Insulin

Insulin is the one of the twentieth century’s greatest medical discoveries.

Although it is not a cure it is the essential life line required for persons with type one diabetes.

In 1920 Dr. Fredrick Banting had a brilliant idea, a life saving epiphany. With the help of Charles Best at the University of Toronto a pancreatic extract which had diabetic characteristics was developed. This first tested on diabetic dogs and the results were amazingly successful. Two years later, with a team and lab under his wing, Dr. Banting conducted his first test on a human and history was made!! News spread across the globe, and many who were near death found life again. Even some patients that were in a diabetic coma were given the miracle and made recoveries.
Insulin therapy thus is the replacement treatment for the body’s own insulin.

At first knowing that you will have to inject and use insulin may seem scary and overwhelming.
Your Doctor, nurse & teamwill educate you fully and help alleviate any concerns you may have.

Insulin’s purpose is to keep your blood glucose levels to near normal levels. This is done by injecting insulin under the skin into a fatty area, such as tummy, (abdomen), thighs, buttocks or upper arm so that it can go into the blood stream. When in the blood stream it has access to the cells in the body that require it.

Wouldn’t it be so much easier if it came as a pill?

New advances are being made everyday to help make life easier and better promote your health; inhalers and pumps are a good example. But why can’t you just take a pill and make it so much easier? Well, the stomach is full of fluids that would destroy the insulin before it was able to work. Since insulin is a hormone it is a protein and the acid in the stomach would be destructive to it.

Ready, Set, Inject!

There are four main types of insulin, your doctor will you decide which one will work best for you. The most successful program is a combination of an intermediate of longer lasting with fast acting insulin. This combination is successful as it works in the same way that your pancreas does releasing a slow and even supply throughout the day and night and at meal times.

Short Acting Insulin:
Begins to work within 30-60 minutes and will last six to eight hours.

Intermediate Acting Insulin:
This insulin starts its work after one or two hours in your system and will last 10 to 14 hours.

Long Acting Insulin:
Begins to work after one to two hours and will last up to 24 hours.

Biphasic Insulin:
These are mixtures of short-acting and intermediate acting insulin’s in different proportions.

Needles and syringes are the most common method for taking insulin. Insulin’s are injected into the fattier parts of you on a site that you are most comfortable with in your administration of it. It is important to inject on the correct angle for two reasons

1. Injecting too deeply could put the insulin in the muscle where it would be absorbed too rapidly.
2. Injecting too shallowly will deposit the insulin in the skin and will not be absorbed properly.

Injection angles are dependent upon your body type, length of needle, comfort level and of course the injection site.

Again, Your doctor or a member of your Diabetes Team will teach you the best method of injection for you

To inject, take a small fold, pinched up of your skin and quickly insert at a 90 degree angle. Slowly retract the needle and let go of the skin. Remember that keeping the skin pinched will help you to avoid injecting into the muscle.

Be sure to change up your injection site on a regular basis. If you continuously inject the same area the fatty tissues there will begin to thicken and this not only makes injections painful but can cause erratic absorption of the insulin.