BD Ultra-Fine Nano pen needle review

I hate needles and getting poked in general. In the hospital, it was incredibly hard for me to make that first self-inflicted insulin injection. It took a few hours of convincing, and eventually threats by the nurses that I would never be let out of the hospital unless I can show them that I can do this. Finally, I did it and it wasn't as bad as I expected, but still not fun. Given my fear of needles, my doctor told me to use the insulin pens instead of a regular syringe, since needles are much smaller. She ordered the smallest pen needles the pharmacy had at the time, the NovoFine pen needle 32G 6mm.

About a month later I started seeing ads for the BD Ultra-Fine™ Nano Pen Needle (32G 4mm), which are the "Smallest Pen Needles Ever" I was very excited to try them. I figured that they are smaller then what I was using and so they would probably hurt less. Plus, BD is offering a full rebate on your first box, so it was definitely worth a try.

I was excited to get them, the needles look tiny and they were cute and green. Although nothing about diabetes is really ever green. Diabetes supplies are so wasteful. Anyway, I was disappointed when I finally tried them. Although the were shorter than the NovoFine needles, I thought that they hurt a little bit more. I think they are not as sharp as the NovoFine, which apparently is more important than length. So, for now, I'll stick with the NovoFine.

my search for a good low-carb chocolate

One of the things that makes me sad about having diabetes is having to limit the amount of sugar I eat. I love sugar, and so far, all of the sugar-free treats I've tried pretty much taste sugar-free and not very good. For the first two months after my diagnosis, I did not have a single drop of sugar. Recently, I decidee to try finding a good dark chocolates that are low in sugar to satisfy my cravings. I found a couple of different ones to try and decided to write a short review. I'm including carb counts per 10g pieces, which is about 2-3 squares, and the most I would eat in a day.

- Endangered Species, All-Natural Dark Chocolate with hazelnut toffee:
I found this one at Whole Foods. It was delicious, very smooth and no bitter after taste. Although I think the hazelnut toffee made it higher in sugar then the other chocolates I tried.
Score: 7, Net carbs per 10g: 4g

- The dark chocolate lover's chocolate bar:
This one I found at Trader Joe's, and although it was very low in carb, it was a little to dark and bitter for me.
Score: 5, Net carbs per 10g: 2g

- Chocolove: almonds & sea salt in dark chocolate
This one was my favorite of the week. I love the combination of sweet with a little salt. The chocolate was very smooth and delicious.
Score 9, Net carbs per 10g: 3g

- NewTree: dark chocolate with ginger
It was also very good. It's smooth with no bitter after taste, but it definitely tastes like a strong dark chocolate. I like the subtle spiciness from the ginger. Although it had the second highest carb count for the chocolates I tried this week.
Score 7, Net carbs per 10g: 3.5g

- Lindtt Excellence: extra dark
This one was impressively low in sugar. Only 1.25g per 10g serving. Although, for me, I think it was a little too dark and bitter.
Score 6, Net carbs per 10g: 1.25g

After trying these chocolates, I'm realizing that I seem to prefer the ones with slightly more sugar. Still, they are all relatively low in sugar. I decided to stay away from sugar-free chocolates, since they are mostly made with maltitol, which I hear is not good for you. I'd love to hear what other dark, low-sugar chocolates people like.