You need to get one of these...

It first happened to me around ten days in. I was a few days home from hospital following a diagnosis of type1 diabetes and it was a case of so far so good; my bg levels had stabilised and I was getting into a routine that prompted me to wonder what all the fuss was about. Little did I know of the many pitfalls and hurdles ahead.

My first minor incident occurred on a Saturday evening while getting ready to go out and meet some friends. I call an incident but it was more a 'non-incident'. I followed my usual routine; bg test, insulin & meal. Fast forward an hour and the doubt sets in; did I take my insulin? Five minutes I'm pacing the kitchen in a vain effort to retrace my steps. Of course the more I try to recall the more I question my ability to recall. Needless to say, as this was my first such diabetes related episode, I took a rain check on my night out with the lads. My evening was spend doing hourly bg checks until I reassured myself that it was all a case of much ado about nothing. I had indeed taken my insulin and recorded a very nice 6.9 gong to bed.

'So this is the face of things to come' I thought to myself. If I was already beginning to forget whether or not I had taken my insulin what would happen in the months and years to come and, worse still, at that stage of life when 'senior moments' are part of everyday life?

Fortunately, a Google search seeking advise around what I figured must be a common issue threw out an interesting solution, particularly interesting given my penchant towards gadgets and gizmos. So it transpires that by attaching a little gizmo to your pen you can log the time lapsed since your last dose. Bingo!

There are a few different products n the market that basically do the same thing with a few subtle variations. I've mentioned the Irish product, Insulcheck in earlier posts but today I'm talking about the very nifty Timesulin. I've been using it for a few weeks now and I must say I'm quite impressed by it.

What first struck me about Timesulin is its neat design values. Unlike Insulcheck which fits on to the end of the pen, Timesulin is a perfectly fitting replacement cap. It adds no bulk to your pen and barely alters the appearance. Eight seconds after removing the cap to administer your dose the digital timer goes back to 00.00. Administer the dose, replace the cap and the timer starts counting. If you find yourself in doubt later on just a quick glance will tell you how long it's been since your last dose. Why the eight second delay? Well, that's in case you need to take the cap ff to check how much insulin is left before going out.

A further advantage of Timesulin relates to when you feel the need to check your levels between meals/doses. This is a common issue for me as I have yet to fully master DAFNE so I'm often guessing the dose, especially when eating out. I often find myself having to check levels between meals. Timesulin enables me to see exactly how long working time is left in my insulin cycle, providing obvious benefits.

A particular advantage that Timesulin has over Insulcheck is that there is no minimum dose required. A minimum dose of four units is required before the Insulcheck device reverts to 00.00. This is a problem where low doses are required and renders the Insulcheck particularly problematic for honeymooners.

What is a little disappointing about Timesulin is that the battery is the non-replaceable battery. I imagine it would be quite straightforward to allow for battery replacement in future versions. Other than that, Timesulin is a great little device that's nifty, neat, easy to use and gives peace of mind at a relatively low price of €29.99 (£25).