Contents:
- Medical Video: How to Use an Insulin Pen - Mayo Clinic Patient Education
- Which body parts may be injected with insulin?
- What happens if one injects insulin in an improper part?
- How to inject the correct insulin
Medical Video: How to Use an Insulin Pen - Mayo Clinic Patient Education
To control diabetes, the hormone insulin cannot be injected. Because, everything related to insulin injections will affect its effectiveness in the body, such as the dose, time and location of the injection of insulin. Incorrect injection of insulin in an inappropriate place will cause certain side effects for the body. What's the effect? Here's the explanation.
Which body parts may be injected with insulin?
The place or location for injecting insulin will affect blood glucose levels in your body. For this reason, you cannot just inject insulin in certain parts of the body at will.
Shortly after injecting insulin, insulin will enter the bloodstream at a certain speed, depending on which part of the body you inject insulin. Insulin injections must be placed in subcutaneous tissue or fat tissue, with four main locations:
- stomach
- buttocks
- arm
- thigh
All of these body parts have a wide skin area so you can do injection rotation, which is injecting in different areas of these four body parts.
Insulin works fastest when injected in the abdomen. Meanwhile, the flow of insulin is slightly slower when injected in the thighs and buttocks. To get the maximum benefit, inject insulin in the same body area, for example in the area around the abdomen. This will make insulin reach the blood at the same speed so that insulin works more effectively.
What happens if one injects insulin in an improper part?
Failing to inject insulin can trigger various side effects. You are not recommended to inject insulin in parts of the muscles, scar tissue, moles, or even in the same place every time. Because, this can cause lipohypertrophy, which is cell growth or enlargement of fat cells around the injected part.
This condition will make insulin not absorbed by the body to the fullest. Sometimes areas with lipohypertrophy can also damage your nerve endings, so you don't feel anything when given an injection. This clearly indicates that there is a nervous breakdown in the area.
Also, avoid injecting limbs that you will use to move. Take for example, do not inject insulin in the thigh if you want to play soccer, or avoid injections in the arm if you want to clean the house. This is because insulin will work faster and it actually allows hypoglycemia.
Hot temperatures can also speed up the work of insulin after being injected into the body. Therefore, be careful if you have to move in hot weather. Also included are other things related to heat, such as a warm bath or massage. This can also affect your blood glucose level.
How to inject the correct insulin
Now you already know which parts are the best locations to inject insulin. So, you will avoid the danger of injecting insulin in undesirable parts of the body.
You are recommended to inject insulin at the same time and around the body area. Take an example, inject insulin before breakfast in the abdomen and in the legs before bed every day. Or you may also inject insulin on the right side in the morning and take turns to the left side at night.
The important thing is to avoid the same injection location, at least provide a minimum distance 2.5 centimeters (cm) from the previous injection area.Rotate in one part of the body for one week, then move to another part of the body.
This consistency will make blood glucose work more optimally and regularly. To get the best results, inject insulin 30 minutes before eating.If you are still not sure how and where to inject insulin, it's best to immediately ask your doctor for more information.
