How to inject yourself with insulin for diabetes? Let's learn exactly!

You have diabetes and your doctor may have told you to use insulin injections. It's normal to feel a little nervous and nervous when you first think about doing this yourself. But trust me, once you learn the right method, it becomes very simple and normal. We inject this injection into the fatty layer between your skin and muscle. In medicine, we call this ``Subcutaneous tissue''. In this article, we will talk about how to use an insulin syringe. If you are using an insulin pen, these instructions do not apply.

These things need to be prepared before the vaccine.

First, let's get everything we need for the job ready in one place. Choose a clean, dry place. Then, gather the items below.

Once you have everything ready, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and dry them with a clean towel. This is very important.

The correct way to take insulin into a syringe

Okay, now let's see how exactly to draw insulin into the syringe. Follow these steps in order.

1. Preparing the bottle: Remove the plastic cap from the insulin bottle. Then, hold the bottle between your hands and roll it up and down two or three times. Never shake the bottle. Doing so will create air bubbles, which may affect the amount of medicine you receive. Now, clean the rubber cap on the bottle thoroughly with an alcohol swab.

2. Draw air into the syringe: Unscrew the syringe cap. Now draw an amount of air into the syringe equal to the amount of insulin you want to inject. That is, if you want to inject 10 units of insulin, pull back the plunger of the syringe and fill the syringe with air to the 10 unit mark.

3. Plunge the air into the bottle: Now insert the needle of the air-filled syringe through the rubber cap of the insulin bottle. Then push the plunger forward to expel the air from the syringe into the bottle. This is done to make it easier to remove the medicine from the bottle. Do not remove the needle from the bottle.

4. Drawing the insulin: Now hold the bottle and syringe together and turn them upside down. Make sure the needle is completely submerged in the medicine. Now slowly pull back on the plunger and draw the amount of insulin you need into the syringe.

5. Removing air bubbles: Check the syringe for air bubbles. These bubbles will not cause any harm to your body, but they can reduce the amount of medicine you receive. So, tap the syringe with your finger to bring the bubbles up. Then push the plunger forward a little to let the bubbles out. Check the dose again and if it is not enough, take a little more medicine.

6. Now take the cap out of the bottle and carefully put the cap back on the cap.

How to mix two types of insulin together (Mixed Dose)

Some people need to inject two types of insulin together to control their blood sugar levels. Usually, one is a short-acting (clear) type and the other is a long-acting (cloudy) type. When doing this, order is very important .

1. As before, prepare the rubber caps of both bottles by wiping them with alcohol.

2. First, draw into the syringe an amount of air equal to the amount of cloudy insulin you need. (For example, if you need 12 units of cloudy insulin, draw in 12 units of air).

3. Inject the air into the vial of insulin. Do not draw the medicine at this time. Remove the needle.

4. Now, draw into the syringe an amount of air equal to the amount of clear insulin you need. (For example, if you need 8 units of the clear type, draw 8 units of air).

5. Inject some of that air into the clear insulin bottle.

6. Now turn the bottle upside down and draw exactly the amount of clear insulin you need (8 units in our example) into the syringe.

7. Remove any air bubbles and remove the needle from the clear insulin bottle.

8. Now insert the same needle into the vial of sterile insulin.

9. Turn the bottle upside down and pull back on the plunger until you have the full dose you need. This means that the 8 clear units you took earlier should be combined with the 12 dark units, for a total of 20 units in the syringe.

Always change the injection site. Why is that?

Since you're injecting insulin every day, it's important to rotate the injection sites. If you don't, lumps can form under the skin in the same spot. Then the medicine won't be absorbed properly.

• Suitable injection sites: abdomen (except around the navel), back of the arms, front and sides of the thighs, and buttocks.
• Instructions:
• Do not continue to inject into the same area for several days. Inject the next injection at least one inch away from the previous injection.
• If possible, inject the same vaccine at the same time into the same area. For example, the morning vaccine is always given in the abdomen, and the evening vaccine is given in the thigh.
• Insulin is absorbed most quickly in the abdomen, followed by the arms, thighs, and buttocks.
• Writing down where you got the shot in a small notebook makes it easier to change places.

Okay, now let's get vaccinated!

Everything is ready. Now let's get to work.

1. Choose and clean the site: Choose the area where you plan to inject. Avoid injecting near joints, in the groin area, in the navel, in the middle of the abdomen, or in areas with old scars. Wipe an area about two inches in diameter with an alcohol swab and let it dry for a few seconds.

2. Vaccination:

• Unscrew the cap from the syringe barrel.
• Hold the syringe with your writing hand like a pen.
• With your other hand, hold the area you cleaned by making a fold of about two inches of skin.
• Now, in one quick movement, pierce the needle at a 90-degree angle (straight to the skin) until it is completely inserted into the skin.
• Push the plunger all the way in and inject the medicine.
• Pull the needle out quickly.
• Do not rub the injection site. You may see a little blood, but it may not stop. If you do, apply an alcohol swab and hold it there for a few seconds. If necessary, apply a plaster.

What do you do with a used syringe?

This is also a very important step. Safety comes first.

• Place both the used syringe and needle directly into the "Sharps Container" you have prepared.
• When the container is full, close the lid tightly and throw it away with the trash.
• Do not put this container in the recycling bin. Some areas have special methods for disposing of these. Check with your local health office about this.