The Accidental Overdose

Because I prefer to be discrete, I tend to leave my pump's alarm set to vibrate, and that means I'm used to random buzzing from my pocket, my waistband or wherever my pump happens to be lying beside me. High alerts, Low alerts, Cal reminders, low reservoir alerts... between the pump itself and the CGM the list is endless.

The 522 is pretty cool in that it will give you a different number of vibrations for different alerts. Three means 'take no action' and happens for stuff like temp basals. Four is something which requires prompt action - highs and lows for example. Six means 'pay attention to me now or you'll be sorry' - No delivery alarms and stuff like that.

The problem is, I often only feel one or two vibrations so I have to dig out the pump to check no matter what.

This morning, sitting on a bus overcrowded with soaking wet passengers, I felt that single vibration. I pulled off my gloves and dug through layers of coat and sweater to reach my pump in my pocket. As I glanced at it, I was sure I saw the bolus delivery screen, but a second later it was gone.

The strange thing was, there was no alert to have triggered an alarm. And the only other time the pump vibrates is when it finishes delivering a bolus. Scanning rapidly to the bolus history screen, there it was. I'd just given myself a 4.6 unit bolus.

Only, I hadn't.

Or at least I hadn't meant to. I'd eaten breakfast about 40 minutes earlier and bolused then. But that had only been 3 units via the bolus wizard. It was right there on the history, below the 4.6 unit manual bolus.

The pump had been in my pocket the whole time and easy bolus is disabled.

So what on earth happened?

The only conclusion I can come to to is that somehow, in the course of getting on the bus, I'd leaned on my pump in such a way as to press the buttons in sequence: ACT, ACT, down arrow, ACT, ACT, up arrow...for a while, ACT. But crazier yet is that with every press of the ACT button, the pump vibrates.

Still, it's either that or else I was briefly abducted by aliens. Unless anyone has any other suggestions?

Oh, and the overdose was sorted with a temp basal and a big bowl of cereal when I got to work.

Comments

[Christine]

Do you have the Easy Bolus enabled? You could have pressed the up key several times, then the ACT key twice.

[Penny]

Caro,

That is wierd.

I keep Riley's pump locked all the time. That way he won't accidently bolus himself.

Of course, if it is aliens then he's still at risk;-)

I'm just glad you noticed. If not the consequences could have been bad.

[Caro]

Christine - I don't have easy bolus enabled - partly for this very reason. I also find it annoying how easy it is to accidentally start a bolus with easy bolus which then leads to an alert when bolus programming isn't completed!

I still have no idea how it happened, but I have managed not to repeat it today.

Penny - it is weird. Locking the pump is a good idea, but I think I'd keep forgetting to do it. Or more likely become irritated with having to unlock it at every alert! Perhaps I should give it a try though.

[Scott K. Johnson]

I'm just glad you noticed and investigated! Imagine your confusion given some time without knowing you had that extra insulin working...

Scary!