One night my blood glucose levels were more than 350 mg/dl and I was feeling dizzy. I was 15 at the time, and I asked mom for my insulin. I took my injection, and after ten minutes I started feeling sweaty. Suddenly I was feeling anxious. I checked my blood sugar levels, and they were near 200 mg/dl. That moment I realized I had taken an insulin overdose.
That was first time in my life and I didn’t know what to do back then. I tried eating my regular biscuits, but my sugar levels were still getting low. Then my mom gave me chocolates; they were ineffective, and my glucose levels were still dropping.
Then I ate some sweets and it stabilized. That day, I sobbed for thirty minutes because the event had left me traumatized, and, as a young child still coming to terms with his illness, the possibility of my death was haunting.
This post will talk about the best thing to do when you accidentally inject more than necessary amount of insulin in your body.
Eat Sugar As Soon As Possible in Insulin Overdose
When you have taken an overdose of insulin, you have very little time to act before it’s too late. That’s why directly consuming a few tea spoons of sugar (based on how much extra insulin you have taken) will help you stop hypoglycemia.
How to eat Sugar in an Insulin Overdose
- Take a few tea spoons of sugar
- Take a cup of water
- Put them in a mixer grinder
- Drink the solution to stop your blood sugar from getting low instantly
This is the fastest way, I discovered by making a lot of mistakes when I was about to die one night. This is a time-tested one.
Yeah, sure, your blood sugar level may increase after an hour, then you can take a little amount of insulin to stop it from getting high. Type 1 needs active management.
How to Avoid an Insulin Overdose
Consult your doctor; based on your diet, he will set the right dose for you. This way, the risk of figuring out your own dose is out of the picture. Over time, you will be experienced.
Make a to-do list or write it down in a small pocket notebook if you have a memory problem. Ask your parents or partner to keep track of your injections, as you might not be in the best mental state to do it yourself.
I used to write each time I took a shot so that I don’t take the same dose twice. Slowly, my health improved and my memory also. Now it’s been more than a year since I had an accident like that.
Being conscious and being in the present moment is very important. An insulin overdose can be fatal. Take care of yourself or your loved one who is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
Measure Your Glucose Levels
Make a habit of also checking your blood sugar levels before taking injection. Once I took an injection at 70 mg/dl, and that was a serious mistake. I stayed in bed for 3 days because of that hypoglycemia.
(Sugar levels between 70 and 120 mg/dl) First eat, then take injection
( If Sugar levels are above 120 mg/dl) Take injection and eat within 5 minutes
(Sugar levels above 140 mg/dl) Take injection and eat between 5 and 10 minutes
(Sugar levels higher than 200 mg/dl ) Take injections and recheck sugar levels after 15 minutes
Use Quality Insulin
Once I bought some insulin cartridges and they were not working properly. One cartridge would lower my glucose levels instantly, and others would take the whole day.
This confused me, and I took an extra dose from a working one. Buy a new insulin if you are not sure about your current one’s quality or effectiveness. Insulin is always cheaper than your life.
No one understands the pain and suffering of a type 1 diabetic. We have to take care of ourselves 24×7.
Conclusion
- Consult a doctor (he will set the right dose of insulin)
- Keep Track of your injections
- Avoid alcohol or any substance that lowers your consciousness
- Measure your sugar levels before taking injection
- Change the Insulin if it is not working
Thanks for reading my blog.
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