Needle Length.

[MCH]

At my last hospital appointment, I asked if the doctor thought that 5mm (instead of the 8mm I had been using) might be better. She said to try them and see what I thought. I now have a box, and have been using them for a couple of days. Since I started with them, I have been constantly lowish or hypo (except after treating my hypos when I have gone up a bit).

I am wondering if this is common when you change your needle length. Has anyone else experienced this? (I sort of thought it might make the absorption more even, but not that it would change the amount of insulin so much.)

 

[Akasha]

Not sure on that one, TBH i thought that 6mm was the smallest needle you could get.

The insulin is supposed to go just under the skin into fat, so maybe on the 8mm, the insulin was going into the wrong part and not working correctly..?

 

[rachelha]

Hi MCH

I am on 5mm needles, it was a good few years ago I changed over to them, but I dont remember having problems with them.

Did you pinch up your skin when you injected with the 8mm ones?


Rachel

 

[Hazel]

I am on 12.7

but I am obese so probably I need the extra length to penetrate the fat

 

[PhilT]

I use 5mm needles too and don't have any problems.

 

[Emmal31]

I've used 5mm needles in the past but I use 6mm now. I haven't noticed a difference in them other than the 5mm one's hurt less.

Has anything changed in the last couple of days as in more exercise etc? x

 

[MCH]

Thanks for your thoughts.

Rachelha:
I did pinch up with the 8s (and have continued to do this with the 5s).

Emmal31:
Nothing has really changed on the exercise front in the last couple of days.

and Akasha :
I think you might be right about the insulin now working better and I will need to keep monitoring and probably eventually reduce my levemir and fiddle around with my ratios. (I don't really want to do that just yet, till I give it a couple more days to settle down.) It did occur to me after I had posted, that I started a new Humalog cartridge yesterday, which might be more efficient than the older one I have been using and it might be that which has affected things more than the needle length. I dare say we'll see over the next few days.