Hope for Type 1's

This is good news for type 1's, there may be some hope in the future of saving or restoring beta cell function after all, if caught early in the game... http://insulinnation.com/treatment2/cure-insight/most-people-with-type-1-still-producing-insulin/

Conversion Chart for Blood Glucose Readings

Here's a chart that you can use to convert
mmol/L to mg/dl and vice versa. 

Protect Yourself at the Hospital!

Next time you're in the hospital, make sure you do your own insulin injections and that you keep your pen in your room, and label the body of the pen, NOT the cap. 

Thousands of hospital patients were exposed to HIV, Hep and other blood bourne diseases by nursing staff switching the CAPS of the pens, and using the pen on more than one patient. 

Pens MUST be specific to ONE patient. 

There is now evidence that there IS some backwash, which contaminates the insulin, making it very risky for more than one person to use a pen. 

In hospitals, there ARE going to be diabetics with HIV or Hep. 

Protect yourself! 

This is why I always keep my testing kit and insulin with my personal property and refuse to let nurses handle my equipment or insulin. If they want to test my blood glucose I insist that I do the lancing with my own lancing device and then let them collect the blood sample for their device. This way I am not exposed to any risk if proper proceedures have not been followed. Sharing lancing devices isn't safe, even if you change the lancet, because there is minute blood splatter all over and inside the lancing device. 

http://insulinnation.com/treatment2/medicine-drugs/pen-reuse/

Keeping Insulin Safe During a Heat Wave

Sometimes when you are traveling or even at home or work, your insulin will be subjected to temperature extremes, including freezing, or heat wave temperatures. Since insulin is very sensitive to temperature changes, it needs to be protected.

If you are just going for a short trip during the winter, then the safest place to keep your insulin is inside its case, on the inside of your coat. As long as you don't get overheated, your body temperature will keep your insulin warm enough. However, don't have it too close, or the temperature can get too warm for it. If you'll be in a heated car, not outside, then keeping it in your usual bag or pocket might be warm enough. Just don't store it right next to a heat source. Its a good idea to have some kind of insulin around insulin in any extremes to keep it from getting too warm or too cold so pack it in some sort of insulated pack or bag whenever the temperatures might go outside optimum ranges. Insulin can be very expensive, plus you don't want to be without a vital medication when you need it. Planning is essential.

For summertime, you should check the temperature range that is safe and have a plan for keeping your insulin in use cool during heat waves. You can store your supply in the fridge (as long as your fridge doesn't freeze things). However, for your insulin pen in current use, you need something portable, so read on.

One word about ice. NEVER use ice directly next to your insulin. It WILL freeze enough to make it useless. If you plan to pack your insulin in a cooler with your lunch, make sure your insulin is as far away from the ice pack as possible to avoid freezing it. I wrap a clean kitchen towel around my pen case. I put the ice on the other side of the cooler, as far from the insulin as possible. The towel keeps the insulin pen case where I put it, and protects it if it should shift in transport.

Once you open it, insulin is fine at average room temperatures, however, if its hot enough to use an air conditioner, then you probably need to take precautions about the heat. All insulin packaging comes with an insert that tells you the safe temperature range for your product. Always check the recommendations in the insert.

If you'll be traveling, or live where there are heat waves during the summer, I strongly advise you to get a FRIO wallet for your insulin.

Frio uses water evaporation to keep insulin and other temperature sensitive medications at a cool temperature without risk of freezing during a heat wave, without relying on any type of refrigeration. The wallets are small enough to carry with you, and you can also get larger ones for supplies needed over an extended period such as a vacation.

Frio can be used anywhere that you have access to clean water, its very portable, and simple to use, and you can even get one for a pump if you have one.

I've been using water evaporation to keep my insulin pens protected during heat waves for several years now, and have never had a problem. Frio is a reliable product and the concept is simple and effective.

I highly recommend it!

Here's the link: http://www.frioinsulincoolingcase.com/

I have no association with Frio, other than being a happy customer.

Freezing: As far as I know, the simplest way to tell if insulin has frozen, is to look for changes in appearance. It might have become cloudy or have particles in it that are not normally present. There might be a crack in the cartridge. If there are no observable changes, I test my insulin by using it. If it doesn't bring my  blood sugar down as it normally would, then it has indeed been frozen. The same applies to extreme heat. It renders insulin useless. I don't know of any other way to test insulin other than sending it back to the company.

I once sent insulin to the company to be tested, and it was fine, but instead of returning it, they threw it out! There goes my money! So now I just test by using it. This is how I test it, its up to you to decide if you want to do this or not. Consult your doctor first or call the company and follow their advice.

This blog is for entertainment purposes only. Always follow the advice of your doctor or diabetes nurse educator, or your endo.

Glucose Tablets: An Essential Safety Measure for Insulin Users

Essential Safety Measures for Insulin Users

Something we all need once we start using insulin

 is a quick fix if our blood glucose goes too low.

If you're a type 2, and on oral meds, diet and exercise, your blood glucose may go low occasionally. However, when you start insulin, you'll experience more severe lows, that have a sudden onset, and you may not have the physical strength and presence of mind to deal with it, if you fail to prepare ahead of time.

One item you must have on hand is glucose tablets.

There are several brands, but I find the least expensive and most widely available brand is Dex4.

You can buy Dex4 in large jars of 50, which will treat about 15 lows, and there are also 10 tablet tubes. The tubes will only treat 3 lows or possibly 4.  The larger bottles are more economical. 

There are other brands of glucose available, these are simply the brand that I prefer, as it is easy to find, and not as expensive as the other ones. 

You should always carry glucose tablets with you when you go out, even in your own backyard. You should keep some in a small jar in every room of your home too. They should be easy to see at a glance, and easy to reach from whatever chair you normally sit in. For example, you should be able to reach them at your desk, your living room chair, kitchen table, in your car, your place of work, and where you sleep.

They should never be out of reach! 

Take the time now to break the seal on the bottle and open the lid, then screw it back on just enough to close, so its not tight. You need to keep moisture out, but have the lid loose enough for a weakened person to open in an emergency. If you go low, you will be weaker than normal, and probably confused as well.

If you take the time now to put at least 6 to 8 glucose tablets in small jars, label them, and put one in each location, it could save your life someday. It will certainly give you some security, knowing that you're prepared for the lows that will occur.

Why got to all this trouble you ask? Well, when a real low strikes, you may be too weak to walk, let alone hunt for and open a new, still sealed jar. You may not even have the strength to open a lid if its screwed on too tightly. Confusion is part of extreme low blood glucose, so be prepared now, so you can deal with it when it strikes.

Family members need to know what and where your glucose tablets are too. They need to know how to help if you get so low you can't even think of taking glucose tablets.

Here's a handy product that can be used to carry them when you're away from home, at work, etc.

This is the Quick Fix Key Chain for glucose tablets. The Dex4 tablets fit into these perfectly.

I rotate mine, as they do absorb more moisture when stored in these key-chain holders. You can find this product at  Quick Fix Key Chain

I've also seen these on Amazon.com 

 Dex 4 is available in tablets, gels and liquid form. The 50 count jar of tablets is the most economical form, and easier to find too. Other brands may be more readily available in your part of the world. The important thing is to get some, and have them on hand, where you'll need them, not stuck in the back of a cupboard somewhere, collecting dust!

Take the time now to get some glucose tablets and put them where you can easily find and use them, when the need arises.

You won't be sorry that you did!