Insulin Therapy
Together with your healthcare providers, you can plan an insulin routine which can have your level of blood sugar within the normal range, suitable for your style of living and give you the confidence of being able to manage your diabetes.
Type I diabetes
Type one diabetics usually begin treatment with only two insulin injections a day, using two types of insulin and, after some time, increase injections to three, maybe four, a day with different types of insulin. The diabetic’s blood sugar levels determine the types of insulin that have to be used. Researchers have concluded that 3 or 4 insulin injections per day produce the best control over blood sugar and can delay, if not prevent, diabetes related eye, kidney as well as nerve damage.
Type II diabetes
Most type two diabetics may require an injection each day without the use of medications for diabetes. There are some diabetics who may require an evening insulin injection together with other medications for diabetes. For some, there comes a time when pills for diabetes lose their effect, and type two diabetics have to get two insulin injections each day consisting of two kinds of insulin. Their need for insulin may reach 3 or 4 injections a day.
Where and how to inject – Video Guide
Self Monitoring
Testing your blood sugar, recording the results, and going through your record can assist in having you understand the effect exercise, excitement, different types of food, on your blood sugar level. From this understanding, you can predict as well as to avoid high or low blood sugar levels. The same understanding can help you decide on the right food to eat, insulin dose, and the type of activity needed.
Keeping Your Blood Sugar under Control
Below are the factors which can affect the levels of your blood sugar.
- Stress.
- Illness.
- The time of your insulin injections.
- The site of your insulin injection.
- The foods you eat.
- The time and length of exercise.
Ways to Deliver Insulin
Most diabetics get a syringe to send insulin into their body although some choices are available.
Insulin Pens
There are insulin pens which need an insulin-filled cartridge to fit to them and there are some which comes with insulin pre-filled in them. These pens which come with the insulin are discarded when the pens no longer have insulin. The pens have a dial for you to choose the dosage of the insulin and then, insulin is sent to the body with a needle, just like a syringe, into the body. All insulin pens can only use one kind of insulin. If there is a need for two kinds of insulin, two injections have to be given at the same time.
Pump Therapy
Pumps for the delivery of insulin assist in the management of diabetes by a continuous delivery of insulin to your body through a long thin tube put under the skin.
Site Rotation
The site which you choose to inject insulin into your body does have an effect on your blood sugar level. The different areas affect the rate of absorption of the insulin into the blood. Around the stomach area, for instance, insulin shots are the fastest at being absorbed into the blood. When the sites for injection are in the area at the biceps, insulin reaches the blood slower and it is much slower if the insulin is injected at the thighs. Insulin injected into the abdomen only, or the upper arm only, gives the best results as insulin coming from the same area will take the same amount of time to arrive in the blood.
For the best possible results, insulin injections at a certain meal ought to be given in one area only but at different spots. Having the injections at the same spot can cause extra fatty deposits or hard lumps which result in less effective insulin and an ugly area of your skin. However, if the sites for injection are changed to a new spot in the same area each time, blood sugar results will be constant. Any uncertainty regarding areas to inject insulin should be discussed with your medical practitioner.
Timing
Timing your insulin injections is important as it should be given time to be there when sugar from the food you consume goes into your bloodstream. With that in mind, your regular insulin injection should be made half an hour before a meal.
Excessive or insufficient insulin?
How can levels of blood glucose be high after a night’s fasting and even before breakfast? Yet, it happens. Two possible reasons could be given for this; one is the release of hormones during sleep which is known as the phenomenon at dawn. Another reason could be injecting insufficient amount of insulin the previous evening. To know which of the two the actual reason is, you have to be awake at about 2.30 a.m. to self monitor for a number of nights and take the recorded results to your medical practitioner for the verdict.