Honesty Check

[Lizzie53]

I always use a new needle and lancet every time. Was told I should at my training morning and I just do as I'm told lol. I have never tried injecting through clothes and am not keen to try. My needles are tiny and only 5mm long.

 

[bigpurpleduck]

With the pump I change the set every 3 days religiously.

On MDI I changed the needle every time.

As for lancets... Ahem. 😱

 

[SacredHeart]

Pens get the needle changed every single time. I never inject through clothes, and lancets get changed a couple of times a week.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Suddenly I feel like such a slacker.

Lancets get changed about once every 2 years or so.

I'm trying to be better with needles but still use them for anywhere between 4 and 12 injections (I used to use them for a week or so or until they hurt which acted as a reminder).

Still 20 years in and I've not caught anything hideous so far 😱

 

[newbs]

I only change mine when I change the insulin cartridge usually, or when I get a new disposable pen for my levemir. With lancets, only when they hurt.

 

[Garthion]

I tend to change my needles daily rather than every time, lancets get changed when I remember (like everyone else by the looks of things)
That reminds me, I need to change the cartridge in my insulin pen after mynext dose, yay,fun!

 

[katie]

I can't believe some people actually have the will power to change needles every time after years with Diabetes I use the same needle a few times. Hardly ever change lancets 😱

 

[Twitchy]

"back in the day" when I was on 2 jabs a day with syringes, it was one use only, then I switched to insulin pens, the needles for which, like Margie said, you had to pay for then - times being hard (que violins! 😉) I got into the habit of reusing, more often than not only changing the needle with the cartridge, which I never really got out of. Now I'm on a pump, my body won't tolerate canulas much more than 48hrs it seems, and I'm struggling with feeling guilty having to change so 'often'!

Lancets... oops! Best not go there... (you have to change them?! )

Injecting through clothes is one thing I've never been able to bring myself to do!

Did make me laugh (in a slightly manic way) when the nurse who had just b*ll*cked me for using "too many test strips" then enquired whether I reused lancets & went 'medieval' on me when I admitted I did! 😱 Grrr.

 

[imtrying]

Possible discussed on here before, but for me personally no, as I never wear clothes thin enough...........

Do you?

lol

I only do it through some clothes, like leggings, one layer of a top, but not through something that I think will blunt the needle like jeans or thick jumpers. if i can do it straight into the skin I do, but often it's just not possible when I'm out.....probably even more reason why I should change my needles more frequently 😛

 

[aw2110]

Needles

When I was diagnosed my nurse said I could use the needles for 2 injections so thats what I have been doing ever since (2007). I wasn't told anything about changing the lancets so I do that when I think i should. I have never injected through my clothes I just don't like the idea of it.

 

[MIsmail]

Similar to the majority...need almost every time and lancets when they stop working efficiently

 

[aymes]

I change needles everytime. Lancets rarely, usually when this topic comes up I do as it reminds me but other than that only if it really hurts. I'll inject through tights but other than that I don't inject through clothes.

 

[FM001]

In all honesty I don't change the needle every-time, and will inject 4-5 times before changing. This isn't ideal, and I would advise those that are newly diagnosed to change the needle after every use. The lancets I will change every other day or when it feels blunt, but again it is wise to keep good practise from the start and change the lancets once used. Not sure if my slack procedure to changing needles and lancets stems back to when I was first diagnosed nearly 30 years ago, but given the small retail cost of such consumables as needles and lancets, there is really no excuse not to change them after every use, anything else is just lazy and sloppy!🙄 Toby.

 

[AJLang]

When we moved to disposable needles many moons ago I was also taught to reuse needles so I tend to do that for Humalog but change the Levemir ones every day. Lancers never seem to need to be changed even with 10 blood tests a day. Injections through clothes essential because otherwise I wouldn't be able to do them in my office I don't think colleagues or students would be too impressed if they saw bits of my flesh when I try to discretely inject

 

[Flutterby]

I'm pretty lazy about changing lancets, it's when I think about it which isn't often. Needles I always used several times but since changing to Levemir I discovered they were getting blocked so those now get changed for each jab. Humalog doesn't seem to block the needles so I only change when they start to hurt. The DSN once said "you shouldn't reuse your lancets, you might get a nasty infection" I said "well I haven't yet" They don't realise just how used to all this injecting we get, it's like changing the head on your toothbrush...........!

 

[casey]

When being discharged from hospital, the DSN told me that you are supposed to change needles after every injection, but i should use a new needle each day and that would be fine. Lancets i change daily also.