faulty pen?
After a month on the 5 pen, I just started on the 10 pen and got the pen
from my mail-order pharmacy. It arrived in cold packs and seemed fine. But
it does one thing that worries me. (And the 5 pen never did this.)
After I finish injecting, pull out the needle, and start to reset the pen
for the next dose — turning the knob so the arrows pointing away from me
move in that direction — a lot of Byetta squirts out of the needle until
the horizontal arrow appears and I stop turning. I’m concerned that I’m not
getting my full dose, and my numbers haven’t been all that great, so I can’t
tell. And I’m concerned about wastage.
Anybody else have this problem, and did you find out anything about it?
September 21st, 2003 at 7:38 am
I would call Amylin and let them know. 1-800-868-1190. I haven’t heard
of this happening, but I’d be concerned about it being a faulty pen.
After talking with them, if they think it’s faulty, they will replace it
for you at no charge. They will overnight you info and all you need is
an RX from your doctor to take to a local pharmacy. You’ll then send the
pen back to them so they can figure out what happened.
September 22nd, 2003 at 3:21 am
In the meantime, howeverm if you think you may be missing some of your dose, try
this: After you have held the pen for the 5 or 10 seconds, turn the dial until
it clicks while the needle is STILL in your skin. I was having a pretty big
drop at the end of the needle after I pulled it out and this has pretty much
stopped that.
Trish
Janie
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September 23rd, 2003 at 12:27 pm
Janie wrote,
>I would call Amylin and let them know. 1-800-868-1190. I haven’t heard
> of this happening, but I’d be concerned about it being a faulty pen.
I called them this morning and the customer service rep talked me through
the "inject, reset" process, squirting the Byetta into the air. The pen
worked perfectly, of course, so the rep said I need to push harder on the
knob when injecting and things should be fine. No free pen for me!
So I haven’t been getting my full dose with that pen. And I already was
pushing the knob pretty hard — the arrow was definitely showing instead of
the "10" when I finished.
May I just observe that right now I hate this process with extra hate? My
stomach is covered with little bruises, the injections ALWAYS hurt, and
after 6 weeks on injectable meds, I can say with heartfelt honesty I wish
I’d never heard of the stuff. Then again, it *is* helping my bgs. Not losing
any weight though. Feh!
September 23rd, 2003 at 2:07 pm
May I just observe that right now I hate this process with extra
hate? My
stomach is covered with little bruises, the injections ALWAYS hurt,
and
after 6 weeks on injectable meds, I can say with heartfelt honesty I
wish
I’d never heard of the stuff. Then again, it *is* helping my bgs. Not
losing
any weight though. Feh!
Graymalkin
Graymalkin, try pinching your the skin around the site as you enter
and while your injecting. I use to get bruises and very rarely see
any now doing this.
Jeanna
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it.
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September 23rd, 2003 at 7:09 pm
the injections ALWAYS hurt
Jeanna,
Are you putting the needle in straight? I have noticed if the needle goes in
slightly crooked or at an angle that it hurts more. Also be careful for
veins, that’s kind of hard, but it causes pretty ugly bruising.
Christina
September 24th, 2003 at 12:07 am
Hang in there, Graymalkin. We’ve all felt like this at one time or
another. Have you thought of targeting the thigh area to give your
stomach a rest? I’ve injected in the thigh and it’s not that bad.
Hugs,
September 24th, 2003 at 5:38 am
Jeanna wrote,
I’ll try to pinch it up more. I’ve been doing a sort of wide, gentle pinch.
Interesting note: In maybe 1 out of 3 injections, there’s a drop sitting on
my skin when I pull the needle out. I asked the Amylin customer service rep
about that. She said that can happen when the skin is pinched up too
tightly. So apparently the pinch has to be Just Right to get the full dose
in there.
I’ll try a combination of a tighter pinch and a harder push on the knob.
September 24th, 2003 at 2:24 pm
Good afternoon everybody. I’m new to this group. I’ve been diabetic
since 1994 when I was 43 years old. I’m 54 now.
I use the Humalogue 75/25 Pen along with oral medications, Metformin
and Actos.
I had never had any problems injecting myself. I have so much fat on
my belly that I don’t even bother to "pinch an inch", I just simply
stick the needle straight in and I’m good to go.
My doctor says that if only I could loose half of my total body
weight (I’m 5 ft. 6 in. at 300 pounds) I probably wouldn’t need to
use the insulin anymore.
But that is easier said than done. I have never been able to loose
weight and keep it off. It just keeps coming back on again.
Fortunatly I don’t have high blood pressure (only 110/70) and my
cholestrol is only 100, and my triglycerides are only 70. And so far
no damage has been done by my diabetes. YET!
Actually my cholestrol is too low. It shouldn’t be lower than 160,
and as a result, my brain chemistry is off. I have anxiety and
depression, and my blood is too thin. A few days ago, I cut myself
shaving and it took an hour to stop the bleeding.
Last month my doctor had me increase my insulin because my blood
sugars had been running too high, so for the past month I have
gradually been getting it back under control again.
I have to go around feeling hungery all the time just to keep from
gaining. So for me trying to loose weight is out of the question.
Anything posted in this group is the opinion of the person who posted it.
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September 24th, 2003 at 4:46 pm
Greetings Gerald,
I’m Marsha 56, diabetic for about 4 years. I’m fairly new to this list.
Previously I have been able to control through low-carb eating, exercise, and -
for a time - oral meds and herbs. Recently started having a medication failure
and am having to readdress the diabetes.
Marsha
September 24th, 2003 at 8:13 pm
Like someone else said, it doesn’t have to be alot of skin and not
pinched real tight either. Hope you have better luck. I know how your
feeling though, when I first went on insulin I felt exactly as you did
and was tired of seeing purple bruises on my stomach until someone told
me about the pinching.
Jeanna
Jeanna wrote,
> Graymalkin, try pinching your the skin around the site as you
enter
> and while your injecting. I use to get bruises and very rarely
see
> any now doing this.
I’ll try to pinch it up more. I’ve been doing a sort of wide, gentle
pinch.
Interesting note: In maybe 1 out of 3 injections, there’s a drop
sitting on
my skin when I pull the needle out. I asked the Amylin customer
service rep
about that. She said that can happen when the skin is pinched up too
tightly. So apparently the pinch has to be Just Right to get the full
dose
in there.
I’ll try a combination of a tighter pinch and a harder push on the
knob.
Graymalkin
Anything posted in this group is the opinion of the person who posted
it.
SPONSORED LINKS
Illness Pancreas Ada
Insulin Diabetic Support groups
——————————————————————–
* Visit your group "Diabetes_And_Byetta" on the web.
September 25th, 2003 at 10:30 am
Hi, Gerald, and welcome to the group.
I used to be on up to 60 units of Lantus and Humalog 75/15 combined. It
shot my appetite and weight up. Can’t help it; that’s what insulin does.
Are you considering Byetta? Since I’ve been on it, I’ve decreased my
insulin to 10 units of Lantus and use the Humalog only as needed. I’ve
lost close to 30 pounds and my A1C was 5.0 last friday.
September 25th, 2003 at 1:18 pm
Hey Gerald, nice of you to join us….so are you taking Byetta?
Jeanna
Good afternoon everybody. I’m new to this group. I’ve been diabetic
since 1994 when I was 43 years old. I’m 54 now.
September 25th, 2003 at 6:34 pm
Curiouser and curiouser. Do you all experience pain with the injection?
Bruising? Is it the toxic nature of the venom from which this treatment came?
Marsha
September 26th, 2003 at 2:29 am
Once in a while there will be a little twinge, whether insulin or byetta. I
think it is where, not the substance I’m injecting. Bruises likewise happen
once in a while with either. Pat in Idaho
September 26th, 2003 at 7:23 pm
Really??? I was thinking the opposite was true. Much rather do the epi
pen vs. a syringe
Jeanna
Almost never pain. No bruising so far. But between the two, the Byetta
needle hurts more than the insulin syringe needle.
Andrew
Anything posted in this group is the opinion of the person who posted
it.
_____
_____
September 27th, 2003 at 1:30 am
I can share what i do that helps. I was doing it below the belly button
as it hurt less but, there is not much there to DO it on.
every time i did it to the left or right i got huge dots that don’t go
away. when i did it right above the belly button it did it too. So, i
tried to the sides above the belly button, like i heard on one of the
lists.
I always touch test first. if it hurts i move slightly until i find a
spot that doesn’t hurt. i have heard that the 10 is harder to push.
also pinching up a pinch of skin and sitting down helps.
We’re all new at this.
please don’t give up.
September 27th, 2003 at 8:08 am
I agree. Byetta is a breeze, nothing compared to multiple daily injections of
four to six shots a day, plus ten to twelve testing sticks a day. Now finally
on the pump, I am rid of all those injections now (still have the finger sticks
of course)!!! Have stopped the Byetta temporarily while adjusting to the pump,
but WANT to go back on it……… I am HUNGRY ALL the time without it!!
Billie
September 27th, 2003 at 12:25 pm
Andrew, are you using those micro BD needles? They are teeny, tiny. 1/4 inch
long.
Billie
Andrew
September 27th, 2003 at 4:43 pm
Me, too.
Billie
Jeanna
Almost never pain. No bruising so far. But between the two, the Byetta
needle hurts more than the insulin syringe needle.
Andrew