I Dropped my Insulin Pen, Now What?

You dropped your pen, you don't know if its going to work accurately or not, so what next? 

Do not use your pen until you can test its function, or you could end up getting too much or too little insulin. Until you test and know for sure, use insulin syringes. Just remove the cartridge from the pen and use the syringe, just like you would with a vial of insulin. 

However, there's an easy test you can do if you have any Novofine pen needle tips. Even though I have switched brands over the years, I always keep at least a couple of dozen of them on hand, just for this purpose. You can use one with the outer cap on to test your pens accuracy. 

The method is given in the instruction booklet for Novopen users. You just put a tip on the pen, pull off the outer cap, then the inner cap. Dial up 2 units and do an air shot, then put the outer cap back on, and dial up 20 units. Holding the pen with the needle tip downward, push the button and do the shot into the outer cap. The insulin should fill the small area of the cover, and not go under or over that section. Its a test to make sure your pen works. This should work for any pen, as long as you use a Novofine pen needle tip.

You can go to this link and download the manual  http://www.novonordisk.com/diabetes/public/insulinpens/novopen4/manual.asp  

or use this screen shot of the relevant page of the manual.

If your pen fails this simple test, do NOT use it. Get a replacement asap and until then, continue to use syringes and the cartridges, without the pen. 

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/

Tips for Insulin Users

 

Injecting Insulin

 

 

 

As always, this Blog is for entertainment purposes only. Please consult your doctor or diabetes nurse educator before making any changes to your diabetes care routine. I am NOT a doctor, I am a diabetic, and this is what works for me. Talk to your doctor first, before trying anything new.

This subject comes up fairly frequently and over the years I've learned a few things that might help you with your insulin injections, especially Lantus, which has a tendency to burn.

 More than you ever wanted to know about injecting insulin:

 

If you're using Lantus, you have probably discovered that it can burn like crazy!

Lantus burns most when it's cold. To avoid this problem, you can keep it at room temperature up for to 28 days with no problems unless you live in a hot climate or the temperature rises over 86°F (30°C). If the temperature may go higher, then you need to either store it in the fridge during the heat wave, or use a FRIO wallet. 

 

In summer heat waves I use a FRIO wallet to keep my insulin cool but not cold enough to burn. FRIO wallets work by the cooling process of water evaporation. Its cheap and it works, and there's no risk of freezing your insulin like there can be if you use freezer packs. Frozen insulin is useless, so don't risk freezing it by putting it next to a frozen ice pack!

For more info about Frio products click here: http://diabetesfrio.com/

In any case, even if you store it in the fridge, it should be tossed after 28 days of being open and in use. It looses its effectiveness after that.

TIPS for all insulins:

To reduce bruising inject more slowly, and don't move the needle while it's in. Moving it or jiggling it can cause a lot of bruising, ask me how I know!

After injecting, hold the needle in place for 20 seconds, then withdraw smoothly. Holding it reduces leakage when you withdraw the needle.

 

Don't inject near bruises, it causes absorption problems. Avoid veins and capillaries too, there is an increased risk of bruising and bleeding but there's also a risk of sudden hypoglycemia from injecting into a capillary or vein. This is very dangerous and must be avoided.

Don't reuse needles, it adds to the bruising/bleeding problem. Dull needles tear the skin instead of just piercing it. Today's needles are not as thick or sturdy as the needles used in previous decades. They don't hold up well enough to reuse. There is also a risk of infection with reusing needles.

If you want to see what a used needle looks like:
http://www.bd.com/ca/diabetes/english/page.aspx?cat=14501&id=14766

Now do you really want to shove that dull dirty needle into your sensitive skin?

I've found that a supplement called bioflavonoids helps reduce bruising. It strengthens the cell walls. Ask your doctor about trying it.

For more information on Lantus:  http://www.lantus.com/resources/default.aspx

From the Lantus website:

16.2 Storage

LANTUS should not be stored in the freezer and should not be allowed to freeze. Discard LANTUS if it has been frozen.

Unopened Vial/ SoloStar disposable insulin device:

 

Unopened LANTUS vials, cartridge systems and SoloStar device should be stored in a refrigerator, 36°F – 46°F (2°C – 8°

C). Discard after the expiration date.

 

Open (In-Use) Vial:

Vials must be discarded 28 days after being opened. If refrigeration is not possible, the open vial can be kept unrefrigerated for up to 28 days away from direct heat and light, as long as the temperature is not greater than 86°F (30°C).

 

Open (In-Use) SoloStar disposable insulin device:

 

The opened (in-use) SoloStar should NOT be refrigerated but should be kept at room temperature (below 86°F [30°C]) away from direct heat and light. The opened (in-use) SoloStar device must be discarded 28 days after being opened.