Any suggestions on the best way to re-cap a pen after using it, when in a dark room? I don’t mean when using it during the day, I mean when taking a shot at night.
When I have to take insulin in the middle of the night, I don’t turn the lights on. I just count clicks on the pen. But when re-capping it, sometimes I hit the side of the cap with needle, dulling it and possibly bending it. Just wondering if someone has a trick for doing this better.
Doing things when half asleep is not as easy…
BTW, posting this in Tips, Tech & Gear. Is this is a place for “asking” as well as “telling”?
@Eric. Same problem here. I always have my phone close by, so I made a flashlight on /off toggle shortcut and turn it on to recap. I still just use the clicks in the dark for dosing.
If you use the Dexcom G5 receiver, you can easily use that as a torch
I suggest that we use the Treatment subcategory for anything that has to do with M.O. as opposed to gear (although Tips subcat also has MO). So I would put this question, or any other question, in the Treatment subcategory.
I think the supposed to change each time, goes right along with changing lancets with each finger poke. Ideally and the real world often collide in unusual ways.
That said, yes, some light from the cell phone is good. I’ve been in situations where it’s difficult to discreetly measure BG or “shoot up” insulin (LOL) and have been thankful for the cell phone lighting that it provides.
You are, but many don’t. Many use the same practice as a testing lancet – jettison it at the end of the day (or later).
They become blunter after a few uses, so it’s not too good to reuse them too much.
FYI – we reuse lancets for a full day, but don’t reuse needles, in part because we use a needle snipper, so we don’t have a disposal issue. I don’t have any ideological problem with reusing needles though (only on a single patient though – obviously absolutely no sharing).
Yup. I don’t use pens anymore but I do use the Dex receiver as a light source when I have an alert in the middle of the night and have to do a fingerstick to confirm and don’t want to turn the lights on.
I did this until I read you guys laughing at people like me (noobs in general) over at the other place. Now I change them out every few days or a week…or when I remember to do it? lol
I’d like to find a discontinued Asante snap on eBay so that I can use the built in led flashlight to put the cap back on my novolog pen…
Eric, why not just a small and not obnoxiously bright flashlight on the night stand that won’t bother the wife ? Call me old fashioned but I think it might work
TUD did an interview with the Asante CEO and he said the engineers wanted to ditch the light feature but he insisted on keeping it. One of the things that convinced me I wanted to give it a try–user centered design!
I’ve been re-capping needles for 20 years without being able to see them. What I do is take the small inner cap and place the end of it near the end of the pen, move it until it’s resting against the shaft of the needle (so at this point the sharp end of the needle is pointing 90 degrees away from my hand, and I’m starting from “behind”, so no risk of poking myself), then “skim” the cap lightly up the needle until I feel the resistance of the needle disappear (which means I’ve gone just past the end), and then turn the cap 90 degrees and recap. I don’t think I have ever poked myself with the needle doing this. It’s not quite sterile because you do touch the needle with the end end of the needle cap, but you don’t touch the needle with your fingers. I have re-used needles many times without problems (not recommending anyone else do this, though). Hopefully this makes sense…
Now I change them out every few days or a week…or when I remember to do it? lol