I am lucky, as currently I only need one shot a day of a time release insulin (over 24+ hours) and some pills when I have a meal...
But my dosage is mostly pretty consistent, and I try to stick to routine.
I know I have had issues with insulin in transit before. I went to Greece for a week and quickly realised my insulin must have got cooked in taxi from airport to hotel as it was not working - high blood sugar, asleep all the time, and zits and boils (one on my nose ended up with antibiotics once I was back home). Really not nice.
So I wonder how well the insulin is managed before I get it from pharmacist. Recently after some change of medication I upped my daily dose from 40 units to 70+ units a day. Medications for blood pressure have caused such changes before, but this seemed a tad extreme.
But this week (yesterday) I started a new batch, and today, well, WTF? This morning I went for breakfast as usual at Costa, but by the time I got there I could hardly stand, was shaking, and really wondered if I would pass out! I had breakfast, coffee, and also 500ml of Lucozade as well, and when I got home was only a 7 on the blood sugar (which is high side of perfectly normal), but all day I have been hitting hypos and eating and drinking more and more sugary drinks! This is silly! That said, I got a shit load of work done!
WTF? I am wondering if I had a bad batch before, or something. I need to work on maybe lowering my dose over the next few days.
A holiday is bad enough for this, and time zone changes, but this on top of it is not funny. More test strips and reserve chocolate for this trip I think!
Can you get the freestyle Libre in the UK yet? It does continuous glucose monitoring from a bi-monthly patch and would undoubtedly give you more data points to examine.
ReplyDeleteYes Libre is available in the UK but NHS coverage dependant. I paid personally for a year and then was given the magic dispensation by my consultant. Very effective for me, improved my A1c to the point i’ve Been told not to improve my control any more as I’m getting old and hypos are dangerous. Everyone should get Libre - it’s effective if not exactly accurate.
Delete"So I wonder how well the insulin is managed before I get it from pharmacist."
ReplyDeleteWe used to get insulin and other refrigerated medicines either in refrigerated vans or in a polystyrene box with coolpacks (depending on supplier). They were marked up on the outside so you knew they went straight to the fridge on arrival, rather than waiting on the side for a few hours
Medication is very often transported through a 'Cold chain' aka a 'cold supply chain' where the cargo is kept at a constant temperature through the like's of ice pack's, slurry ice and refrigerated unit's.
ReplyDeleteOf course you get refrigerated truck's and van's too, not to mention temperature controlled warehouses also are used at hub's. The large shipping companies like FedEX, UPS & DHL offer these bespoke service's. In fact, DHL run's the NHS' supply chain.
To ensure that the cargo is actually kept at a persistent temperature reporting device's that log not only the temperature but whether the cargo has even been opened and the location are used too.
Some medication doesn't have too as it 'should' be fine, such as none prescription pain killer's. Some online pharmacies will just send them through the Royal Mail or another common carrier.
My Dad is type 1 diabetic and the climate can affect his usual dosage. Usually a holiday to hotter climates can reduce his insulin needs.
ReplyDelete