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The Day My Insulin Ran Out

September 14, 2015 by Frank 5 Comments

I have two rapid acting insulin pens that I use. The first one sits on my desk at home, beside my blood glucose meter and my phone. I use it with my breakfast, my dinner, my snacks that I shouldn’t be having and for any corrections inbetween. The second one normally accompanies me on my travels. If I’m going to work, it usually sits in my satchel amongst my other clutter. If I’m going out, it’s normally stashed in my jeans or jacket pocket. I use the travel pen less than the home pen, but it probably cops the bigger-than-normal insulin doses from eating out and going overboard at parties.

Every time my home pen runs out, I’ll replace it with my travel pen. And I’ll replace my travel pen with a brand new pen. I swap them so that my insulin pen will always run out at home, where I have a spare stash of insulin sitting in the fridge, rather than on my travels. I know it sounds like a confusing system, but it works for me.

Ever since I returned home from my holidays in July, I’ve only been using the one pen for both home and travel. I’ve had to remember to grab my insulin pen in the morning to take to work, rather than it just already being in my bag. I’ve had to go searching for my insulin pen in my bag or in my jeans when I get home, rather than it already just being on my desk. In all of these weeks, did it ever occur to me that I was making life harder for myself? In all of these weeks, did it ever occur to me that I could just re-employ that second pen? Nope. Or maybe I just couldn’t be bothered doing it.

Last Tuesday night, I noticed that my insulin pen was nearly empty. Too lazy to replace the cartridge then and there, I told myself I’d deal with it tomorrow morning. And I didn’t give it another thought. That was, until after I’d eaten my lunch the following day at work. I was in the locker room, ready to dial up the pen, when I noticed once again that the cartridge was almost empty. My stomach sank. I hoped that there would be enough there to cover my lunch. Even more stupidly, I primed the pen without even thinking about what I was doing. I dialled up my dose of 5 units, stuck it in and pushed. It was cut short. I had managed only 1.5 units of the 5 that I needed.

Thankfully, I’d only had a Burgen bread sandwich and a Muesli bar for lunch. I only had an hour left until knock off time at 3pm. And I live very close to work. Under any other curcumstances, I would have headed home immediately (okay, I probably should have headed home immediately). But under those circumstances, I thought I would be okay to last out the rest of the day. I hadn’t eaten anything ridiculous. And I was just over an hour away from getting my insulin.

My mind was preoccupied for much of my last hour at work. I left at 3pm on the dot, bolted through the door at home and headed straight to the fridge to grab a spare insulin cartridge. It was the first time in five years that anything like this had ever happened. And quite honestly, I was disappointed in myself.

It didn’t take me long to get that second insulin pen out of retirement and back into the workforce at Frank’s diabetes. And I know that I’ll never let it happen again.

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Posted in: Dealing with Diabetes, Multiple Daily Injections Tagged: Diabetes, Injections, Insulin, Insulin Pen, MDIs, Multiple Daily Injections

Thirteen Truths About Insulin Injectors

September 10, 2015 by Frank 5 Comments

I am not one of the cool kids with an insulin pump or a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM). If you start talking to me about basal rates, temp rates, boluses and infusion sites, I’ll probably nod my head without understanding a word of what you’ve just said. And if you tweet me your CGM graphs, you’ll likely put me to sleep because I absolutely hate maths class.

I’ve been on Multiple Daily Injections since I was diagnosed five years ago. What I do understand are words like FlexPen, Penfill and Lantus. If you start talking to me about injection sites, doses, corrections and priming, you’ve probably got my attention. And if you can relate to my thirteen truths about insulin injectors, then you’ve probably got a lot in common with me.

1. Finding a comfortable place in my jeans to stick my insulin pen without squashing it when I go to sit down.

2. Having my insulin pen fall out of my shorts pocket whenever I’m driving, and then having fumble around for it under the driver’s seat.

3. Injecting before dinner, only to realise there’s no carbs on the dinner plate.

4. Trying to pay attention to the conversation at the dinner table when all I’m really thinking about is the carbs that were on my dinner plate.

5. Trying to find a subtle moment at the dinner table to escape to the bathroom without anyone noticing.

6. Dialling up really quietly in the Men’s bathroom so the person in the next cubicle doesn’t think I’m a total weirdo. Or taking drugs.

7. Drawing dots on my stomach to keep track of my injection sites.

8. Frantically putting the cap back on my needle and the lid over my insulin pen the minute I hear someone coming towards the locker room at work.

9. Trying to figure out how much to increase my Lantus dose by after eating more food than usual today.

10. Going hypo in the middle of the night because I ate less than normal today and my Lantus dose was too much.

11. Succumbing to the urge to overcorrect a ridiculously high blood sugar reading, only to end up hypo 2 hours later.

12. Finding a corner to subtly inject because there isn’t a bathroom nearby. Or because I just can’t be bothered going into one.

13. Doing the four touch tap when I leave the house. Wallet. Keys. Phone. And Insulin Pen.

Who says that technology is the only thing that does your head in? Insulin injecting does my head in all the time!

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Posted in: Dealing with Diabetes, Multiple Daily Injections Tagged: Diabetes, Injections, Insulin, MDI

Thanks to Banting and Best, I Have a Chance

July 30, 2015 by Frank Leave a Comment

If it was the year 1921 today, I wouldn’t be able to get up out of bed this morning. I wouldn’t be able to fight the urge to shut my eyes again. I wouldn’t be able to eat breakfast and drink my coffee. I wouldn’t be able to drive to work. I wouldn’t be able to talk, smile and laugh as I go about my day. I wouldn’t be able to buy that Sweet Treat Muffin and Hot Chocolate for lunch. I wouldn’t be able to crash on the couch at the end of the day with a good TV show. I wouldn’t be able to write this blog post. In fact this blog wouldn’t even exist, because I would have been long gone after my diagnosis with type 1 diabetes five years ago (and because, well, computers and the internet weren’t around back then either, but you get my drift…)

But thanks to Dr Frederick Banting and his assistant Charles Best, I have a chance. A very good chance, in fact, of a living a long and healthy life with diabetes. During this week back in 1921 (July 27, to be exact) and against all odds, Banting and Best first isolated insulin to treat type 1 diabetes.

Dr Banting didn’t let his lack of diabetes knowledge stop him from delivering a lecture on the topic. He didn’t stop himself from developing an interest in diabetes and fuelling his theories. He didn’t let his status as an unknown surgeon stop him from convincing the University of Toronto to give him a small laboratory to put his theories to the test.

Against all odds, Dr Banting managed to achieve the impossible. And if he was able to find a treatment for a disease that was a death sentence, then I think I am capable of achieving just about anything I put my mind to.

I feel like I’ve been spending a lot of time whinging about my diabetes on this blog at the moment. About all the ups and downs and highs and lows and crazy emotions inbetween. But when I think about what the alternative would have been back in 1921, I don’t think I have anything to be complaining about.

When I was lying in the emergency room five years ago, fazed by ketoacidosis, there were two phrases that I can remember the doctor telling my worried parents. The first was diabetes. And the second was something along the lines of me being able to live a normal life. And thanks to Banting and Best, that’s exactly what I’m able to do with type 1 diabetes each and every day.

There are some good reads about Banting and Best here and here.

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Posted in: Diabetes Musings Tagged: Diabetes, Insulin

My Diabetes Superpowers

May 28, 2015 by Frank 8 Comments

I recently discovered that I have superpowers. Well, I’ve actually had them ever since I became a diabetic. But I’m only just starting to realise them, thanks to Tuesday’s OzDoc Twitter chat. And chances are, that if you’re a diabetic, you probably have them too!

Like being able to force myself out from under those cosy covers in the middle of the night to check my Blood Sugar Levels. Just to be sure that they are not too low. And not too high either. But just right.

Like waiting for the right moment to make a mad dash from the dinner table to the bathroom when I’m eating out. Dialing up a big dose of insulin for all that mouth watering food I probably shouldn’t have eaten and hoping for the best. Trying to dial up my insulin as quietly, as discreetly as I can so that person outside my cubicle won’t notice. Won’t think I’m a weirdo. Won’t think I’m taking drugs.

Like being able to check my blood sugar levels in stealth mode during the day. Concealing my meter under the desk or heading over to the corner of the room. And being able to hastily finish and quickly hide those items the moment I hear footsteps. The moment I hear voices. The moment I can sense that someone is near.

Like being either a super gifted mathematician or a really good guesser when it comes to the carbs in my food. Working out that golden formula that goes something like “if I’ve eaten x grams of carbs, that means I need x units of insulin.” And “if 1 unit of insulin brings my blood sugars down by 3 mmol/L, then I need x units of insulin to bring me back in range.”

And being able to pick myself up again after a low point. After some diabetes related frustration. After some anger. After some shouting. Even after slamming things. Even after comfort eating. All without even letting it show to those around me. And being able to start all over again.

But above all of these ‘superpowers,’ I believe that just being able to live and deal with something as dynamic as diabetes day in, day out sure is worthy of superhero status in itself.

And the superpower I’m still waiting for? A personal diabetes assistant who can carb count, bolus, test me while I’m asleep and correct for me!

I couldn’t be more thrilled that I’ve finally realised my superpowers. I’m afraid I have to leave you now and use those mathematics superpowers to rescue my blood sugar levels from today’s breakfast!

Join the Oz Diabetes Online Community chat every Tuesday night at 8.30pm AEST by following the #OzDoc hashtag on Twitter.

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Posted in: Dealing with Diabetes, Diabetes Musings Tagged: BGLs, Carbs, Diabetes, Food, Insulin, Sleep
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