Urgent help please

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SB2015

SB2015

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
BG rising, corrected with pen, dropped a bit and then rising again.
Checked pump connections waited an hour, gone up.

Next plan change insulin, but no more insulin vials in the fridge.
Got given the wrong insulin yesterday and waiting for novorapid to come in.
Is there a way of filling an insulin pump cartridge (Accu check combo) from a pen cartridge?
 
Hi @SB2015 can you put this onto the general messageboard it will get more people seeing it therefore hopefully you will get more help.
Sorry I can't help as don't pump. Good luck
 
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I would phone your out of hours gp service 111? Or f it starts to go too high get to A &E
I hope your levels start dropping to normal range soon.
 
I'm sure you've thought of this already but have you changed your infusion set using the insulin that's already in the pump? Even just the cannula if you haven't enough insulin to prime a new tube?
Hope you sort it soon. I don't know of a way of filling a pump from a cartridge I'm afraid, but the pump helpline would be where I'd try.
 
You can with a Medtronic. But that's no good for you. Really good luck 🙂
 
Thank you for your replies.

I had done all the possible changes apart from changing the insulin so needed to do that or switch to pens.
I tried the pump careline and they had not had the question before, so I decided to just try it. I put the end of the pump cartridge on the end of an insulin pen cartridge and then used a pencil to push the plunger in and it filled with not too many bubbles. New cartridge new infusion set primed and then a wait.

A wakeful night wihlst i kept myself awake until levels were back down again and just woken up with good levels through the night once they had dropped back into range.

Certainly had me racking my brain for how to get emergency insulin, but problem solved.

Thanks again
 
SB2015 said:
Thank you for your replies.

I had done all the possible changes apart from changing the insulin so needed to do that or switch to pens.
I tried the pump careline and they had not had the question before, so I decided to just try it. I put the end of the pump cartridge on the end of an insulin pen cartridge and then used a pencil to push the plunger in and it filled with not too many bubbles. New cartridge new infusion set primed and then a wait.

A wakeful night wihlst i kept myself awake until levels were back down again and just woken up with good levels through the night once they had dropped back into range.

Certainly had me racking my brain for how to get emergency insulin, but problem solved.

Thanks again
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Phew. Glad it worked for you
 
For the record yes, you can fill a combo cartridge with a pen cartridge. I've done it when needed and all was fine. I know its not recomended, but when you need to it's fine.
 
CosmicHedgehog said:
For the record yes, you can fill a combo cartridge with a pen cartridge. I've done it when needed and all was fine. I know its not recomended, but when you need to it's fine.
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Thanks Cosmic
We don't always do what we are supposed to do, and I shall only do this if absolutely necessary.
I was glad it worked last night as I really didn't fancy switching back to MDI until Tuesday.
 
That's a relief, well done for sorting it.
 
Bit late now, but I have some syringes to do the corrections, got them from the pharmacy. I used the syringes to draw out insulin from the pen cartridge and squirt it into the vial. I get given the pen cartridges all the time. Annoys me.

Glad all is better now.
 
I usually check that it is the right insulin before leaving the chemist, but OH collected it and I had not specified which one I had ordered.

Ijust filled the cartridge by sticking the blue bit in the top of the pen cartridge, and then pushing down the bit that moves on the pen cartridge, using a pencil. Hardly any bubbles at all.
 
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