I had to use the Glucagon!!

[Monica]

We went to London by train on Tuesday and returned late last night

Wednesday started out well, we took the train to Enfield to meet friends at a pub. But they ran late, so we went to see our other friend at her house. Unfortunately Carol then had a bad hypo (not very low though). She took some glucose, telling me she couldn?t feel her body!! 10 min later still hypo, more glucose. Carol very distressed, feeling sick, threw up. Later still hypo, gave different glucose, didn?t want it. By then she?s become very incoherent. She knew what she wanted to say, but couldn?t say it. In the meantime Carmen drove Mike back to Travelodge, because we were running out of strips too. I told Carol that she had to have the glucose or I would have to give her Glucagon, because there was nothing else I could give her. There were no sweets in the house and I couldn?t leave to go to the shops. She refused and became quite ?tired?. So I decided not to wait for Mike and Carmen to bring the other glucose tabs and gave Carol the Glucagon. When Mike came back he phoned an ambulance, which arrived within 3 min. They were brilliant!!! They gave me another Glucagon Kit, as I?d only had the one with us and wasn?t too happy about travelling home without one. All in all Carol took until about 7pm before she recovered properly, because she refused anything to eat and was throwing up stomach acid.
Already having cancelled our other friends who drove over from Hainault, we didn?t want to cancel our friend in Southgate whom we hadn?t seen in 10 years. When we got there Carol was back to her normal self, thank goodness.

 

[Pumper_Sue]

Crumbs that was an eventfull trip 😱 I hope all is well and a repeat performance happens.
Perhaps another trip out like that it might be worth considering a temp basal then any high numbers just correct as you go along.

 

[Northerner]

Oh poor Carol, and you and Mike too! So pleased it turned out well, but that sounds like a very stubborn hypo! 😱 I've had a couple of really bad ones that refused to come up, but never anything like that. How does she feel about it now, or can't she really remember much. Any possible explanation? Accidental or miscalculated bolus from the pump?

Hope it never happens again!

p.s. thank goodness you had the glucagon

 

[Monica]

Yes, all is well now. The next day we spent in London, she did have a temp basal on that time, especially as I wanted her to run a little higher for the liver to "take some glucose back". She ended up being 18 and not feeling well, so she corrected and the temp went back to normal, resulting in a 3.4😱

I didn't think she'd need a temp basal on Wednesday, as we weren't doing anything energetic, only a short walk to and from the stations. But Fiona had been sick the night before, so I'm guessing there was a stomach problem. Sorry to be so graphic, but the sick didn't smell "sick" it smelt of breakfast.

 

[Monica]

Alan - you forgot Fiona too. Poor thing was in tears, but she had to wait for a cuddle until the worst was over. And my friend has 2 boys + there were another 2 boys she looks after during the day. They were all great 🙂

Carol does remember. The funny thing was that even while the paramedics were there (so the worst was over), she was texting 😱, but she told me that her texts apparently didn't make sense. She couldn't talk to them either, due to the hypo.

As I said before, I think it could have been a stomach problem, but reading you reply, it's possible she overbolused (and that would be my fault)

 

[Tina63]

Gracious me, you poor things, all of you! Is it the first time you have used the glucogon? It is the one thing I live in fear of having to do. I know if it ever comes to it I will do it, but it will scare me witless. We have never thought to take that away with us ever either. Good on you for remembering that too. Do you just keep it at room temperature when it travels with you, or do you store it in the fridge wherever you go?

I have to admit, for the first 6 months post diagnosis, my automatic reaction had I found my son unconscious would have been to immediately administer the glucogon injection, not at that point realising an unconscious diabetic could be extremely high as well as extremely low. I now realise the top priority is ascertaining the BG levels then act accordingly.

So glad to hear it worked, gives me a touch more confidence. I still dread the day I may have to do it. Was it your first time, or have you had to do it before?

Hope the rest of you remain well and that Carol and Fiona are both now feeling much better.

Tina

 

[Monica]

Yes, Tina, it was the first time. Funnily enough, I always worried that I'd be to much of a wreck to do it when the time comes, but I was calm as a cucumber 😉 (I think that's the only time I did NOT cry). I did hesitate a bit at first, the needle hovering over her bum. But I then took a deep breath and counted to 3, then stabbed her. Being used to using a very fine needle/syringe, it surprised me how much force I needed to use to get the needle in though.

The glucagon is OK to be out of the fridge for 18 months or until expiry if less than 18 months. After that you need to replace it. We always take it everywhere with us. When we go abroad I usually take 2, but as we were going to London I thought 1 would be ok.

 

[Northerner]

{{{{Hugs}}}} for Fiona too, it must have been very frightening for her

 

[AlisonM]

These sorts of adventures we could do without eh? I've had a couple myself and OH told me how scared he was while it was happening. I'm glad you got through it and Carol is back to normal now.

 

[Monica]

These sorts of adventures we could do without eh? I've had a couple myself and OH told me how scared he was while it was happening. I'm glad you got through it and Carol is back to normal now.

Absolutely Alison!!
I'm just relieved it happend while at our friend's house and not while walking around London. I think she'd have ended up in Hospital then 😱

 

[Ellie Jones]

What an eventful and stressing day for you...

As already mentioned, hard to tell why Carol's hypo didn't respond to treatment well.. But I wonder whether Fiona was sick in response to her seeing her sister being ill or a reaction to the stress of Carol's extended difficult to treat hypo.

Tina, I also dread giving the Glucagen Jab, I've only done it once so far, a hubby ended up with a rather sore bruised backside😱

There's no problems keeping Glucagen at room temperatures, when travelling or out and about.. As the hormone is in powder form, and liquid is water... It's designed like this due to the hormone is very volatile when suspended in liquid form...

I hope that when you have a Glucagon kit that's expired you don't just throw it away... As you can use expired kits for practice, NO not to inject into somebody, but just getting used to mixing the water with the powder etc, and perhaps injecting into an old orange or something that's going to be thrown out...

 

[Monica]

What an eventful and stressing day for you...

But I wonder whether Fiona was sick in response to her seeing her sister being ill or a reaction to the stress of Carol's extended difficult to treat hypo.

Ellie, Fiona was sick the night before, only just made it to the toilet in time 😱

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Yowsers! So sorry to hear about this Monica. Well done for keeping your head and doing the necessary. So glad C has recovered speedily.

Lets hope you never have to do that again anytime soon!

M

 

[Monica]

Yowsers! So sorry to hear about this Monica. Well done for keeping your head and doing the necessary. So glad C has recovered speedily.

Lets hope you never have to do that again anytime soon!

M

Thanks.
No I'd rather not have a repeat experience.

Just had another thought. The paramedics gave me another Glucagon. I wonder how long it had been out of the fridge. There's a special sticker on it with an expiry date. I assume they put that sticker on the first time they put it in the ambulance. It has still got 16 months to go. The proper expiry is in 2014. So I hope I'm right in thinking that they put the glucagon in the ambulance 2 months ago and I can keep it for another 16 months. OH thought I should order another one from GP and "chuck" this one.

 

[Flutterby]

Just wanted to add my good wishes and say well done for dealing with it as you did. It's terrifying (so I am told) to be in charge of someone who is hypo and my husband reckons he had quite an argument with me on one occasion (of course we never normally argue!!) I think he was more in need of the ambulance than me to be honest. Lots of love to the whole family.

if you are at all unsure about the glucagon you have been given, get a new one! That's what I'd do as there's no point worrying about it.

 

[trophywench]

Phew. I take mine on holiday but otherwise never think of it at all.

My current one was dispensed on 12 April 2011 and expires in June 2013 - so the ruddy thing must have been a couple of years old when I got it! - what a cheek! I shall be speaking to my pharmacist about that, OK I know it was well 'in date' and everything, but why should the NHS pay for a new one that hasn't ever not been in a fridge (we go on hols in our motorhome so it comes out of the house fridge and straight into that fridge, which we plug in overnight to get cold before I transfer all the stuff before we depart) and not been used, before 5 years? (?11.52 each LOL)

 

[MeanMom]

Oh No Monica! That's scary - well done for keeping cool - not sure I would - hope I never have to find out...

Lol at Carol texting the whole time - typical teenager - did anyone text back?😉

 

[Pumper_Sue]

Thanks.
No I'd rather not have a repeat experience.

Just had another thought. The paramedics gave me another Glucagon. I wonder how long it had been out of the fridge. There's a special sticker on it with an expiry date. I assume they put that sticker on the first time they put it in the ambulance. It has still got 16 months to go. The proper expiry is in 2014. So I hope I'm right in thinking that they put the glucagon in the ambulance 2 months ago and I can keep it for another 16 months. OH thought I should order another one from GP and "chuck" this one.

No don't chuck it 😱
I bet they treat more than 1 diabetic a day in London, so would estimate the kit had been on board for no more than 24 hours.

There are 2 different dates for the usage of.
the 16mth one is for being kept out of the fridge the other date (2014) is the refridgerated storage date.

 

[NatB]

Hope you are all ok Monica. You did brilliant to keep calm!
Just checked my glucagon boxes and theres a sticker on it from the chemist saying store in the fridge 2-8 c and can be stored at room temp up to 25c for up to 18 months.
Take care🙂

 

[Monica]

Sorry for such a late reply.
I have now told our DSN about this episode and asked her about the Glucagon. She has confirmed my thoughts and Sue's comments. The glucagon is fine to use within the 16 months.