Upon inspecting my Solucortef emergency injection kit, I realized the Solucortef that I've been carrying around, counting on having for an emergency, was in no shape to be used AND out of date.
If you've got Addison's, you need an emergency injection kit with injectable steroids. If your doctor tells you that you don't need it, your doctor doesn't care about you and you should get another doctor. MOST AMBULANCES DO NOT CARRY INJECTABLE STEROIDS. Check with your local hospital to see if they do. Even if they do, there's no guarantee they'll know to inject you or have the permission to do so.
If your doc won't prescribe injectable steroids, ask why. Is he or she concerned that you'll want to "shoot up" all the time? Big whoop if you did it once when you didn't need to (like you're going to). Most people I know don't want to get ravenously hungry and have trouble sleeping and possibly have hallucinations for fun. I doubt there's anyone who will shoot HC for fun. More importantly, do you travel by car? Are you physically capable of vomiting? Do you travel out of state? Out of the country? Hike? Ride a bike? Go camping? Live in a state where ambulances don't carry injectable steroids (most of them in the US)? If you answered yes to even one of these questions, you need to have an emergency injection kit.
My injection kit was both out of date and was useless due to how much I had carried it around. I would recommend if you've got an out of date Acto-vial, try it out. I was extremely surprised at how difficult it was to pop the Acto-vial and mix the powdered HC with the fluid. It was a good learning experience. I'm glad I wasn't in an emergency situation when I was trying this out.
What I carry for emergencies. If you have more adipose tissue on your thigh than 1" of needle will get through, you might need a longer needle.
Please inspect your emergency injection kit.
- See if your needles and alcohol pads are in good condition.
- Is you Solu-Cortef expired? Has it been exposed to extreme heat or cold?
- Is your emergency information up to date?
- Are your injection directions legible?
- Do you have a basic idea of how to give yourself a shot if you need to? If not, review!
3 comments:
I did exactly the same thing as you! I realised a few months ago my vials were out of date and the sealed needles and swabs were looking pretty grotty. I made sure I got some new vials and supplies pretty quickly after that!
My annual appointment with my Endo went well today. She's happy that I'm out there running and cycling (though she did nag me about carrying my Solucortef when I'm running, not just when I ride). She's also going to see what she can find in relation to exercise dosing but she thought my trial-and-error approach was obviously working for me so should be continued.
Seven vials of blood later though. Ouch! I think I'm being tested for everything under the sun. At least she's thorough I guess. Plus I have a day curve to do tomorrow. We're going to try to work out how quickly I metabolise my meds because that will have an impact on whether I should take one large pre-exercise dose or smaller doses as I go.
Do you wear a hydration pack? I put my injectable in a reading glasses case and keep that in my hydration pack. I've never needed it...yet!
Awesome that your doctor trusts your judgment.
Keep me posted about your day curve and blood work! 7 vials is a lot of blood! I wish they did day curves here.
:)
I had a flash back when I read the part about having hallucinations.. reminded me of the scary man I saw leaning over my bed while in the hospital (way high doses of HC to get a bp) That was the weirdest thing I've ever had happen to me. I never want to do that again.
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