I have developed shot pobia. I took my long acting dose (Trebisa) and I must have hit a muscle. My blood sugar dropped in about 10 minutes time from 113 to 30 and remained low for over 3 hours (30-70) with several soda cans. I am truly PTSD from it. I went back on my pump but it turns out everytime I taught yoga or aerial work (silk and pole) I would move or effect the cannula or needle under my skin. In 6 months of using the pump I have developed an eating disorder, was taking 20-30% more insulin cause I wasn’t getting the insulin through blouses and changed my sets daily.
That was my long story turned short… I took the pump off last week and immediately I didn’t feel sick. Back of scary shots I am understanding my hunger cues and realise my eating issues was a lack of insulin issue. My question is has anyone used the “tickle flex” at assist with injections? My questions are does it really work as explained and if so do you need to use a slightly longer pen tip 5mm vs. 4mm for the injection. I’ve put a link to the device to show what it is if anyone was interested.
Thank you
Sincerely petrified
Which pump are you on? Which pump model of cannula is becoming dislodged?
I think this can all get worked out.
I have a fear of IV’s. I will never get over it. It’s probably phobia level. But, just to clarify…it’s not shots that your afraid of - its low blood sugar, correct? I ask because those are entirely different fears - needles vs low blood sugar. So I want to clarify.
I’m guessing that you have a very thin body build? People with that build struggle sometimes with pump cannula placement.
I don’t think this issue has been clarified well enough yet to start doling out recommendations, but I want to throw this out there to see how it sits - pole work might not be for you. I can see how our hardware might not be a good fit for that. I don’t want to say anything definitive. I think its reasonable to explore options. One possibility is that pole work doesn’t fit with pump hardware. If I HAD to choose (not saying that you do), I would choose the pump.
It’s specifically only the long acting insulin. Cause 13 unites hit it my system all at once and it was life threatening. I really am just reaching out to see if anyone is using the tickleflex tool. Regardless of pole or not my job is teaching yoga 2-3 classes a day. That also pulls or moves the cannula the pump is not an option. I wore a pump for 14 years prior to this so I know it’s beneficial but I was feeling sick daily now.
I have heard of it happening to a few people before. I’m think it’s when it goes directly into a vein. Making sure to pinch up the skin helps. And don’t give shots too close to the belly button as there are more blood vessels there. Scary stuff when something like that happens.
Hopefully someone can give you some input if they’ve used a tickleflex or not. It’s possible your endo might be able to give you input too. And it might come down to you trying it to see if it works for you. It’s worth trying if it makes your life easier. Anything that helps us is a plus.
I can tell you I have a lot of issues with my Omnipods and site failure. One thing that happens with me is some of the areas I apply them creates a painful jab when the pod inserts. Sometimes it was pretty painful and smarted for a few seconds. So I use a distraction technique. I jab my fingernail into my skin so that is what I feel when it inserts. It works really well. Use one hand for the pen and the other hand a fingernail jab. This method might not work for you though since what happened to you is different.
I have been on the pods too and same problem. I also wasted so much insulin changing pods out early. I only needed like 14 units daily. I hope your system keeps working for you. But know you weren’t the only one who had that problem.
Hi there – I am sorry to hear that you’re struggling with a needle phobia. When I was diagnosed with T1D nine years ago (as an adult), I had an intense needle phobia originally caused by childhood medical experiences. One thing my endo did was get me BD Autoshield Duo pen needles. Essentially the needle is initially shielded so you place the shielded needle against your skin. Once you apply enough pressure, it kind of pops in all at once (no slow watching the needle go in, you just don’t have to pay attention like with a normal pen needle). Then the needle autocaps when it comes out. Ultimately, I do find the experience much better than with a normal pen needle – though therapy for the phobia was the real game changer. If you’re interested and want to try them out, I have some. They may be officially expired, but I’m guessing it’s fine. (I’m on a pump now with no use for these. I could mail you a sample!) If interested: elizabeth.lamkin AT gmail.com
