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parent needing advice

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Manda1984

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Hi, my 11 year old daughter has just been diagnosed with type 1. She is doing amazing but her lantus night injection is stinging which I have heard is common. However it hurts having it injected and tonight she has been very upset. Inwas wondering if anyone with more experience could advice on some tips on injecting her leg with it, just in case there is something I could be doing to help. Thank you xxx
 
Welcome Manda. I have never been on Lantus but been a T1 for a long time. There has been posts on this site, so have a search about, temp etc. Good luck 🙂
 
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Thank you, it is all so new. We are completely new to all of it and I hate seeing her so upset at night as her day injections are fine. X
 
If I were you I would ask her diabetes team if they could change the Lantus to a different insulin - either Tresiba or Levemir might well suit her better. Don't hesitate to get in touch with them - it's their job to make sure your daughter gets the best possible care. Quite a few of us have had problems with Lantus and have changed to a different long-lasting insulin.

In the meanwhile, I've not tried this, but I know other people on here have mentioned that rubbing the injection site with an ice cube before injecting may numb it a bit and make the injection easier.

You could also try injecting her in the top of a buttock (somewhere padded but not low enough down that she'll sit on it) rather than a leg and see if that hurts any less.
 
Hello Manda,
if it were me I would ring the DSN and tell her/him what is happening and ask to change to a different basal. Levemir sp* doesn't sting as far as I know. Obviously you do not want your daughter being afraid of her life saving meds so point this out to the DSN.
 
Hi Manda1984, welcome to the forum. The issue we had with my daughter was not so much the insulin stinging, but the injection itself. We did use the ice cube trick mentioned by The ClockworkDodo. What helped even more was using a sugar free ice pop and letting her eat it after the injection. As others have said, chat to your team about this, they may be willing to switch to something like Levemir.
 
Thank you all so much. I appreciate the quick reply. Thank you, I will try the ice cube thing for sure. I have mentioned it and will again tomoz when I see nurse. They are emailing about a different one. Tonight I think the main thing was the needle itself hurt, then the stinging and red mark came. X thank you all xxxx
 
If the skin is wet - any injection, the needle will hurt going in. But Lantus can sting even if the needle itself doesn't - it's horrid if it does that. I stuck it for quite a while longer than I ought to have done - but Oh! the relief when I swapped to Levemir. It does mean an extra jab a day (Lev should always be split into two doses) but it's worth it, honestly.
 
I will definitely mention it all today. I dont want her to keep dreading her night injection as it is awful seeing her waiting for it worried. Thank you xx
 
Welcome to the forum @Manda1984

As others have said there are alternatives to Lantus, and if it is stinging it is well worth switching.
I had a Bolus (quick acting) Insulin that stung, and I kept at it for a while but it just stung everytime, so I switched. The Basal Levemir is a good one, as it not only does not sting, it also makes things a lot more flexible, as you can usefully spit it into two injections, one in the morning, another at night. This might not seem a good idea at present but it s very useful when you want to change things, once you start to adjust doses yourselves.

Another thought is to do with the needle length. I started on 8 mm length, but once they became available I switched to shorter ones and used 4 mm. Much more comfortable and far fewer bruises.

As things settle pop in again for advice about things to do with school. Lots of help available here.
 
Manda1984 said:
Hi, my 11 year old daughter has just been diagnosed with type 1. She is doing amazing but her lantus night injection is stinging which I have heard is common. However it hurts having it injected and tonight she has been very upset. Inwas wondering if anyone with more experience could advice on some tips on injecting her leg with it, just in case there is something I could be doing to help. Thank you xxx
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I was on Lantas when first diagnosed but never had it sting, since moved to Levemir and had no issue there either.

However, one student I work with at my school had a real issue with stinging Lantus injections each day. Turns out she was keeping it in the fridge and injecting it cold which is notorious for pain.

May be a silly question but do you store the active pen in the fridge?
 
No we dont keep it in fridge. Nurses said it can be normal to sting but it is the red mark and lump each time that is also a concern considering she is fine with daytime ones. Tonight we have been given a new one to try, adn I am please to say so far so goodm fingers crossed we have one to suit her, as other never settled not even once xx
 
Manda1984 said:
No we dont keep it in fridge. Nurses said it can be normal to sting but it is the red mark and lump each time that is also a concern considering she is fine with daytime ones. Tonight we have been given a new one to try, adn I am please to say so far so goodm fingers crossed we have one to suit her, as other never settled not even once xx
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Glad to hear no issues so far. Hope this continues for you both!
 
It can help to move the injection further down her cheek. We found if we inject higher up it hurts more. You need a nice fleshy bit. The fact my daughter can’t see it make sure it harder for her than the daytime injections. Plus she’s usually tired and a bit fed up of the whole process by the time we get to the Lantus. Ice inside a plastic bag so the site stays dry can help. Or you can buy a buzzy thing ‘buzzy spot’? That basically vibrates and numbs the area but it’s like 40 quid so we haven’t gone there yet. Are you using a disposable pen or refillable? We found the disposable one had a harder action when we administered the dose and the refillable was less difficult. It’s still the one we have the most trouble with though. Hope the new insulin is easier.
 
Manda1984 said:
No we dont keep it in fridge. Nurses said it can be normal to sting but it is the red mark and lump each time that is also a concern considering she is fine with daytime ones. Tonight we have been given a new one to try, adn I am please to say so far so goodm fingers crossed we have one to suit her, as other never settled not even once xx
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Which insulin have they switched you to?
It is important to find one that suits.
Glad it is working.
 
I'm glad you've been given a new one to try, @Manda1984 - hope it works better. I used to get red marks with Lantus too, and sometimes it made my muscles twitch. I was so pleased to get off it!
 
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