This is a repeat Disaster Averted originally published in 2013, but it is still valid. Just think about if it had been one of the newer insulins. Doubtful it would have been that easy to replace. No, it would not have been as easy. See next week’s How to Avoid Insulin Travel Disasters -- and do take heed and learn from today’s.
Read More »Diabetes Disaster Averted #36: Mixing Insulins
Recently I saw a type 1 DM patient diagnosed in 1980 at 15 years of age. She had not seen an educator in quite some time but had changed from NPH/Regular to Lantus & Regular….
Read More »Diabetes Disaster Averted #31: Injection Site Technique
I saw an obese long-term person with Type 2 diabetes who was experiencing widely fluctuating BGs and had had two hospitalizations within the previous six months, one for a BG of 28mg dl and one for an infested hair follicle (BG 413 mg/dl in ER)….
Read More »Diabetes Disaster Averted #24: A Common Error with Insulin Pumps
I was working with a patient who’d recently had a pump upgrade and although he said he didn’t have problems or issues with infusion set changes, I urged him to change his set while I was present. In the process, he did very well with filling his reservoir and inserting his …
Read More »Diabetes Disaster Averted #20: Insulin Pumps and Waterbeds
I recently had a pump patient who suddenly started having a problem in the morning with hypoglycemia, 30 minutes after arising but prior to taking her bolus for her breakfast. We recommended she change her infusion set and insertion area however there was no improvement and she continued to have …
Read More »Diabetes Disaster Averted #16: ID Bracelet Prevents Trip to ER
I had a patient who was diabetic and on insulin. He was a young man who liked to go out on weekends. I stressed how he needed to wear a medical ID bracelet and he did purchase one….
Read More »Diabetes Disaster Averted #8: Mail-Order Mix-Up
During a recent phone follow-up call to one of my patients a co-worker and I avoided a “Diabetes Disaster.” My patient told me that she had received her mail order refill for “ASPART” but the bottle didn’t look the same and she didn’t understand how to “dilute” it. I asked …
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