This is not going to be an article on how to use insulin...

This is not going to be an article on how to use insulin, that has been done before. If you don’t know how to use insulin I suggest you take advantage of the Biohazard coaching/consultation service. This article is informing you of the potential pitfalls.

I always thought I was sensible when it came to the use of insulin. I knew exactly when each type of insulin that I tried peaked and I knew how much carbs and protein to have at these peak times. I knew what time of the day that I should and should not be administering insulin. These are things that anyone embarking on a course involving insulin should know before they start. If you don’t then find out!

My mistake was so fundamental that I deserved a huge kick up the arse, which when I tell you what happened to me, I suppose I have already had.

A few months ago I was on a course that involved insulin. In this case Mixtard, which is a mix of fast and long acting insulin. I would have a shot first thing in the morning, half an hour before a large breakfast. After this I would eat every 2-3 hours throughout the day with protein drinks in between these meals. Everything was going well, I was gaining at a steady rate

One morning everything nearly went badly wrong. I had my shot of mixtard and went downstairs. Normally I would get the kids their breakfast and then have my own and everything would be fine. Not this morning! From having the shot to getting downstairs takes about 10 seconds, 20 at most but in such a short space of time I knew something was wrong. As I walked into the kitchen my vision was already very blurred and I began to sweat. I immediately sensed that my blood sugar was dropping and started to take corrective action – eating! Lots! I opened the fridge and downed a whole bottle of sunny delight, I put my porridge on to cook and continued to eat biscuits, honey, chocolate and anything else I could get my hands on. I was now sweating very profusely and was so hot that I stripped down to my underpants and socks (not a pretty sight!). I sat at the table with a huge bowl of porridge and began to eat it whilst desperately trying to keep myself awake (coma time was coming!) and keep my sweat out of my food. After about half an hour of continuous eating my sweating slowly came to an end and my consciousness was regaining, although I felt totally drained for the rest of the day no matter how much I ate. I had sweated so much that I could actually wring my socks out. Not a pretty picture is it?!

So, what happened? The insulin had gone directly into a vein and started to work almost immediately and no matter how much I ate I could hardly keep up with it. Eventually I raised my blood sugar enough to stop myself going into a coma. If I had taken another couple of i.u.’s there would have been nothing I could have done to stop myself slipping away.

What is the simple way to stop this happening again? Pull the plunger back before delivering the shot, stupid! If there is any blood in the barrel, move to another site. Although only a subcutaneous shot you do have veins running through the fat under the skin. The chances of going into a vein with this type of shot are small but I managed to do it, so please pull the plunger back on every shot you do. Not only gear shots but every shot you do!

Also if you are going to use insulin get 1 or 2 Glucagon pens. These are your ‘get out of jail free’ shots and if you do get into trouble will counteract the effects of the insulin.

There you have it. Insulin is very useful if used properly but also use it safely!

You tend to loose muscle rather rapidly when you are a corpse!