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miguel81

miguel81

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hello everyone.

I'm not sure whether or not I am allowed on this site because although I am British I live in Spain. The diabetes care I had in the UK was exemplary but since moving to Spain - well - it's not that good. I am Type 1 and currently use Novorapid in the daytime and Lantus at bedtime. During the past month my Novorapid pen has been sticking, fouling up, just after I press the button. Trying to get information here is like pulling hens teeth. Has anyone had this type of trouble with Novorapid pens? Am I doing something wrong?

I hope that despite my geographical location (and I live in the depths of rural Spain and am the only Expat here) that I will be accepted on the site. I really do need some help.

Thank you
 
Hi Michael, of course you are very welcome here! 🙂 What is your normal procedure for getting a replacement pen? I believe they cost about ?30 here - it does sound as though yours has developed a fault and you can't be too careful in case it isn't giving you a correct dose.

One of our members, mikeinspain, may be able to help with any Spain-related queries you have. He has a website:

http://www.diabetesinspain.com

Do you get your supplies in Spain normally, or do you return to the UK occasionally to stock up?
 
Thank you so much.

Here we have to pay 10% of the cost of medicines and the Novorapid pens are the one-off type. Each November my doctor takes my Social Security card and programmes in a years supply of both Novorapid and Lantus. I then take my card to the pharmacy and they give me what I need. I simply dial up the number of units I need to inject and then (try to) inject. Once the insulin inside is used up the pen is discarded and I get a new one out of the box.

I have been very ill over the past 3 days because the pens stick and I have no idea of how much insulin has been injected and have to get a new pen and try to guess how much more I need. I have obviously under estimated the dose and have been sitting on the edge of my bed at 3am every morning digesting the Spanish equivalent of Mars Bars!

One more thing. if I may. Is there a box I can tick on this site that lets me know if someone has replied to a thread that I have subscribed to? I am grateful for your reply and any further help that you can give.
 
Michael12420 said:
Thank you so much.

Here we have to pay 10% of the cost of medicines and the Novorapid pens are the one-off type. Each November my doctor takes my Social Security card and programmes in a years supply of both Novorapid and Lantus. I then take my card to the pharmacy and they give me what I need. I simply dial up the number of units I need to inject and then (try to) inject. Once the insulin inside is used up the pen is discarded and I get a new one out of the box.

I have been very ill over the past 3 days because the pens stick and I have no idea of how much insulin has been injected and have to get a new pen and try to guess how much more I need. I have obviously under estimated the dose and have been sitting on the edge of my bed at 3am every morning digesting the Spanish equivalent of Mars Bars!

One more thing. if I may. Is there a box I can tick on this site that lets me know if someone has replied to a thread that I have subscribed to? I am grateful for your reply and any further help that you can give.
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Ah, you have disposable pens! I use cartridges in a reusable pen. It sounds like you may have a bad batch of pens in that case. I would go back to the pharmacy and request a replacement. If possible, I would ask for a reusable pen, like the novopen echo, so you can refill it with a new cartridge each time. The pens are very well made and much less likely to give you problems. In my mind, disposable pens are bound to be inferior in quality because they are cheap enough to throw away.

In order to receive an alert when someone has responded to a thread you have started or are subscribed to, go to your User Control Panel (User CP in the upper left of the screen). From there select Edit Options, then look down the screen for Default Thread Subscription Mode. There is a drop down list where you can select how often you wish to be notified 🙂
 
You are so kind - thank you.

I will try to find out from my pharmacist if re-usable pens are available in Spain - I suspect not.

I am now going to try and activate the 'alert' system - wish me luck. I am quite old and these electronic doo-dahs prove quite a challenge.

Thank you again.
 
Michael12420 said:
You are so kind - thank you.

I will try to find out from my pharmacist if re-usable pens are available in Spain - I suspect not.

I am now going to try and activate the 'alert' system - wish me luck. I am quite old and these electronic doo-dahs prove quite a challenge.

Thank you again.
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Any problems, let me know 🙂
 
You could contact the manufacturers of the pens / insulin you use to ask about availability of reuseable pens in Spain. Novorapid is made by Novo Nordisk and Lantus by Sanofi Aventis. You need current information, as the financial problems of some countries has led to reduced availability of some insulins in Greece, but I don't think Spain is affected.
 
I spoke with my doctor and my pharmacist, cartridges for pens as you describe are not available in Spain so I am stuck with the disposable pens. One of the pharmacists suggested to me that it is the needle rather than the pen that is causing the sticking. Needles are scarce here and I am only allowed a handful every 3 months or so. I believe that I can buy 8mm needles over the Internet direct from the UK at about ?20 a box - may have to consider that.
 
Michael12420 said:
I spoke with my doctor and my pharmacist, cartridges for pens as you describe are not available in Spain so I am stuck with the disposable pens. One of the pharmacists suggested to me that it is the needle rather than the pen that is causing the sticking. Needles are scarce here and I am only allowed a handful every 3 months or so. I believe that I can buy 8mm needles over the Internet direct from the UK at about ?20 a box - may have to consider that.
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I'm sorry to hear this Michael :( What needles are you currently using? How many do you receive? Ideally, you should be using a new needle for each injection, but this isn't strictly necessary, a lot of our members will reuse needles. How do they expect you to inject yourself if they don't provide sufficient needles? I hope you can find a solution to the problem soon.
 
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