Insulin therapy is a significant part of the life of those who have diabetes. Here’s what you need to know about insulin therapy.
Why Insulin Therapy is Important
If you have been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, this means that your pancreas can no longer produce insulin. If you have Type 2 Diabetes, it means that your body has developed insulin resistance and cannot use insulin properly. Your pancreas will initially produce more insulin to keep your blood glucose at healthy levels. However, it will eventually not be able to keep up. Insulin is important in processing glucose, which derives from food and ends up in our bloodstream. Since your body cannot produce anymore or enough insulin, you have to get it from other sources. This why you need insulin therapy.
How Often Should You Inject Insulin
Diabetes patients should receive at least two injects in a day and can have as many as four injections or even more, depending on how your doctor assess your need of insulin. It is important to follow strictly to your dosage and have regular meals in order to prevent insulin overdose.
Although getting multiple injections each day may sound inconvenient, research shows that the more insulin a patient receives each day, the better he or she will be able to control blood glucose levels. Moreover, better control of glucose helps in reducing the risk that comes with diabetes complications.
Where Should Insulin Be Injected?
The location of injection will directly affect on how fast it will be able to work in your body. For instance, insulin injected to your abdomen can work faster than injected into your buttock or thigh. It is also ideal inject insulin into the same muscle group of your body each time in order to speed up the delivery. Furthermore, it is also important that you rotate the location of the insulin injection in order to avoid lumps from developing on your skin.
What Are the Different Types of Insulin?
There are different types of insulin available that can fit different lifestyle. There is rapid acting, regular or short acting, intermediate acting and long acting. Several variations are available and your doctor can recommend the best type of insulin that fits your lifestyle.
Will I Be Able to Stop Taking Insulin?
Since insulin is important in order for a diabetes patient to survive, taking insulin continuously is necessary for as long as you live or until your condition has been fully cured. But there are also other alternative devices to use in delivering insulin aside from injection. On a good note, ongoing researches are looking for ways to provide insulin without the use of syringe.
