How To Give Insulin Shot

How Do I Keep From Getting Scar Tissue

How to do an Insulin Injection

Use different areas of your body and different places within each area. If one site is used too much you may get scar tissue. This may look like swelling or a hard lump. It is hard to inject insulin into scar tissue. If you use the area with scar tissue, insulin may leak out. Even if it does not leak, you may see higher blood glucose levels at your next blood glucose check. This is because your body is not getting enough insulin. If you have scar tissue, do not use that site for at least 3 months. When you start using that site again, look at the next blood glucose after using that site. If that blood glucose is higher than expected, there may still be scar tissue.

How Do I Take Insulin

Insulin is normally injected under the skin with a very small needle. It can also be taken with an insulin pen. Your doctor will teach you exactly how to inject insulin, but here are the basics:

Wash your hands.

Take the plastic cover off the insulin bottle and wipe the top of the bottle with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol.

Pull back the plunger of the syringe, drawing air into the syringe equal to the dose of insulin that you are taking . Put the syringe needle through the rubber top of the insulin bottle. Inject air into the bottle by pushing the syringe plunger forward. Turn the bottle upside down.

Make sure that the tip of the needle is in the insulin. Pull back on the syringe plunger to draw the correct dose of insulin into the syringe .

Make sure there are no air bubbles in the syringe before you take the needle out of the insulin bottle. If there are air bubbles, hold the syringe and the bottle straight up, tap the syringe with your finger and let the air bubbles float to the top. Push on the plunger of the syringe to move the air bubbles back into the insulin bottle. Then withdraw the correct insulin dose by pulling back on the plunger.

Clean your skin with cotton dipped in alcohol . Grab a fold of skin and inject the insulin under the skin at a 90-degree angle . PICTURE 2.

How To Give Insulin In The Thigh With An Insulin Pen Or Syringe

Injecting insulin into the thigh is easy, and the same method can be used whether you are using a syringe or an insulin pen.

If you want to, wipe the area of skin where you wish to inject the insulin into with an alcohol swab beforehand, and allow it to dry thoroughly.

Sit down on a chair or the floor and relax your legs. Pinch up an area of skin on the outer thigh with the hand that isnt holding the needle.

Insert the needle from the syringe all the way into the skin at a 90-degree angle . If you are thin, you may find it better to insert the needle at a 45-degree angle. If you are using an insulin pen, take the cap off the pen and hold the base of the pen firmly against the skin.

Slowly push the plunger of the syringe all the way in, and then leave the needle in the skin for 10 seconds. If you are using a pen, while holding the base against the skin, push down on the injection button. You will hear a loud click. This will insert the needle and start the injection. Keep holding the pen against your skin until you hear a second click in about 5 to 10 seconds.

Remove the syringe or pen. Throw the used syringe away in an approved sharps container and recap the pen for later use.

Press on the area where you injected for a few seconds. Do not rub.

Disposing Of Needles Syringes And Lancets

In the United States, people use more than 3 billion needles and syringes each year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. These products are a risk to other people and should be disposed of properly. Regulations vary by location. Find out what your state requires by calling the Coalition for Safe Community Needle Disposal at 1-800-643-1643, or visiting their site at .

You arent alone in treating your diabetes. Before beginning insulin therapy, your doctor or health educator will show you the ropes. Remember, whether youre injecting insulin for the first time, running into problems, or just have questions, turn to your healthcare team for advice and instruction.

How Do I Give An Insulin Injection

Pick the injection site.

Clean the area with alcohol or soap and water. If you use alcohol, allow the skin to dry to prevent stinging.

Insert the needle straight into the skin. Push the plunger on the syringe or the button on the insulin pen until all insulin is injected.

Count slowly to 10.

Remove the needle from the skin.

Check the site to see if insulin leaks out. If this happens, make a note in your logbook. Your next blood glucose may be higher than expected.

How To Give Insulin In The Arm With An Insulin Pen Or Syringe

Injecting insulin into the upper arm can be a bit tricky to do yourself but by using your knee you can create a pinched-up area of skin to inject into. If you find this difficult, for example, if you dont have much loose skin on your arms, it may be best to choose a different injection site, such as your stomach or thigh, or ask somebody else to hold up an area of pinched skin and give your injection for you. The same method can be used whether you are using a syringe or an insulin pen.

If you want to, wipe the area of skin where you wish to inject the insulin into with an alcohol swab beforehand, and allow it to dry thoroughly.

Sit on the ground and bend your knee, then allow your upper arm to rest on your knee so that it creates a pinch-up area in the fatty tissue at the back of your arm.

Insert the needle from the syringe all the way into the skin at a 90-degree angle . If you are using an insulin pen, take the cap off the pen and hold the base of the pen firmly against the skin.

To Find The Right Injection Site:

Legs

Measure one hand-width down from the hip and one hand -width up from the knee. Use the outer part of the leg. Try not to use the muscular top of the legs.

Arms

Measure one hand-width down from the shoulder and one hand-width up from the elbow. Use the fleshy, outer part on the back of the arm.

Stomach

Use the area on either side of the belly button . Start one inch away from the navel and move sideways to the hips.

Hips

Draw an imaginary line down the center of the buttock. Use the upper outer area of the hip.

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Lower Back Hips Or Buttocks

The final site for administering an insulin injection is the lower back or hip.

To administer an injection here, draw an imaginary line across the top of the buttocks between the hips.

Place the needle above this line but below the waist, about halfway between the spine and the side.

As with the upper arm, this site is very difficult to use for self-injection and may require another person for administration. When injecting into the buttocks, avoid the lower part.

The body absorbs insulin at different speeds from each of the sites. This information can be useful when planning insulin injections:

Abdomen: Insulin enters the bloodstream most quickly after an abdominal injection.
Upper arms: The body absorbs insulin with moderate speed but slower than an injection in the abdomen.
Lower back and thighs: Insulin enters the bloodstream most slowly from these sites.
Administer rapid-acting insulin into the abdomen right after a meal for the fastest results.

Inject long-acting and intermediate-acting insulin into the other sites, as rapid absorption would reduce the effectiveness of these types. Insulin works more efficiently over the entire time it needs to because of the slower absorption rate.

Exercise can increase the absorption rate of insulin. If planning a workout or physical activity, account for these when planning injections.

Wait to for at least 45 minutes after the injection to exercise a part of the body that is near the injection site.

Get The Insulin Pen Ready

How to Inject Insulin with a Pen and Pen Needle

Check the label on the insulin pen to make sure you have the right insulin pen for the right time. For example, if youre eating, make sure you have your rapid acting insulin pen.

Pull the pen cap off the insulin pen . Place the pen cap on the table.

Figure 4. Pull the pen cap off the insulin pen

If youre using a cloudy insulin , mix the insulin by gently rolling the pen between your hands 10 times and then tipping the pen up and down 10 times. The insulin should look evenly white and cloudy with no lumps or particles. Keep mixing it until you dont see any clumps.

Wipe the rubber seal at the top of the insulin pen with an alcohol swab. Throw the alcohol swab away.

Take the protective tab off the new pen needle . Throw the tab away.

Figure 5. Take off the protective tab

Twist the pen needle onto the top of the insulin pen until it stops turning . Make sure to keep the pen needle straight as you twist it on.

Figure 6. Twist the pen needle onto the insulin pen

Take off the outer needle cap . Place it on the table.

Figure 7. Take off the outer needle cap

Pull off the inner needle cap . Throw it away.

Figure 8. Take off the inner needle cap.

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How To Give An Insulin Injection

1. Get the supplies you’ll need:

container for the used syringe

2. Wash your hands.

3. Check the insulin bottle to make sure it hasn’t expired.

4. Remove the lid from the insulin bottle.

5. Wipe the rubber top of the bottle with an alcohol swab.

6. Remove the cap from the syringe.

Pull air into the syringe by pulling back on the plunger until its black tip is even with the line showing the dose you’ll need.

Note: This information is for educational purposes only. For specific guidance on giving an insulin injection, talk with your doctor.

p

Push the needle through the rubber top of the bottle.

Push the plunger so that the air goes from the syringe into the bottle.

Note: This information is for educational purposes only. For specific guidance on giving an insulin injection, talk with your doctor.

p

Turn the insulin bottle and syringe upside down. To pull insulin into the syringe, slowly pull back on the plunger until the top of its black tip is even with the line showing your dose.

The most common places to inject insulin are the abdomen , the back of the upper arms, the upper buttocks, and the outer thighs. Choose a place to give the injection, and wipe the skin with an alcohol swab.

Note: This information is for educational purposes only. For specific guidance on giving an insulin injection, talk with your doctor.

Step 7

Gently pinch the skin. Hold the syringe at a 90-degree angle to the skin, and push the needle all the way in.

How To Avoid Pain When Injecting Insulin

Most injections are not painful. The chance of pain is greatly minimised by using a new needle.

Some tips to help avoid or minimise pain when injecting, include:

Always use a new needle.
Use a needle that is the right length. Your health team can advise you on whether youre using the right needle length.
Use insulin and a needle which is at room temperature.
Push the needle in quickly when injecting.
Try not to wiggle the needle as youre injecting or withdrawing the needle.

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Can I Reuse My Syringe

You may increase your risk for a bacterial infection when you reuse syringes. Ask your diabetes care team provider if it is safe for you to reuse a syringe. Do not reuse a syringe if you have an open wound, trouble seeing, or have an infection. The following are tips on how to safely reuse a syringe:

Recap the needle as soon as you are done using it. Place the cap on a table or hard surface and slide the needle into the cap.
Do not let the needle touch anything but clean skin or the top of the insulin bottle.
Never share syringes with anyone.
Do not clean your needle with alcohol. This will remove the coating that helps your needle slide easily into your skin.
Throw out any syringe that bends or touches anything other than clean skin.

How To Store And Dispose Of Your Home Medical Sharps

Dont throw your medical sharps directly into the trash or flush them down the toilet. Put them into a sharps container. You can use an empty, hard, opaque plastic container that has a screw-on cap, such as a laundry detergent bottle. Dont store sharps in glass bottles, soda bottles, milk jugs, aluminum cans, coffee cans, or paper or plastic bags. For more information, read the resource How to Store and Get Rid of Your Home Medical Sharps.

Stop using your sharps container when its a little more than half full. Wrap the lid or cap with strong tape to create a more secure seal and keep it from leaking. Label the bottle by writing on it Home Sharps: not for recycling.

If you live in New York City, you can place the sealed container in with your regular trash for collection. Dont put it with your recyclables. If you live in a different county of New York or another state, check with your local department of health. You can also use the resources below to find more information specific to your area.

Safe Needle Disposal

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How Can I Decrease Pain When I Inject Insulin

Inject insulin at room temperature. If the insulin has been stored in the refrigerator, remove it 30 minutes before you inject it.
Remove all air bubbles from the syringe before the injection.
If you clean your skin with an alcohol pad, wait until it has dried before you inject insulin.
Relax the muscles at the injection site.
Do not change the direction of the needle during insertion or removal.

About Insulin Pen Needles

Use a new insulin pen needle each time you give yourself an injection. Insulin pen needles have 4 main parts .

A protective tab. This helps keep the needle clean. Youll need to remove this before attaching the needle to the insulin pen.
An outer needle cap. This covers the needle before and after its used.
An inner needle cap. This helps keep the needle clean before its used.
A needle. This is how the injection is given into the skin.

Figure 2. Parts of an insulin pen needle

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What Is Different About Insulin Lispro

Insulin lispro is a new type of insulin. It starts working sooner than other insulin types. It also reaches peak activity faster and goes away sooner. Insulin lispro helps keep your blood sugar level from going too high after you eat. To keep your blood sugar level steady, your doctor will probably prescribe either a longer-acting insulin or another drug for you to take each day in addition to the insulin lispro.

If you need to mix insulin lispro with a longer-acting insulin, it’s best that you mix insulin lispro only with Humulin U or Humulin N, which are brand names for certain longer-acting insulins. Insulin lispro should always be drawn into the syringe first. This will keep the longer-acting insulin from getting into the insulin lispro bottle.

Drawing Up The Insulin

How to Inject Insulin

1Remove the cap on the needle. Start by removing the cap from the needle on the syringe. The syringe should come with a plastic cap to ensure it is sterile.XResearch source

Once you remove the cap, pull the plunger back to the appropriate dose mark on the syringe. Your vet should tell you the dosage required for your dog.

2Roll the insulin between your hands. Insulin is a suspension, not a solution, so it needs to be mixed before you give it to your dog. Roll the insulin bottle or tube between your hands quickly a few times. Then, turn the bottle upside down to make sure there are no white insulin molecules at the bottom of the bottle.XResearch source

Never shake the insulin as this may break down the insulin molecules. Shaking will also cause the insulin to foam, making it difficult to measure it accurately when you draw it out.

If there are still white insulin molecules at the bottom, roll the insulin again until it is mixed.

Insulin that has been refrigerated should be left out at room temperature for an hour before it is injected. Cold insulin can be painful when injected.

3Insert the needle into the insulin bottle. After the insulin has been mixed, pull air up into the syringe by pulling the plunger back. Then insert the needle into the insulin bottle and push the plunger down to inject the air from the syringe into the bottle.XResearch source

Always measure the dose at the edge of the plunger, where it is closest to the needle.

Read Also: How To Fix Blood Sugar

How Do I Keep From Getting Scar Tissue

How Do I Take Insulin

How To Give Insulin In The Thigh With An Insulin Pen Or Syringe

Disposing Of Needles Syringes And Lancets

How Do I Give An Insulin Injection

How To Give Insulin In The Arm With An Insulin Pen Or Syringe

To Find The Right Injection Site:

Lower Back Hips Or Buttocks

Get The Insulin Pen Ready

How To Give An Insulin Injection

p

p

Step 7

How To Avoid Pain When Injecting Insulin

Can I Reuse My Syringe

How To Store And Dispose Of Your Home Medical Sharps

How Can I Decrease Pain When I Inject Insulin

About Insulin Pen Needles

What Is Different About Insulin Lispro

Drawing Up The Insulin

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