Did you know that roughly one in ten people have diabetes? Whether you suffer from diabetes or know someone who does, you must know the right way to inject insulin.
After all, you never know when an emergency might arise where it’s needed. That’s why we made this article. In it, we’ll teach you everything you need to know about safely preparing and injecting insulin. Let’s get started.
Get Your Insulin Supplies Together
The first thing you need to do is gather your supplies. This includes the insulin itself as well as needles and syringes. Make sure your insulin isn’t expired and give it a light shake if it’s not premixed.
Prep the Insulin
Next, it’s time to prepare the insulin. To do so, place the needle into the vial. Then inject air into the vial. The amount of air you inject should be equal to the dose that you or someone else needs to take.
Then, keeping the needle in the vial, turn it upside down so that the vial is facing upwards. Then draw up the plunger to fill the syringe with the dose that’s required.
Clean the Skin
Next, you should choose a spot on the skin to inject. The spot must be relatively clean. It’s generally not necessary to rub the area with alcohol. However, certain people at high risk of infection should consult their doctors about this.
Pinch and Push
If you don’t have much body fat, then it will be necessary to pinch your skin when inserting the needle. To do this, use your pointer finger and thumb to pinch an area of skin that’s roughly one to two inches in proportion. Now, it’s time to insert the needle.
To do this, hold the syringe like a pencil. At a ninety-degree angle slide the needle into your skin in one quick motion. You should double-check and make sure that the needle is all the way in before proceeding.
Inject Insulin
Before you inject your insulin make sure that you’re no longer pinching your skin. Then, push down on the plunger at a moderate rate until you’ve used up the entire dose.
You should keep the needle in your skin for five to ten seconds before you take it out. When you do take it out, make sure you press your finger on the injection site for an additional ten seconds. This keeps any insulin from leaking out.
Did You Enjoy This Article? Keep Exploring
We hope this article helped you learn how to inject insulin properly. As you can see, there’s not much to the process. Still, it does involve an understanding that you should be familiar with.
So, make sure you memorize what you need to do in case of an emergency. That way you’ll always be prepared. Did you enjoy this article? If the answer is yes, then you’re in the right place. Keep reading to find more topics that you’re sure to love.
