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Going on Insulin any tips
- Thread starter Totalwar
- Start date
My number 1 tip would be to get hypo treatment and store it everywhere - in your bag, in your car, next to your bed, at our desk, ...
You may not need it but if you do the best thing to do is to treat it as soon as possible.
Common hypo treatments are jelly babies, dextrose, small cans of soda, ... anything with fast acting glucose. Chocolate is not a good hypo treatment because the fat slows down the absorption of the glucose.
My next tip is to make sure you understand how much insulin to take, when to take it and what type of insulin it is (fast acting, slow acting or mixed insulin).
Finally, I would ask what to do with your insulin dose if things go awry (your BG is too high or too low). And make sure you have plenty of test strips to test when this happens.
Good luck and don't be afraid. People with type 1 take it all the time and some of us have lived for 50, 60, 70 years with it.
You may not need it but if you do the best thing to do is to treat it as soon as possible.
Common hypo treatments are jelly babies, dextrose, small cans of soda, ... anything with fast acting glucose. Chocolate is not a good hypo treatment because the fat slows down the absorption of the glucose.
My next tip is to make sure you understand how much insulin to take, when to take it and what type of insulin it is (fast acting, slow acting or mixed insulin).
Finally, I would ask what to do with your insulin dose if things go awry (your BG is too high or too low). And make sure you have plenty of test strips to test when this happens.
Good luck and don't be afraid. People with type 1 take it all the time and some of us have lived for 50, 60, 70 years with it.
If you have Dextrose tablets everywhere and do not use them regularly then check the best before dates as they do go off. Well, they get covered in yellow marks.
If there are places where you need them, say the bedroom, and ones where you never use them, say the car, then rotate them so they do not go to waste.
My hypo treatment of choice was cola straws, which do also go off but only by becoming stale. Which makes them taste even nicer. So maybe jelly babies would be better, as obviously they taste horrible so you would not be tempted to eat more than the minimum.
Also, if you keep Dextrose tablets in bags and pockets the constant bounding around causes the wrapper to wear, which causes them to go off more quickly.
If there are places where you need them, say the bedroom, and ones where you never use them, say the car, then rotate them so they do not go to waste.
My hypo treatment of choice was cola straws, which do also go off but only by becoming stale. Which makes them taste even nicer. So maybe jelly babies would be better, as obviously they taste horrible so you would not be tempted to eat more than the minimum.
Also, if you keep Dextrose tablets in bags and pockets the constant bounding around causes the wrapper to wear, which causes them to go off more quickly.
Bruce Stephens
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Depends what regime you're being put on.
Totalwar
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
does glucogel go off can’t find any Best before date
Bruce Stephens
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
I don't think so.
silentsquirrel
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
I prefer Glucotabs (renamed Lift) to Dextrosol, they don't go hard when old. and come in handy tubes of 10 that keep them in good shaoe. You can also buy tubs of 50, usually cheaper unless very good offer on the 10s, and refill your tubes from these.
Never used Glucogel, sorry.
Never used Glucogel, sorry.
I use Lift (used to be called GlucoTabs). These come in tubes of 10 tablets and tubs of 50.
Some years ago, I bought a couple of the 10 tablet tubes and now decant from the big tubs that I buy on eBay.
Being plastic, the tablets last longer in these than dextrose do in paper wrappers.
Sorry, I didn't mention this earlier. As I used to use dextrose, I use the term "dextrose" as others use the term "hoover" instead of "vacuum cleaner".
I use Lift tablets and Lift juice as they are easy to carry and I also sometimes use dextrose tablets, but as someone has said they can become unwrapped. Lift juice provides a very quicker boost than the tabs. But what I now use more than anything are jelly babies at about 5.25 gm CHO per baby - they are very quick to chew and disolve, work out cheaper and I do rather enjoy the taste!
Totalwar
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
To be honest I am quite frightened by going on insulin and getting a Hypo Had a few in the pass and getting problems with the stomach infections from injections.
Do still have take tablets metformin and gliclazide?
It is not something I have used to know specifically where to look, but there should be a date on both the tubes and box.
Being mostly glucose it should last a long time, as sugar is naturally a preservative. The problem is with the other ingredients. But it being kept in a sealed tube rather than a simple foil wrapper should prolong its life better than tablets.
In fairness, you are using it correctly and it is the rest of us doing that. Dextrose is the name for the main form of glucose, whilst the brand of tablets we all call Dextrose is actually called Dextro Energy. But they are almost entirely made of dextrose.
As I have Type 1 with no insulin resistance, I have not taken tablets for my condition.
As for hypos, I find the fear of them is worse than the hypo if you have treatment close to hand.
They are never nice but treating them quickly helps overcome them.
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Sorry to hear you are worried about beginning to take insulin @Totalwar
Perhaps experienced T2 insulin user @Ljc can put your mind at rest?
Any big change like this is bound to be unnerving, especially if you have been ’threatened’ with insulin in the past - but I am sure you will adjust in no time and hopefully your BG management will improve and you will soon feel better.
I think you should have a very honest and open conversation with your Dr about how you feel, and about your worries.
I have been using insulin for almost 30 years, and I’ve never had any sort of infection at the injection site. The needles for insulin are tiny, and they are single use.
Perhaps experienced T2 insulin user @Ljc can put your mind at rest?
Any big change like this is bound to be unnerving, especially if you have been ’threatened’ with insulin in the past - but I am sure you will adjust in no time and hopefully your BG management will improve and you will soon feel better.
I think you should have a very honest and open conversation with your Dr about how you feel, and about your worries.
I have been using insulin for almost 30 years, and I’ve never had any sort of infection at the injection site. The needles for insulin are tiny, and they are single use.
@Totalwar . I was put on insulin about 18 months ago and have found it the best way of managing my diabetes since I was first diagnosed. I have far better control, don't need to stress about carb intake and can enjoy occasional sweet treats so long as I balance them with insulin. Injecting is no big deal, and I barely feel it at all, it's certainly not painful and is less uncomfortable than finger pricking and the chances of infection are next to zero unless your skin is absolutely filthy!
Kaylz
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
This is extremely unlikely unless you aren't washing very often or are reusing needles which shouldn't be done, I've been doing at least 4 injections a day in varying parts of my body for almost 4 years and never once had a problem as I'm hygienic and use a fresh needle for every injection xx
Ljc
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1.5 LADA
Hi itsas @Kaylz says it very unlikely to get an infection at injection sites. The needles are single use and sterile until opened and so long as we are reasonably clean we have no problems.
In fact when we go for blood tests which go far deeper than our needles , they do not normally clean our skin with alcohol wipes .
If by stomach infections you mean digestive tract infections, the trots, urinary tract infections , then these are extremely unlikely with insulin.
T2 s who are on non insulin medications that can cause hypo’s ie Gliclazide etc can have unpredictable hypo’s as those type of meds either force the pancreas to produce more insulin or for us to wee out glucose in our urine and it not in a predictable way .
I’ve been on insulin since 2016 and am very happy to be so , have a look at my Hb1ac results in my signature below.
Yes it does come with a couple of downsides , but for the majority of the time once we are on the right units (dose) we are absolutely fine and dandy.
Number one tip
Keep hypo treatments everywhere
2. Don't go out without your diabetes kit .
3 . When out, don’t inject in loos, to many germs there even if they seem spotless.
If you are on a Basal bolus regime , this is where you inject a slow acting insulin once or twice a day then a rapid insulin for meals. If eating out , don’t inject before your meal is in front if you, I’ve been caught out like this once , their was a problem in the kitchen which caused a long delay and I went hypo before it arrived.
I highly recommend the Basal bolus regime, yes it does mean a couple more injection but it is highly flexible and you can safely miss meals if your not hungry.
In fact when we go for blood tests which go far deeper than our needles , they do not normally clean our skin with alcohol wipes .
If by stomach infections you mean digestive tract infections, the trots, urinary tract infections , then these are extremely unlikely with insulin.
T2 s who are on non insulin medications that can cause hypo’s ie Gliclazide etc can have unpredictable hypo’s as those type of meds either force the pancreas to produce more insulin or for us to wee out glucose in our urine and it not in a predictable way .
I’ve been on insulin since 2016 and am very happy to be so , have a look at my Hb1ac results in my signature below.
Yes it does come with a couple of downsides , but for the majority of the time once we are on the right units (dose) we are absolutely fine and dandy.
Number one tip
Keep hypo treatments everywhere
2. Don't go out without your diabetes kit .
3 . When out, don’t inject in loos, to many germs there even if they seem spotless.
If you are on a Basal bolus regime , this is where you inject a slow acting insulin once or twice a day then a rapid insulin for meals. If eating out , don’t inject before your meal is in front if you, I’ve been caught out like this once , their was a problem in the kitchen which caused a long delay and I went hypo before it arrived.
I highly recommend the Basal bolus regime, yes it does mean a couple more injection but it is highly flexible and you can safely miss meals if your not hungry.
Bruce Stephens
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
I'm fairly sure that years ago (maybe decades), likely back when needles weren't available on prescription, there was research investigating possible harms from reusing needles (just a few times, since obviously they get blunt after a while) looking at infections and things. And it found nothing.
porll69
Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
49 years ago(!!) we were issued with 8 needles which had to last 2 weeks, 2 injections a day. They were like darning needles (except darning needles were sharper). My father used to take 1 or 2 of them into work to try and get them sharpened......that never ever worked as they used to come back exactly the same.