 |
| humalog.com |
when i was diagnosed, i used a bottle of insulin and a needle/shot to do injections. for six weeks. then i started on my insulin pump.
the few times (maybe three) i have had to take injections since i got my pump - due to a malfunction or something, while waiting for my replacement pump - i used the same thing.
i've never been given an insulin pen as an option. i don't even really know how they work. is it still a needle? does it just shoot insulin in so fast it doesn't need a needle?
not that i need one, or am planning to use one, just a random thought i had. i've had diabetes for almost 12 years, and i've never used (or even seen in person) an insulin pen.
I'm with you! I went on the pump in 1993, and before then, I used regular needles and insulin bottles. My doctor recently gave me a pen to have in case of emergency - but it's sitting in my refrigerator, in the box, so I've never really held one/seen one in person either. How funny!
ReplyDeleteI used a pen while on a rafting trip a couple years ago. Seemed like it was nearly identical to shots. There is a screw on needle at the tip of the pen. You're supposed to replace it on every use, which means you have to carry spares. You take it just like a shot. Guess the advantage is not having to carry a separate vial with you, but that's a pretty minor change, considering you still have to carry spare needle tips.
ReplyDeleteyou screw a needle to the top. i used one briefly, but i always preferred the syringes. when i tried them, you couldn't draw up 1/2 units. not sure about now though.
ReplyDeleteI used a pen for about a year before I got my pump. They're way better than syringes! You basically just screw on a little cap that has a needle in it and replace it every time you use it. It looks waaaaaay less sketchy than a syringe :)
ReplyDeletei really don't like the pen commercials. they make it seem like SUCH an inconvenience to use syringes. i never felt that way. and in one i saw this morning, it showed a grandpa doing his shot at the breakfast table with his granddaughter there and the voice-over said something like "now i don't have to explain what i'm doing at breakfast". like, i get they are trying to say it's discreet, but this is your granddaughter, not a stranger you're explaining what you're doing to. is it bad that she knows that grandpa has diabetes? what's that about? that really annoyed me
ReplyDeleteI'm on MDI and use a pen called the Memoir. It's nice because it remembers (hence the name) the date/time/amount of the last 20 shots I took. Sometimes a girl forgets if she bolused or not! :)
ReplyDeleteMy pump died on me last week, and I had a spare pen in the fridge, so I was doing MDI for a day. I love the pen just because I like just being able to twist the end to get the right dose. Plus, they do not need refrigeration once opened. Also, they are discreet. I work in an open cubicle environment and I gave myself shots all day without anyone noticing. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm both a pen & syringe user. I prefer the syringe overall because I feel that it is more accurate--I have no scientific basis for that, it's just how I feel. BUT, the pen is so darned easy to use! Dial it up and stick. It's incredibly more discreet. No checking for bubbles. I can even dose while driving (Not encouraging anyone to do anything but driving when they're behind the wheel). I use syringes for Lantus, and a Humalog pen for meals.
ReplyDeleteI'm Type 2, but the insulin resistance drugs have not worked for me, hence MDI and no chance for a pump.
Nine years and I've never used a pen either.
ReplyDeleteI got a pen to try Symlin years ago, but I was so confused by it and so unsure about even trying Symlin that I never actually used it.