Bit of help please

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Ssstarlet

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Hi
I am am new to the forum
I have just done something silly and don’t know how to correct it
I have been type1 for 11 years.
I woke up sleepy today and have used the wrong insulin pen
Instead of Levemir I used m Novorapid
I usually use 32 levimir but used 32 Novorapid instead!!!!!
What shall I do to correct this
I am frightened!!
 
Can't help @Ssstarlet but I know others have done the same. Keep watching the forum and I am sure one of our experienced T1's will be along soon with some help.
 
Immediately take something sugary, and some long-term carbs, and monitor your blood glucose every ten or fifteen minutes, and decide whether you need to take more sugary Stuff each time.
There is a fair possibility you will take too much sugary Stuff and your BG may go quite high.
You may find your digestion goes to pot for a day or so as a result and you could feel a bit nauseous, so be prepared for that.

For later consideration, I hope your Levemir and Novorapid pens are different colours. You might want to think about putting them in different places, to try to minimise the danger of choosing the wrong one.
But I suspect that almost everyone on here has chosen the wrong pen at some time in their life. At least once...!
 
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Ooops! Sorry to hear about your dose mix-up @Ssstarlet

You aren’t the first to have made this error, and I doubt you’ll be the last.

You’ll need to eat a much bigger breakfast than usual I’m afraid.

What would your dose for breakfast usually be? That might give you a guide.

You will also need your Levemir dose - because that will act slowly over the next 18-24 hours. But the whopper of a NR dose will all be working over the next 5 hours or so. You’ll be at high risk of a hypo, so eat a mix of fast acting and slower acting carbs spread throughout the morning. And try to avoid any strenuous physical activity.

Get those carbs on board!
 
Start eating drinking anything high in glucose/ carbs juice/ fizzy drinks (even add spoonfuls of sugar to it) , cereal, sweets, sugar dissolved in water/ milk, jam, honey etc. You have time before the insulin fully kicks in.

If you do not feel you will be able consume enough glucose/ carbs, call an ambulance.

Do you know your insulin to carb ratio? Eg 1 unit of insulin covers X grams of carbs - if so work out how many carbs you need.

Do you have anybody with you - you need to make someone close by aware of the situation.

If it were me I wouldn’t take the missed levemir dose until this novorapid dose is dealt with.
 
I'm not a doctor but have done this a couple of times.
If you're expecting a fast drop in BG use a glucometer if you have one and test every 5-10 mins. You could use the CGM but you get more time to react with finger-pricks.
To start, I drink a about 15g glucose in water and see what the BG does. If it's still dropping I drink another 15g and so on until BG drop is slowing down or stopped, then I have a chocolate biscuit or some bread to support later BG.
 
Glad that you are feeling a bit better about this. It would be good for you to have someone with you this morning, and to avoid exercise.

You are definitely not the only one to have done this. As others have said. Start eating a lot more than you usually do, and monitor your levels closely.
The insulin will be active for about five hours.

Don’t worry if you have wobbly levels for the rest of the day, it will take a bit of time to settle.
Well worth having two different coloured pens. Use stickers if necessary. And out them in different places.

PS Welcome to the forum. There is a wealth of experience to tap into on here, so I am pleased that you have found us.
 
Novorapid starts working after about half-an-hour to an hour, and has had its full effect after two or three hours, or a bit more. Or make your own interpretation from the graph!

Novorapid graph.png
 
Ssstarlet said:
Thank you everyone
I feel a bit More relaxed with All of your suggestions
Click to expand...
Bag of jelly babies time! Been so close to doing this in the with the daughter. Had the pen in my hand primed and everything, thankfully she’s on a pump now! Sure most have done it at one stage or another. Have you got people around you just in case?
 
Did this a couple of weeks ago. Just keep an eye on the levels and take extra carbs on board as required. If you end up going a little higher than normal no big deal.
..
 
Ssstarlet said:
Thank you everyone
I feel a bit More relaxed with All of your suggestions
Click to expand...
How did you do? I must admit to having done this and spent an unpleasant evening gorging on a box of chocolates. I don't advise this since it really depends on your hypo awareness and ability to take action. Ideally you tell someone who is with you so that they can keep an eye on you.
 
Yes, done this too. Lucozade, glucose tabs and Dr Oetker Glucose gel (cheaper than proprietary DM glucose). Test often and find a balance. All the above are fast GI stuff so will raise BG but may also disappear faster too. Ok to be a bit high, do not go low. Not a doctor so not professional DM advice
 

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