Insulin (Fandango’s Friday Flashback)

Yay, it is Friday again, and Fandango has just published his Friday Flashback post. The idea is that he picks a post from this day in a previous year, to give newer readers a better insight into what does and doesn’t make him tick.

I have always liked that idea, so shall also post my own reminiscence. As much as anything, it reminds me of where I was, where I am now, and how far I have come. Hopefully, you will find it entertaining along the way.

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I dug out a post today from last year. Actually I was quite surprised when I found it, because most of my health was not very interesting by then, I was three years post-stroke. I guess I posted because it was just quite unusual by then.

My insulin comes in two pieces. There is a plastic pen, about 6 inches long, containing the insulin itself, with a screw thread on the end. I use it several times (about 2 pens per week), using a little bit more of the insulin each time.

The second part is a single-use sterile needle. It screws onto the pen and goes into my tummy maybe just an eighth of an inch. It is not at all like injections as we normally think of them. Most of the time it doesn’t hurt a bit, you hardly even know it is in you.

Sometimes it messes up. Like, less than 1% of the time these days. It used to mess up more often but my “success rate” has improved over time. I guess my technique and my eyesight have improved. But every now and again it still messes up, even today, leaving me unsure just how much insulin I got. Mostly it’s only by a couple of units but this time it was obviously enough to post about.