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Oops! I ran out of Levemir!

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rebrascora

rebrascora

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Just gone to dial up my evening dose and there are only 3.5 units left instead of the 7 I need. I have injected 1.5 units of Fiasp with it and will need to set some alarms for overnight and pretend I am an insulin pump using QA as basal!! 🙄

Annoyingly i ordered it well over a week ago when I got the last cartridge out of the fridge but it takes 4-5 working days for medication to be ready for collection and I took a mental nose dive towards the end of last week and couldn't make it out of the house, so I didn't collect my medication. I assumed I would be OK over the weekend, not taking into account it was a long bank holiday weekend and I am currently needing a lot more basal than usual!

Can't believe I have allowed myself to run out but lesson learned! Got plenty of Fiasp so not a massive issue, but really unimpressed with myself! Will be along there first thing in the morning with my pen, so I can inject as soon as I take possession! Just when my TIR was starting to get into range of a push for another PB.

Arrgh!! Can only blame myself though!
 
Well the positives are you are aware, you have a plan, you've taken some corrective medication and you will be resupplying tomorrow.
Even better you know why it happened and will see that you have a plan to ensure you're abreast of it in future.

Best
 
I don’t think it’s your fault @rebrascora If they’re giving you so little that you’re running so close to the wire like that then they should prescribe you more each month. You’ll then get some spare and some months can simply not order the Lev if you know you have enough boxes plus at least one spare box. That’s what I do. It saves stress and means I always have enough insulin.
 
I always reorder when I’ve got more than one cartridge left, just in case I drop and crack the last one. And especially during the last 18 months when there was a possibility I’d not be able to get out to collect a prescription if I was ‘pinged’ and self isolating, (yes, I know we have a volunteer group in the village who would drop it in, but I'd rather not ask when they’d got plenty of other people calling on them). I get a whole box of 5 prescribed at once, which lasts me 5 months, so I only have to reorder every few months anyway.
 
@Inka Thanks but I don't order Levemir every month, just when I need it, so it is entirely my fault I'm afraid. 😳

@Robin Thanks for your comment. I normally have the same policy. No idea why I didn't follow it this time and the fact that I am using nearly double the amount I was 6 months ago, certainly didn't help.

Pleased to report I managed to maintain a straightish line in the 6s and 7s all night but expecting a fierce FOTF to kick in any time.... I've injected 3 units to cover it but I have carbs to hand in case it doesn't.
Just waiting for my new Libre sensor to count down whilst I have my coffee and then I will swing my legs along the road to the next village to collect my script.
New sensor has just fired up with a reasonable 7.3 so I feel confident to head out now.
 
Ah, ok @rebrascora Still, maybe it’s connected to your increased use and you’re automatically functioning on your previous usage if that makes sense? I order insulin not when I need it, but before I need it. Having an extra box or two sitting in the fridge is a good thing.
 
Like others, I always ordered my insulin when I started my penultimate cartridge. This means I have at least one spare.
Now I am on a pump, I continue this philosophy with vials - I aim to always have at least one whole vial in my fridge (or in my luggage when away) at all times.
I have no monthly prescription schedule as my needs can vary depending on whether I am unwell, how much exercise I am doing, what I am eating (winter is usually a carbier season than summer) and probably which socks I am wearing.
 
Well I am back on the straight and narrow now and my morning Levemir dose is in and working.
Just typical of diabetes to be contrary.... there was no FOTF this morning, so I hypoed on the way to the docs. Oddly my new Libre sensor didn't register it. Normally it reads low when I'm not, so I may need to do some calibration checks over the next day or two to get an idea if this was just a one off or it is generally reading high. It felt like quite a bad hypo as eyesight was flashing quite dramatically and I had a bit of a wobble moment as I was alone on a rural riverside path and it didn't seem to be responding to my JBs as quickly as it usually does, but I was pretty much feeling recovered by the time I reached the docs and then managed to continue on for a further 4 miles afterwards and felt great, so I have had a good leg stretch for the day.

Many thanks to all who commented. Your wise words have been heeded!
 
Like the above I order when I am using my next to last bottle of insulin the trouble is my practice has decided to chop my pack of 5 down to 3 which means I need to reorder more often and it makes more work for everyone in the ordering chain. Plus it increases the chance I may run out.
Apparently this change to my ordering is part of the new instructions brought in last year nation wide and all though I recently had a discussion about my medications they still haven't made the alterations they agreed too.
There you go 1 quick 'phone call and it is back to 5 yippeeee.
 
You're not the only one who has forgotten to pick up just before a Bank Holiday - I've done it more than once!!! Fortunately I'm not insulin dependant.
 
Are you aware you could call NHS 111 and they will send an emergency prescription to an all night chemist in your locality. if you are really stuck. This goes for all meds.......
 
No I did not know that @Piglet, thanks
 
I didn't know either - but I do what others have said - when using cartridges my standard scrip was 2 boxes of, hence I re- ordered as soon as I started box 2 and now with 2 vials at a time, when I start vial 2.
 
I did once go away (just in the UK) with insufficient insulin. I went into Boots who have a service where they can "loan" you some against a future prescription. It was a long time ago, they may not do it any more.
 
Piglet said:
Are you aware you could call NHS 111 and they will send an emergency prescription to an all night chemist in your locality. if you are really stuck. This goes for all meds.......
Click to expand...
Thanks for that. It's good to know, but I wouldn't dream of putting anyone out when it was my own carelessness and stupidity which left me short and I was able to limp through the night using my Fiasp. Obviously, if I hadn't had any insulin at all, then it would have been a different matter but I managed surprisingly well in the circumstances.
 
Most pharmacies will do something similar. You can buy insulin over the counter at a pharmacy and then when you get an emergency prescription from any GP( especially if you are on holiday) if you take this back to the pharmacy they will refund you the money paid for the insulin.

I got caught out following a family emergency hospital visit and had travelled a good distance in the emergency. My parents neighbour owned a pharmacy so I went there and they reimbursed me following a trip to Mums GP for the emergency prescription.
 
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