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Nova to apidra and back again, A Hobbits tale.

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bennyg70

bennyg70

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
I wrote before my Diabetes Xmas break that I was so fed up with Apidra that I wanted to change back to Novarapid.

So having a pack of nova in the fridge I decided to make the switch and book an appointment with the nurse at my GPS (She can alter my Prescriptions and had also told me that if i didnt like apidra I could change back).

I decided to ring the DSN (A differnt lady who works round differnt surgeries and clinics) who had recomended apidra to explain my reasons and keep her in the loop and she sounded dissapointed and questioned me a lot. I told her that some days it was like injecting water, and some days it would send me so low - a real hypo. (I suffer lots of small ones like 3.5 - 4, but rarely sub 3.5) And id had some at like 2.5.

She wants to see me to discuss and talk about it, and I get the feeling that shes going to try and convince me to go on apidra and I really really dont want too!!! All I want is a nice new Novarapid pen (Echo) that does half units and a memory and cartridge based (Instead of my disposables). But I think im going to have a fight on my hand to just stay on novarapid.

What can I do to ensure I get nova? I think I will before the appointment make a list of pros and cons etc and situations with both insulins ive had. And try and list my reasons for the change. Just so Im well prepared.

Shes very much a "Stick to the rules & guidlines type DSN" Not open minded really. Although i do owe her a bit for advising me to slash the lantus. If she had it her way shed have me inject the total amount of units 10 minutes after every meal no matter how much fat or what the food was, and would have me eating 300 g of carb a day just to make sure I didnt go low. Shes also against corrections...

What too do what too do.
 
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Any problems just ask ever so politely, who has the diabetes you or her and who lives with it 24/7.
 
Well she ain't very good then, clearly, is she? LOL

Have you actually changed back and are you using the spare disposable pens you had, or what? Cos ideally you need to show her what benefit swapping back has made.
 
I've been interested to read your posts and learn from the way you think about problems and solve them. I expect you just have to persuade her that you have thought it through.
 
Personally, I think you know more about your diabetes and how best to control it than she does. What is the point of trying to make someone manage on an insulin they are not happy with when there is a much better alternative for them? Don't let her rule how you treat yourself, it should be a partnership and changes should only be made with YOUR agreement!

Stick to your guns - good to be prepared, but don't lose sight of the fact that she doesn't control your diabetes - you do! 🙂
 
Cheers guys, I think I feel confident about giving them my reasons to change back to nova.

Yes I have been back on the nova about 3 weeks now. I was going to use a mix of apidra and nova for different situations but I just think for me Nova is the better insulin gives me better control. If I could get a half unit pen It could be even better!! And a memory function (+ half units) would be the same to me as some of you getting on the pump for the first time
 
Nah - LOL - it's much better than I unit delivery - but nothing anywhere near like Da Pump !
 
Benny - this may sound off the wall, but when you were on Apidra were you using the Solostar pen?

I had that for all of a week and it was THE most dire experience because it couldn't be trusted to deliver a consistent dose. It leaked and was useless. I never knew how much I had injected at all!

I am now on Apidra using a Humapen half dose pen and it's a totally different experience.
 
Hi Patti thats really interesting...!!

Yes i was using the solostar disposable pens and that really really wouldnt surprise me whatsoever. Saying that Ive had trouble with the novarapid disposable too however seems much more consistant than apidra. Where would it leak from? How did you come to that conclusion?

When I got the pen I asked if it could be delivered in half units and she said there wasno way at the moment of been able to do that. .

It upsets me a bit that she to me is so outdated. Im sure to a newly diagnosed diabetic shes a great first step and a wealth of knowledge, but Im not after adequate control I want the best I can get.
 
bennyg70 said:
Hi Patti thats really interesting...!!

Yes i was using the solostar disposable pens and that really really wouldnt surprise me whatsoever. Saying that Ive had trouble with the novarapid disposable too however seems much more consistant than apidra. Where would it leak from? How did you come to that conclusion?
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When I withdrew the needle from my skin there would be loads of dripping, so I knew the full dose hadn't gone in. On a couple of occasions I caught the "drips" in a needle cover (you know the translucent cover you unscrew first?) and measured it against another by deliberately doing an airshot with a Novopen and I reckon that I was losing minimum 3u from every injection. I rang Sanofi Aventis and complained and they had me send back the pens and the used needles. Eventually after contacting my Dr and enquiring about my complete medical history they wrote me a very patronising letter suggesting that I return to the DSN for training in how to screw a needle on. I wrote back that their device should be designed to be foolproof and that I had actually got quite a lot of experience of screwing needles on. I was furious!

When I got the pen I asked if it could be delivered in half units and she said there wasno way at the moment of been able to do that. .

It upsets me a bit that she to me is so outdated. Im sure to a newly diagnosed diabetic shes a great first step and a wealth of knowledge, but Im not after adequate control I want the best I can get.
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Hmmmm doesn't sound like she'd be much in favour of you using Apidra in a Humapen then! I told my DSN what I was doing and she said "There you are, good insulin, lousy injection device". FWIW if you are going to stick to Novorapid ask for an Echo pen, it does half units and memorises the last dose you injected (not perfect, but better than nothing). I have one for my Levemir.

Totally agree with you, I don't want adequate control either, I want the best I can get.
 
I looked up fitting an apidra cartrige into the pen you suggested but couldnt find many others doing it, is it a well known thing you can do? How did you discover doing it?

Sorry if that sounds a little dumb!!
 
I don't know how well known it is Benny. I know of two other people on another forum who do it. One of them told me how to do it. It does work though.
 
Thanks for the advice Patti, Could be a way forward if they try me on the apidra again 🙂 Would you be able to provide a link to the forum where its discussed? No Problem if not!

Thanks again 🙂
 
Phew! Took me a while to find it! Here http://www.diabetes-support.org.uk/forum/Blah.pl?m-1312228283/s-45/ Scroll down to message number 49 where we're discussing needles and it continues on from there. The person who told me about it said her DSN was advising Apidra users to use the Humapen in the last message on P5 of the thread.
 
Hi Benny
Just wanted to say that my son uses a Novopen Junior with cartridges for Novorapid, and that it does half units. It has pretty pictures on it which is a bit uncool but he seems to ride it out :D
 
Ditto Willsmum - we have three of these from injection days 🙂
 
The Novopen echo also does half units and has a memory - thankfully mine is just plain metallic burgundy 🙂
 
Pattidevans said:
The Novopen echo also does half units and has a memory - thankfully mine is just plain metallic burgundy 🙂
Click to expand...

Mine is metallic blue 🙂 I have found I rarely use the half units (although nice to have them available), but I have often checked the memory to see how much I just injected, having instantly forgotten! :D
 
I use the memory a lot as well because I am on autopilot most of the time and haven't a clue what I'm doing! Lol. I wish you well, Benny, with convincing those who argue their viewpoint that you know what is best for you. Stick to your guns.
 
I use the memory all the time, but I have to say the half unit dose is incredible. Simply increasing my overnight levemir by 0.5u has made all the difference to my FBG (if not to my Dawn Phenomenon). A half unit increase to daytime Levemir has similarly sorted all sorts of problems out.
 
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