5 Steps for Easier Insulin Injections

This content material initially appeared on diaTribe. Republished with permission.

By April Hopcroft

Whether or not you employ syringes or insulin pens, injections could be a ache – actually. Listed below are strategies and tricks to make injections as seamless as attainable. 

There are various methods to take insulin, together with syringes, prefilled pens, or insulin pumps. How you’re taking insulin is extremely private – totally different individuals have totally different dosage wants, timing, and preferences.

In the event you take insulin by way of injections, it’s necessary to decide on and rotate injection websites correctly and observe beneficial steps to make sure security. Shelly Milsted, an authorized diabetes care and training specialist (CDCES) on the College of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Heart, presents some useful tricks to make injections a breeze.

Selecting an injection website

When selecting the place to inject insulin, at all times study your pores and skin rigorously. Keep away from injecting into broken pores and skin, reminiscent of scars, irritation, wounds, or stretch marks. In the event you’re injecting insulin to a website in your abdomen, remember to keep one inch away from the stomach button on all sides.

It’s additionally necessary to keep away from injecting into the identical space repeatedly. As a basic rule, Milsted recommends injecting a minimum of one finger’s distance away from the final injection website.

This distance helps stop what’s known as lipohypertrophy, which is when pores and skin turns into lumpy and might’t take in insulin as effectively attributable to injecting too usually in the identical spot. This could make insulin much less efficient and will doubtlessly affect diabetes administration.

There are a number of methods you should utilize to vary up your injection websites:

• Think about there’s a clock on the injection website. Begin by putting the injection within the 12 o’clock place, then change to three o’clock, 6 o’clock, and so forth.
• Visualize the letter M or W and use every level of the letter as an injection level.
• Map out a grid sample (2×2, 3×3, and 4×4 work effectively) onto the physique half the place you’re injecting. Begin with one grid quadrant and regularly rotate injections by way of all of the containers.

Steps for insulin injections

1. Collect provides

Ensure you have every thing you want earlier than you begin. This contains the insulin vial and syringe or injection pen, handwashing provides, alcohol wipes, and a sharps container for protected disposal of syringes.

It’s a good suggestion to maintain the insulin you’re presently utilizing at room temperature. Whereas it’s good follow to maintain all unopened insulin vials within the fridge, it’s price noting that chilly insulin taken immediately from the fridge could sting or burn when injected, Milsted famous.

Milsted additionally mentioned that the “out of sight, out of thoughts” mindset can play a task in missed insulin doses. “It’s visually useful to have your insulin out at room temperature, the place you’ll see it and know it is advisable take it,” she defined.

2. Select the shortest needle size

At all times use the shortest needle size (4 mm for pens and 6 mm for syringes) to attenuate discomfort and be sure that insulin is absorbed persistently.

3. Wash your palms and clear the injection website

At all times wash your palms or use hand sanitizer earlier than injecting insulin to forestall infections on the injection website. Then disinfect the injection website utilizing an alcohol swab or wipe.

4. Put together a syringe or injection pen

In the event you’re utilizing syringes, use a contemporary needle for every injection since sharp needles scale back ache and trauma to the pores and skin. Insulin injection pens are multi-use units. Every pen offers a certain amount of insulin: as an example, the Tresiba and Novolog U100 pens include 300 models of insulin.

Draw up the right amount of insulin into the syringe or dial your insulin dose on the pen in line with directions out of your healthcare supplier.

5. Inject into the fats layer underneath the pores and skin

Insulin must be injected into the fatty layer slightly below your pores and skin – that is known as a subcutaneous injection. In the event you inject too deeply, the insulin can enter your muscle tissues and be absorbed too quick; this example may cause low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). Plus, injecting into the muscle is mostly extra painful.

Earlier than you inject, chill out the muscle tissues within the space you’re injecting to make nerves much less delicate – it might assist to take deep breaths or sit down. Once you’re prepared, insert the needle straight into your pores and skin (at 90 levels) with a fast, clean movement. Keep away from making use of an excessive amount of strain, so that you don’t power the needle into the muscle beneath the fatty layer.

If in case you have restricted physique fats, pinching the world and injecting diagonally (at a forty five diploma angle) is a good suggestion to forestall injecting into the muscle. Pull the needle out of your pores and skin and launch your pores and skin pinch after injecting.

6. Get rid of needles safely

Don’t reuse needles. Use a tough plastic container, sharps field, or drugs bottle to correctly dispose of the used needle(s). Correct disposal of sharps could differ based mostly on the place you reside – remember to test your state’s pointers.

Pen needles are “one and completed” merchandise that must be disposed of instantly after use.

“Keep away from preserving used pen needles on, because the insulin could crystallize and micro organism may get contained in the injection pen,” Milsted mentioned.

The place to get extra assist

A diabetes educator (reminiscent of a CDCES) could be a nice useful resource for any questions or issues you’ve about injections. CDCESs will help you overcome a concern of needles and grasp injection strategies – some could even aid you follow on a mock injection pad.

Relying in your insulin dose timing, Milsted mentioned you would possibly even be capable to give your self an injection at an appointment with a diabetes educator. That manner, they will observe your injection approach and supply suggestions within the second.

Milsted suggested in opposition to practising injections at house even when you have one thing you should utilize as a mock injection pad. As an alternative, she instructed scheduling a go to with a healthcare supplier or diabetes educator.

What if you know the way to provide your self an injection, however don’t like needles? There are various applied sciences and units that could be useful for this. As an illustration, a number of corporations make particular shields to cover the needle, which will be useful when you have a concern of needles. Nevertheless, Milsted famous that insurance coverage doesn’t at all times cowl these merchandise and suggested reaching out to your insurance coverage plan forward of time.

In the event you’re having bother preserving observe of your insulin doses, think about attempting a good pen. These units can calculate the suitable insulin dose, observe the time and quantity of every dose, remind you when it’s time on your subsequent dose, and inform you when your insulin has expired. There are additionally many apps obtainable to trace your insulin doses, reminiscent of Glooko and mySugar.

If insulin injections aren’t working for you, schedule a gathering together with your healthcare supplier to debate options, reminiscent of inhaled insulin or an insulin pump.

The underside line

Whereas injecting insulin can really feel daunting, there are various totally different sources that will help you grasp the approach. You’ll be able to search one-on-one help out of your healthcare supplier or a CDCES, whereas diabetes self-management training (DSMES) courses can help you study with others in a gaggle setting.

In the end, Milsted mentioned after the primary injection, individuals have a tendency to understand it’s not so unhealthy – particularly with fashionable expertise, needles are actually very small and discrete. “Most individuals simply must inject as soon as to say ‘Oh that wasn’t unhealthy,’ as a result of the needles are so quick nowadays,” she added.