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Comment by Rosie Maher on May 31, 2011 at 10:48am

I'm injecting on my thighs, rotate my injections, am using Humalog with meals and Humilin N for nights (being sure to gently mix), and am using 4mm needles. The bumps only happen once every couple days (and that's about how long it takes for them to go away and also about how long they ache). They're not hot and red, just achy and pink, so I don't think it's an infection. I don't have to mix my insulin as it's not that type. I get a spot of blood now and then and have tended to bruise now and then as well, but they don't seem to be related to where I get the bump. They FEEL like a bruise...but they're raised, achy skin. Not itchy at all or anything.

I just so happened to get a call from my regular diabetes nurse this morning and asked her about it, and she wasn't sure what it was. I do have rather sensitive skin (I'll break out in itchy hives for no apparent reason sometimes and my skin will be ridiculously sensitive to touch sometimes), so perhaps that's the culprit?

Thank you for your help! :)

Comment by Lindsay on May 31, 2011 at 9:12am

Rosie, where are you injecting when you get these lumps? Do they occur only at certain injection sites and not at other sites? How often does this happen? How long do the pink lumps remain? How long do they ache? What kind of insulin are your using? Assuming you are practicing correct, safe & sterile injection practices (alcohol swabs, new needle with each injection, injection angles, etc.), hand warming the insulin prior to injection, and mixing the insulin prior to injection the most obvious possibility is you are getting some subcutaneous bleeding and/or bruising at the injection site. Do you bruise easily? You might try a different needle size (thinner, longer/shorter, etc). And different injection locations. You might even have a slight allergy to the insulin formulation in which case you might need to try a different insulin formulation. Depending on the answers to these questions I wouldn't hesitate to move your appointment up to address this issue.

Comment by Rosie Maher on May 30, 2011 at 11:28pm

Hey all...wondering if you can help me. I'm two months pregnant (diagnosed as T2 prior to pregnancy) and had to start using insulin. Now, I'm doing fairly fine with injecting, but noticed that sometimes I get a slightly achy/painful pink (not red) lump within 24hrs of some injections. What is this? It doesn't sound exactly like lipohypertrophy or lipoatrophy but maybe I found bad descriptions of it? Can anyone help me figure this out? I don't have my next Diabetes Centre appointment until the 25th. Thank you so much! :)

Comment by Trudy on January 12, 2011 at 2:38pm

hb, I just throw away my vial or my pen when my 28 days of use are up. I paid for them, they're for keeping me alive, so I have no second thoughts. Even on this, we are not alone!

Comment by hb on January 12, 2011 at 1:50pm

I use half the insulin in the vile (300 ui ) and have to get rid of rest after 30 days I was told, but not told how to get rid of it. What do I do with it? Take back to pharmacy or empty and throw away vile? It is such a waste, but I am on pills and little bit of insulin. Also how do you give pain free injections? Can't seem to do it. I don't have much fat on me, don't know if that has anything to do with it....

Comment by Chaplain ET on January 10, 2011 at 11:03pm

Bikette; what I forgot to mention, was that I am at 20 units, and I was right at the 20 unit mark on the insulin reservoir. So I dialed in the 20 units I normally take, and then watched as I kept turning the dial, to see how much I could actually use, before the dial stopped. It stopped at 21, so I knew I had enough for my usual dose of 20 units, PLUS another 1 unit for my safety check. I hope that clarifies things.

By the way, I didn't know about the syringe method, for using the last few drops of insulin. I'll have to try that!

Comment by Emmy on January 7, 2011 at 8:13pm

I have done a video showing how to transition from one pen cartridge to a new one, but doing only one injection instead of two. It also shows how to use up that last bit of insulin in the pen cartridge. (Saves me a bit of money on my insulin - it adds up at these prices!)

For entertainment purposes only! :D Always check with your doctor before making any changes in your insulin routine.

Part one:
Insulin Tip 1 A

and part two is here
Insulin Tips 1B

Comment by latvianchick on January 4, 2011 at 6:53pm

Emmy, in the UK we get free prescriptions for diabetics and unemployed. I qualify both ways but they do limit you to what you have. It is either pens (which I need because of the way my type of insulin - namely - pork, comes) or syringes. I went to the doctors yesterday and forgot to ask about that. Usually I am limited to two pens once a year, though if I get lucky and have a nice doctor I CAN get more. Need to go back on Thursday so will ask if I can have a few syringes too. I certainly cannot afford to buy my own, but it is worth looking into perhaps when I come back from USA!!!

Comment by Emmy on January 4, 2011 at 2:53pm

Glad I could help Bikette.

Comment by Mike Greenblatt on January 4, 2011 at 12:00pm

I just have a few boxes of syringes from before I started on pens, so I use them until they run out. I try not to waste anything.

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