The modern age has given us some amazing technological advances—what we would do without the internet, our iPhones or high-speed travel? For many people, surviving life without these things sounds rough. The most effective treatment was to put patients with diabetes on very strict diets with minimal carbohydrate intake. Harsh diets some prescribed as little as calories a day! So how did this wonderful breakthrough blossom? In , two German researchers, Oskar Minkowski and Joseph von Mering, found that when the pancreas gland was removed from dogs, the animals developed symptoms of diabetes and died soon afterward.
Later experimenters narrowed this search to the islets of Langerhans a fancy name for clusters of specialized cells in the pancreas. If you are using an insulin pen, always remove the needle right after you inject your dose. Dispose of needles and syringes in a puncture-resistant container. Ask your doctor or pharmacist how to dispose of the puncture-resistant container. Your doctor may tell you to mix two types of insulin in the same syringe. Your doctor will tell you exactly how to draw both types of insulin into the syringe.
Always draw the same type of insulin into the syringe first, and always use the same brand of needles. Never mix more than one type of insulin in a syringe unless you are told to do so by your doctor. Always look at your human insulin before you inject. If you are using a regular human insulin Humulin R, Novolin R , the insulin should be as clear, colorless, and fluid as water.
Do not use this type of insulin if it appears cloudy, thickened, or colored, or if it has solid particles. Do not use these types of insulin if there are clumps in the liquid or if there are solid white particles sticking to the bottom or walls of the bottle. Do not use any type of insulin after the expiration date printed on the bottle has passed. Some types of human insulin must be shaken or rotated to mix before use. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if the type of insulin you are using should be mixed and how you should mix it if necessary.
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about where on your body you should inject human insulin. You can inject your human insulin in the stomach , upper arm, upper leg, or buttocks. Do not inject human insulin into muscles, scars, or moles.
Use all available sites in the same general area before switching to a different area for example, the upper arm. This medication may be prescribed for other uses.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information. Be sure to follow all exercise and dietary recommendations made by your doctor or dietitian. It is important to eat a healthy diet and to eat about the same amounts of the same kinds of foods at about the same times every day.
Skipping or delaying meals or changing the amount or kind of food you eat can cause problems with your blood sugar control. When you first start using human insulin, ask your doctor what to do if you forget to inject a dose at the correct time.
Write down these directions so that you can refer to them later. Store unopened vials of human insulin, unopened disposable dosing devices and unopened human insulin pens in the refrigerator. Do not freeze human insulin and do not use human insulin that has been frozen. Opened vials of human insulin should be stored in the refrigerator but may also be stored at room temperature, in a cool place that is away from heat and direct sunlight. This training should include the different injection steps, as well as the treatment and prevention of hypoglycemia, which can occur in anyone on insulin.
Medication and insulin More topics. Starting insulin treatment should not be seen as a setback. Search Enter a word and discover the content associated with it. With regular insulin, you inject the insulin and then wait 30 to 60 minutes before eating. Many people find it hard to time their meals around regular insulin injections.
Sometimes they end up eating too soon or too late. Since rapid-acting insulin is taken so close to mealtime, it may help you control your blood sugar more effectively.
Rapid-acting insulin should always be drawn into the syringe first. This will keep the intermediate-acting insulin from getting into the rapid-acting insulin bottle.
After mixing rapid-acting insulin in the same syringe with an intermediate-acting insulin, you must inject the mixture under your skin within 15 minutes. Remember to eat within 15 minutes after the injection. You may take insulin using a syringe that you fill from a vial or using a dosing pen that contains the insulin. If your rapid-acting insulin comes in a pen, your doctor or his or her office staff can show you how to use it correctly.
Follow the directions carefully. Insulin is injected just under the skin. Your doctor or his or her office staff will show you how and where to give an insulin injection. The usual places to inject insulin are the upper arm, the front and side parts of the thighs, and the abdomen. To keep your skin from thickening, try not to inject the insulin in the same place over and over.
Instead, rotate injection places. Rapid-acting insulin begins to work very quickly. So while you and your doctor are working to find the right dosage of this insulin, you may have some insulin reactions. Hypoglycemia is the name for a condition in which the level of sugar in your blood is too low.
Most people who take insulin have insulin reactions at some time. Signs of an insulin reaction and hypoglycemia include the following:. People who have diabetes should carry at least 15 grams of a fast-acting carbohydrate with them at all times in case of hypoglycemia or an insulin reaction.
The following are examples of quick sources of energy that can relieve the symptoms of an insulin reaction:. Teach your friends, work colleagues, and family members how to treat hypoglycemia, because sometimes you may need their help. Also, keep a supply of glucagon on hand. Glucagon comes in a kit with a powder and a liquid that you must mix together and then inject. It will raise your blood sugar level. Talk to your doctor to learn when and how to use glucagon.
You need to check your blood sugar level regularly using a blood glucose monitor. Your doctor or his or her office staff can teach you how to use the monitor. He or she will use this information to decide how much insulin is right for you. Blood sugar measurements can vary depending on your lifestyle. Stress levels, how often you exercise, and how fast your body absorbs food can affect measurements.
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