Ways to remember taking insulin

[Newgirllost]

Hi, I recently got diagnosed with type 1 at 45 yrs old. I'm a huge needle phobic but surprisingly I have got my big girls pants on and have managed to just get on with injecting. But the other day I really couldn't remember if I had taken my insulin or not. Hubby couldn't remember either and then we weren't sure if we were thinking of when I had injected at lunchtime or if I had done with dinner. Obviously I don't want to overdose but I also don't want to not inject when I need it! Any advice on how to know if I have injected (because I'm rubbish at remembering and get distracted by my child!) or what to do if I'm not sure if I have or not?! Hope this makes sense and thankfully it's only been 1 day but knowing me it will happen again .

 

[Peely66]

My bolus insulin pen has a digital display on the end that tells me roughly when and how much insulin has been administered. Obviously as long as I have over 2 units, which is what I do for an air shot before giving my self my bolus dose, I know that it's more than likely gone in. As for my basal dose...I still haven't figured a way of being sure I've taken that and since we tend to do things on auto pilot I sometimes find myself thinking "Did I just take my basal or not?" Thankfully I've never double dosed.

I think there may be some other solutions on the market that attach to pens too. I had a friend with diabetes who had the same issue as you and had some sort of countdown device that she attached to her pen.

Here's a link to the kind of thing I'm describing

https://www.insulcheck.com/

 

[Lisa66]

Hi, well done on getting over your phobia. We’ve all found ourselves in this situation.

I think the NovoPen Echo is possibly the pen @Peely66 is referring to...sorry @Peely66 if it isn’t. I have them them and find them very helpful.

Hopefully it’s suitable for the insulins you are using. I think it comes in a couple of colours, so one can be used for basal and one for bolus. It is also possible to inject 1/2 units too, which can be handy. It is available on prescription.

Hope this helps.

 

[Peely66]

I thinking the NovoPen Echo is possibly the pen @Peely66 is referring to...sorry @Peely66 if it isn’t. I have them them and find them very helpful.

It wasn't. I'm using a Novopen 4 but, having just looked up the Echo it is a similar idea just more advanced than the pen I use but I've had my pen for a while now.

 

[Lisa66]

Apologies @Peely66 , I didn’t realise there was another pen that did this. However, I can thoroughly recommend should you ever think about changing.

 

[Lucyr]

There’s no memory pen available for my type of insulin but I leave the used needles for the day in my diabetes case and clear out each morning. I can usually tell from the number of needles whether I’ve forgotten anything

 

[trophywench]

One sure way I relied on was when I had all the symptoms of high BG (eg dry mouth, very tired and dry eyes, needing to keep going to the loo to pass urine, which would be far too dark coloured and smelt) far too quickly after my last intake of carbs. Ooops - obviously didn't jab for lunch dinner that slice of cake etc.
It happens. As long as it's not too frequent - it's most unlikely to kill anyone quickly !

(Far too frequently - a long, lingering, miserable death ........ 😱 )

 

[Robin]

I've got the Echo now too, but before that, I used to do like @Lucyr , count my needles out for the day first thing in the morning, then I could tell by how many I'd got left whether I'd done all the jabs.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Timesulin is another of those replacement caps that helps with this.

Rest assured you are not alone, and many people living with T1 have gone through exactly the same!

Hope one of the options works well for you 🙂

 

[PattiEvans]

I was thinking of that device too Mike. See https://timesulin.com/ they do caps for nearly every type of pen.

 

[SB2015]

Welcome to the forum @Newgirllost , from another late starter (53)
Well done on finding the Big Girl Pants, and overcoming your phobia of needles.

You raise a common problem. I certainly the timesulin attachment to my pen very helpful. The newer pens have these integrated, but as you say they don’t take all insulin vials. Hope one of the suggestions works for you.

 

[Lucyr]

I was thinking of that device too Mike. See https://timesulin.com/ they do caps for nearly every type of pen.

The one thing you can’t seem to get any kind of memory device for is apidra with half units. They don’t do any of the memory pens, and the caps only work for disposable pens, otherwise I’d buy one!

 

[nonethewiser]

If like me like to have cuppa with meals then stick pen near kettle, did this on injections & worked as always boil kettle good 10 mins before eating so tea had time to brew.

 

[pm133]

Hi @Lucyr,

If you are unsure, you will have to see what your blood glucose readings are doing but you must be very careful.
If you know that particular meal only takes you up 3 mmol/L and you end up 7 or more ahead of normal, you might well have forgotten to dose up. Personally, I would wait 2 hours after eating and then every 30 minutes until the 3 hour mark. Get out for a brisk walk as well before "correcting" and your levels should show some signs of reducing if you've had a bolus. If they are not dropping that would be an indicator that you'd forgotten.
I try to bolus immediately after putting food in the oven and that way I don't forget.

Another method might be to get a plastic tray with a lid and 7 compartments. Put 4 needles in each compartment and label each compartment by day. That way you'll know if you've missed a dose because you'll have a spare needle. You'll find these in Homebase or a pound shop.