Gestational diabetes: Giving yourself insulin shots
How to prepare and give an insulin shot
Your doctor will help you learn to prepare and give yourself insulin shots. Here are some simple steps to help you learn how to do it.
Get ready
To get ready to give an insulin shot, follow these steps:
- Gather your supplies. You will need an insulin syringe
, your bottle of insulin, and an alcohol wipe or a cotton ball dipped in alcohol. Most people keep their supplies in a bag or kit so they can carry the supplies with them wherever they go.
- Check the insulin bottle label, expiration date, and contents. When you use an insulin bottle for the first time, write the date on the bottle. On the 30th day after opening it, throw the bottle away. Insulin may not work as well after 30 days.
- Wash your hands with soap and running water. Dry them thoroughly.
Prepare the shot
Your preparation will depend on whether you are giving one type of insulin or mixing two types of insulin.
- To prepare a shot with a single type of insulin, follow the instructions in the slideshow of steps for preparing a single dose of insulin
.
- To prepare a shot containing two types of insulin, follow the instructions in the slideshow of steps for preparing a mixed dose of insulin
Prepare the site
Before giving your shot, take the time you need to do the following:
- Choose the place. See a diagram of shot areas
- Clean the area. If you use alcohol to clean the skin before you give the shot, let it dry.
- Relax your muscles in the area of the shot.
Give the shot
Follow these steps for giving an insulin shot:
- Slightly pinch a fold of skin between your fingers and thumb of one hand.
- Hold the syringe like a pencil close to the site, keeping your fingers off the plunger. Usually the syringe is at a 90-degree angle to the skin site. If you are thin, you may need to insert the needle at a 45-degree angle. This will prevent the insulin from being injected into muscle, causing it to be absorbed more quickly.
- Quickly push the needle all the way into the pinched-up area.
- Push the plunger of the syringe all the way in so the insulin goes into the fatty tissue.
- Remove the needle slowly at the same angle that you inserted it. If you bleed a little, apply pressure over the area using your finger, a cotton ball, or piece of gauze. Do not rub the area. Check your blood sugar more frequently on the days when bleeding occurs.
- Replace the cover over the needle. Although syringe manufacturers do not recommend it, some people reuse their syringes until the needle becomes dull or bent. If you plan to reuse your syringe, see precautions when reusing syringes.
Clean up and storage
After giving your shot:
- Store your insulin properly so that each dose from the bottle will work well.
- Do not throw your used syringe, needle, or lancet in a trash can. You can dispose of it in a metal container that either has a lid that screws on or a lid that you tape down tightly. You also can buy special containers for disposing of used needles and syringes. Talk with your local trash disposal agency or your doctor about how to get rid of the container.
Other suggestions for success and safety
To help you be safe and successful in giving your insulin shots:
- Teach someone else to give your insulin shots. Have that person give you a shot from time to time so they will know how to do it in case of an emergency.
- Do not mix other medicine with insulin without your doctor's instruction. If you are taking two types of insulin, ask your doctor or pharmacist whether they can be mixed in the same syringe.
- Never share syringes with another person because of the risk of getting diseases that can be transferred through blood, such as HIV or infection of the liver (hepatitis).
Test Your Knowledge
Practice
Review the slideshow of steps for preparing a single dose of insulin
Use the same process for preparing a mixed dose of insulin, if you need to take two types of insulin in one shot. Review the slideshow of steps for preparing a mixed dose of insulin
Practice injecting air or water into an orange until you feel comfortable with the steps for giving insulin. Then repeat the steps in front of your nurse or certified diabetes educator, and ask him or her how you did. Practice more if you need to. If you feel you are ready, give yourself a dose of insulin while your doctor watches.
Answer these questions
The first step in preparing insulin from a bottle is to roll the bottle gently between your hands.
When you are preparing a cloudy and a clear insulin to give a mixed dose, which do you put into the syringe first?
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| Author: | Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS | Last Updated: December 4, 2007 |
| Medical Review: | Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine Lois Jovanovic, MD - Endocrinology | |
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