I've been injecting insulin for 20 years. Let me share some of my tips for the most comfortable injections possible.
When you were diagnosed with diabetes, your doctor or teaching nurse showed you the proper way to inject your insulin. It can be a scary thing to think of having to do this every day, no matter what, for the rest of your life. But with a few suggestions from a 20 year veteran of insulin injections, you may find things a little easier to handle.
First of all, don't inject cold insulin. Cold insulin hurts! Under normal circumstances, it's safe to keep your insulin at room temperature. However, if you find it necessary to refrigerate your insulin, here's how to avoid the discomfort. Draw up the insulin as you were instructed, cap the syringe, and place it on a counter or other secure area out of reach of others. Let it lie at room temperature for a few minutes to allow the insulin to warm up. Inject as usual. Isn't that more comfortable?
When drawing up your insulin, make sure to tap out all of the bubbles from the syringe. Sometimes this can be difficult to do, but with practice it becomes easier. It's important to get all the bubbles out for several reasons. If there are bubbles in the syringe, they are displacing some of the insulin's space and you won't get the correct dosage. This can make you ill. Also, bubbles left in the syringe will be injected into your skin along with the insulin. This can cause bruising. Don't panic if this happens -- the bruising will go away in a few days. This isn't anything to worry about but you will of course wish to avoid bruising if at all possible.
You'll want to find an area of your body with the most fat to use for your injections. This may be your abdomen or your hip, your upper arm or your thigh. Pinch up a section of skin and quickly inject the insulin. I use the "˜dart' method. Holding the syringe like a dart, I "˜toss' it into my skin. The injection is over in no time flat! If this seems scary to you, remember that I've been doing this for a long time and that this was actually the way my diabetic instructor taught me to deliver my insulin.
If you have activities planned for the day that will involve running, lifting, swimming, or any kind of physical stress, consider your injection site carefully. If you're going to be running, for instance, you won't want to inject your insulin into your leg. This could cause the insulin to be absorbed more quickly and lower your blood sugar too much. Use your common sense when it comes to activities and insulin injections.
Do you use alcohol to cleanse your skin prior to injections? If you do, here's a little something to make the alcohol more refreshing. Take a clean glass jar with a tight fitting lid and fill it with cotton balls. Pour in enough alcohol to soak the cotton, then seal the jar and label it plainly. Place it in the refrigerator. When you need a cotton ball, simply remove one from the jar and squeeze out the excess alcohol. Nice!
As a wise precaution, always carry extra syringes with you. It can be a very bad thing to find yourself miles from home and realize that you don't have another syringe to replace the one you just dropped on the restaurant's bathroom floor! A small cosmetic or pencil bag makes a handy insulin bottle and syringe carrier.
These are only a few suggestions that can make injecting insulin a little more comfortable. They are not meant to be substitutions for your doctor's advice! Never make any changes in your insulin routine without first discussing it with your doctor.
