Ira, an 18-year-old girl from Croatia, lives with something you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy — an insulin allergy.
In fact, she is allergic to a preservative that is used in all insulins available to us. Every injection of standard rapid-acting insulin triggers a greater or smaller allergic reaction to an ingredient called meta-cresol.
The key step was to find an insulin Ira wasn’t allergic to — and they found one: Afrezza, an inhaled insulin.
We Tested Inhaled Insulin – Afrezza!
After her father managed to obtain a trial amount of Afrezza and after the hospital confirmed that this insulin was safe for Ira, the Hospital Commission approved its use. 🙂
Ira will now continue to receive this insulin through special (interventional) import for as long as needed. 🙂
Read how everything unfolded in this engaging conversation with the wonderful Ira, who, on top of everything, has just enrolled in medical school. 🙂
1. When did you first suspect you were allergic to insulin, and how did you feel when you became certain you were allergic to most types of insulin?
When the bumps first appeared, I didn’t pay much attention to them. At that time, I was still on an insulin pump, and they showed up only when I occasionally took insulin via pens. After a series of events landed me in Hospital, for various reasons I decided — after 10 years on the pump — to return to the good old pens. And that’s when I began noticing the bumps more and more, appearing every time I injected insulin.
The reactions intensified over time. At first, they showed up as redness and mild itching at the injection site, but after a few hours, a bump would form — sometimes growing to a third of the size of a tennis ball.
Over several months I tried a total of six different insulins, but the reaction was always the same. That’s when my endocrinologist, Dr. Kraljevic, got the idea that it might actually be an allergy. After visiting a hospital in Zagreb and completing allergy testing, it turned out I tested positive for every insulin they checked. I was confused and somewhat disappointed because I had no idea what would happen next. It didn’t help that none of the doctors there had ever encountered this before.
2. Can you share the moment you found out about Afrezza — the inhaled insulin that you could potentially use without an allergic reaction?
I remember exactly the day I first heard the word Afrezza. My dad sent me a message saying that there’s an inhaled insulin that doesn’t contain meta-cresol — the ingredient suspected to be causing my allergy. Honestly, at first I didn’t think much of it. It’s an insulin only available in the U.S., not very popular, and used very differently from all other insulins.
But as time passed, and since daily antihistamines didn’t significantly improve my reactions, my dad decided to put all his energy into finding a way to get Afrezza. His persistence paid off — a month later we received a message saying that Afrezza would be delivered to us. It was indescribable joy. It never even crossed my mind that something like this would be possible.
3. What was your experience like with the medical team at the hospital? Did you have moments of hope or doubt?
I couldn’t have imagined a better experience or better care than what I received at the hospital in Zagreb during Afrezza testing. The staff was truly wonderful. Both the doctors and nurses were amazing people, constantly by my side, making sure everything went smoothly.
Of course, I was very scared. My parents were too, and even the staff felt uneasy because this was the first case of its kind for them as well. After so many years living with this allergy, all sorts of scenarios were running through everyone’s minds. But if there was one thing I never doubted, it was that I was in safe hands with Dr. Kraljevic and the team at hospital.
4. How has this new insulin changed your life, and what does it mean to know that you now have a solution that allows you to live normally?
Since I’ve only been using Afrezza for a short time, I can’t yet say how it has changed my life — but I can definitely say that I see it will be a tremendous change. The fact that there is an insulin that allows me to live a normal, healthy life, without injecting myself, makes me unbelievably happy. After so many years of searching for answers, to finally be able to say we have likely reached the end of this poorly understood allergy — it’s wonderful.
5. What kind of support did you have from your family and friends throughout this journey? How did they react to the good news?
I couldn’t have gone through all of this without my family. They were there for me in the worst moments, when we didn’t know what was happening or what would come next. When I went to the hospital for testing, everyone waited anxiously for my dad to message them with updates. Luckily, everything went perfectly, and everyone was overjoyed. I can definitely say that none of this would have been possible without the support of my family and friends — especially my mom and dad. Thank you!
