner.

Most of us exchange gifts on this occasion. Instead, I have opted to contribute my experience and share view-points with friends. Enclosed please find “Why to panic - Working Girls”. I hope it will interest you and your friends/relations around.

Wishing you THE HAPPIEST JOYFUL DIWALI,

42

What does religion have to do with pen use?

43

no idea on that one.

44

GOOD COLD MORNING DEAR FRIENDS

With a lot of passion and so much desire…
The sweetest, that I very much like,
The words I more eagerly enjoy,
The ones that come from your lips, my love

Wish you all the best of Health My FRIENDS

45

I THINK I have discovered a way to make sure you can use ALL of the insulin in the Lantus SoloStar pen! Since I have started using insulin with this pen, I have been concerned with the instructions to either go with TWO, split doses at the end of a pen, or just throw out the old pen, with some insulin still in it, and start a new pen. I hate the idea of throwing out usable insulin, or sticking myself twice and having to do TWO safety tests, to achieve my dosage. I think I've solved that dilemma.

You know how the instructions say you can click back on the dosage indicator, if you mistakenly dial in more insulin? Well, at the end, dial in your dose, PLUS the amount of your safety test dose. In my case, I was able to dial in 21 (my present dose is 20 units) before it stopped. So, I was able to dial all the way back to zero, enter 1 unit as a safety dose, and watched as the drops issued out of the needle. THEN I dialed in my 20 units dose, knowing that the pen would accept that, because it had already measured the 21 before. That solved both the problem of left over isulin, plus using two pens, and two needles.

Any comments?

46

Not sure how that works when there's more than your 20 plus 1 units left in the pen, Chaplain. The pen will let you twist the dial around to the end at any point in its reservoir, so if you had 30 units left, you'd still have 9 more to use up the next time including the 1 unit test. Am I missing something in your explanation? I'm blonde ya know.

Since I'm only changing the needle twice a week now, I use the last dose in the old pen with the old needle and start a new one with the new pen... and test them both with 1 unit each. It's only 2 little picks and I don't waste either the insulin or the needle.

47

Don't Waste a Drop!

Here’s what I do to get all of the insulin from a pen or pen cartridge. This works on all the pen cartridges I’ve tried, and should work on all disposable pens too:

Use a syringe for the last dose in the pen.

First, if you are using a refillable pen, remove the almost empty cartridge from the pen. Then wipe the rubber stopper with an alcohol swab.

Before you insert the syringe into the cartridge, draw in some air, about 10 or 15 units. Insert into the rubbers stopper where you normally would put your pen tip needle. Inject the air. If this is done on a pen cartridge, you will see the stopper move up. Don’t worry about it. Now insert a pencil into the other end of the cartridge tube and gently push the rubber stopper back down slowly, with your syringe on the bottom and the pencil on the top. Gravity will ensure that the syringe is filled with insulin when you do this if you hold it correctly.

If you are doing this on a disposable pen, you don’t need to worry about the rubber stopper moving, as it can’t.

Next, draw the rest of the insulin out by pulling down on the syringe plunger.

This allows you to draw out all of the leftover insulin. You should be able to get out all but a couple of drops. If you tilt the pen just right, you can get it all.

Set aside with the syringe still in the cartridge so it stays clean.

Next, insert a new penfil cartridge into the empty pen, (or if using a disposable pen, get a new one out). Wipe down the rubber stopper with an alcohol swab.

Remove the needle of the syringe from the old cartridgte and do an air shot to get out all of the air and or bubbles, then insert your syringe into the new pen (instead of attaching a pen tip needle). Dial up the rest of your dose, and inject these remaining units into your syringe. I usually add one extra unit. Remove the syringe from the pen tip, do an air shot to make sure you have no air bubbles (this is where you need the extra unit) and then you can proceed to do your shot.

I usually use up all of my insulin this way, and end up getting a few extra units out of each penfil cartridge.

This works with disposable and refillable insulin pens.

48

That is very interesting Emmy! I have always been told by DNs that I should leave enough insulin in the cartridge to the metal line – leaving probably about 10 units in the cartridge before discarding. I have been taught never to waste anything - unless it is off!
I vaguely remember while I was in hospital that I had nearly run out of some kind of insulin or needle - not sure what, and the nurse was wondering what to do, and then did what you have suggested and injected me with a syringe.
That is very interesting. Can you use the same needles that you use on the pens? Or do you need different ones?

49

I’m not sure what you mean by different ones. Yes, you have to use a syringe instead of a pen needle.

Pen Needle:


Syringe:

50

Well that’s scary, Emmy - you’re making sense to me!!
As a relatively new Type 2 on insulin, I’ve never actually used the syringes before. I started out with a Lantus pen last August and that’s what I’m still using with the pen needles. Next time I go to the D clinic, I’ll ask for a few syringes. They should know what I want when I tell them what I plan to do with them. Thanks Emmy.

51

In the UK you can have one or the other, not both. I have not seen a diabetes syringe recently which is why I was not sure if the needles that you use on the pen can also be used on the syringe.

52

I just have a few boxes of syringes from before I started on pens, so I use them until they run out. I try not to waste anything.

53

Glad I could help Bikette.

54

Emmy, in the UK we get free prescriptions for diabetics and unemployed. I qualify both ways but they do limit you to what you have. It is either pens (which I need because of the way my type of insulin - namely - pork, comes) or syringes. I went to the doctors yesterday and forgot to ask about that. Usually I am limited to two pens once a year, though if I get lucky and have a nice doctor I CAN get more. Need to go back on Thursday so will ask if I can have a few syringes too. I certainly cannot afford to buy my own, but it is worth looking into perhaps when I come back from USA!!!

55

I have done a video showing how to transition from one pen cartridge to a new one, but doing only one injection instead of two. It also shows how to use up that last bit of insulin in the pen cartridge. (Saves me a bit of money on my insulin - it adds up at these prices!)

For entertainment purposes only! :smiley: Always check with your doctor before making any changes in your insulin routine.

Part one:
Insulin Tip 1 A

and part two is here
Insulin Tips 1B

56

Bikette; what I forgot to mention, was that I am at 20 units, and I was right at the 20 unit mark on the insulin reservoir. So I dialed in the 20 units I normally take, and then watched as I kept turning the dial, to see how much I could actually use, before the dial stopped. It stopped at 21, so I knew I had enough for my usual dose of 20 units, PLUS another 1 unit for my safety check. I hope that clarifies things.

By the way, I didn’t know about the syringe method, for using the last few drops of insulin. I’ll have to try that!

57

I use half the insulin in the vile (300 ui ) and have to get rid of rest after 30 days I was told, but not told how to get rid of it. What do I do with it? Take back to pharmacy or empty and throw away vile? It is such a waste, but I am on pills and little bit of insulin. Also how do you give pain free injections? Can’t seem to do it. I don’t have much fat on me, don’t know if that has anything to do with it…

58

hb, I just throw away my vial or my pen when my 28 days of use are up. I paid for them, they’re for keeping me alive, so I have no second thoughts. Even on this, we are not alone!

59

Hey all…wondering if you can help me. I’m two months pregnant (diagnosed as T2 prior to pregnancy) and had to start using insulin. Now, I’m doing fairly fine with injecting, but noticed that sometimes I get a slightly achy/painful pink (not red) lump within 24hrs of some injections. What is this? It doesn’t sound exactly like lipohypertrophy or lipoatrophy but maybe I found bad descriptions of it? Can anyone help me figure this out? I don’t have my next Diabetes Centre appointment until the 25th. Thank you so much! :slight_smile:

60

Rosie, where are you injecting when you get these lumps? Do they occur only at certain injection sites and not at other sites? How often does this happen? How long do the pink lumps remain? How long do they ache? What kind of insulin are your using? Assuming you are practicing correct, safe & sterile injection practices (alcohol swabs, new needle with each injection, injection angles, etc.), hand warming the insulin prior to injection, and mixing the insulin prior to injection the most obvious possibility is you are getting some subcutaneous bleeding and/or bruising at the injection site. Do you bruise easily? You might try a different needle size (thinner, longer/shorter, etc). And different injection locations. You might even have a slight allergy to the insulin formulation in which case you might need to try a different insulin formulation. Depending on the answers to these questions I wouldn’t hesitate to move your appointment up to address this issue.