If you have diabetes and need to take insulin multiple times a day, will this affect your daily life? This article offers some suggestions to help people with diabetes cope with these problems successfully.
Basics about insulin
If you need to self-inject insulin multiple times a day, you need to know about the different types of insulin. Your doctor may recommend a combination of different types of insulin each day to control your blood sugar.
There are 4 types of insulin, depending on how quickly they work, how long they last, and when they peak:
- Quick-acting;
- Short-acting;
- Medium-acting;
- Long-acting.
Physicians inform the timing, frequency, and site of insulin injections based on:
- daily life;
- The type of insulin used;
- Results of blood glucose measurements at home.
Create the correct injection schedule and determine the dose.
There are other ways to inject insulin besides needles and syringes. Insulin pen syringes are easier to carry, but costly. Keep some insulin pen syringes on hand to use when you are out and about.
An insulin pump is a small, wearable device that is used to pump insulin into the body continuously so that no more insulin is injected. An insulin pump is a safe and valuable device option for patients who take multiple daily injections of insulin but still have poor blood glucose control.
Quick-acting inhaled insulin is also a drug approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use before meals only in adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. For patients with type 1 diabetes, the drug must be used in combination with long-acting insulin.
Take your blood glucose often
Many factors can affect blood glucose, such as:
- Change in diet;
- stress; illness;
- Exercise;
- Other medications taken.
Insulin may also cause hypoglycemia.
“Any patient on insulin needs to monitor glucose (i.e., blood sugar) levels,” says Robert E. Ratner, MD, chief scientific and medical officer of the American Diabetes Association (ADA), “and the only way to adjust insulin is to know when insulin is when there is a deficiency or excess.”
Find the pattern
Understand how your body is changing by keeping a daily diary. Need to keep track:
- What and when you ate;
- Glucose readings per day;
- Exercise time.
“Identifying patterns and informing your doctor at each visit,” Robert says, “will help to understand what actions need to be taken to better control your blood sugar.”
For example, it may be noticed that blood sugar is always high after breakfast, or that blood sugar drops in the afternoon after a morning workout. Once the pattern is identified, the cause can be identified and acted upon.
Change the injection site on a rotational basis
Do not inject the same site multiple times in a 2-week period to prevent scar tissue from forming. If injecting multiple times in one area, move about 2.5 cm (about two finger widths) each time.
Safe storage of insulin
Store unopened insulin in the refrigerator, and also store opened insulin in a cool place or at room temperature. The insulin package label will indicate how long you can keep it after opening.
Consult your doctor before reusing syringes
Consult your doctor about whether it is safe to reuse the syringe. If reusing a syringe, cap the needle and keep it clean. Needles should not be shared.
Consult a diabetes educator
Diabetes educators can provide helpful advice if you have any questions about insulin therapy. They can also teach patients how to plan ahead when insulin routines change (for example, when traveling or dining out).
In most cases, people feel better after they get used to the insulin they are using, said Marjorie Cypress, MD, RN, former director of health care and education for the American Diabetes Association.
Multiple insulin injections don’t mean treatment failure
“People with type 2 diabetes often feel it’s their fault if their blood sugar is not under control” “A healthy diet and exercise help control blood sugar, but diabetes is a progressive disease, and over time, a person’s body may become increasingly unable to produce enough insulin. ” Marjorie said.
People with type 2 diabetes who need insulin injections should not see insulin injections as a last resort or punishment, Marjorie said.
“Insulin is very effective in controlling blood sugar, and dose adjustments are more flexible than other diabetes medications. Because of technology, insulin is easy to administer.”