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How Far Apart Should Insulin Shots Be Given


Do Count Your Carbs Before Using Mealtime Insulin

Introduction to Insulin: Insulin Pen Injections

The amount of mealtime insulin you need to inject is based on the number of servings of carbohydrates you plan on eating during a meal. Over time, youll get better at figuring out your carb intake. In the meantime, a dietitian can help you come up with a meal plan that works for you.

There are also several smartphone applications and internet-based calculators available to help you figure out your carb intake and your corresponding insulin dosage.

Hypoglycemia can happen when you take the wrong insulin dose, dont eat enough carbs right after taking your insulin, exercise more than usual, or when youre stressed.

You should take the time to learn the signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia, including:


  • tiredness
  • seizures
  • loss of consciousness

You should also learn how to manage hypoglycemia if it happens to you. For example, you can eat or drink glucose tablets, juice, soda, or hard candies. You should also be extra cautious after vigorous exercise, as it can lower blood sugar for hours after the workout.

Best Place To Inject And Absorption

The best place to inject insulin will depend on what type of insulin you are using and when you are using it. Your body absorbs insulin differently depending on where it is injected. Typically, insulin absorption is fastest in the abdomen, somewhat less quickly in the upper arms, slower in the thighs, and slowest in the buttocks.

Both Syringes And Pens

After youve injected your insulin with either type of device, dont massage the injection site. Doing so can interfere with the absorption of the insulin, creating an unpredictable glucose response. Likewise, avoid injecting into your arm if you are about to lift weights or into your leg if you are about to go for a run the exercised area will absorb insulin more quickly than youd normally experience.

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Where Do I Inject The Insulin

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. Dont inject insulin closer than 2 inches from your belly button.


To keep your skin from thickening, try not to inject the insulin in the same place over and over. Instead, rotate injection places.

Why Must They Be Administered In Vaccination Centers Or By Mobile Teams In Care Homes

Animal Endocrine Clinic: Overview of Feline Diabetes

This is the only way to ensure that, for example, the frozen BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine is prepared professionally and then vaccinated promptly. The specialists warm up five vaccine doses at a time.

The complicated logistics are also why general physicians are not supposed to administer this vaccine to seniors living alone during home visits at least in the beginning of the campaign.

The vaccination center system will also help reach those people who are most in need of vaccination first.

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Who Shouldn’t Get Vaccinated

In principle, a doctor must first clarify whether certain preexisting conditions exist that preclude vaccination. This may be the case in particular with allergy sufferers who are allergic to certain ingredients, or have already suffered an anaphylactic shock.

But most allergy sufferers for example, people who suffer from hay fever, animal or food allergies will be able to get vaccinated. Other severe preexisting conditions, such as diabetes, obesity or even a weakened immune system, would be a reason to get vaccinated because these preconditions increase the risk of a severe course of COVID-19.

How Long Will It Take To Vaccinate Everyone Who Wants It

It will take years for everyone in the world to receive a coronavirus vaccine. Even in the highly developed industrialized countries, it will take at least until 2022 for everyone to get their turn.

Take Germany as an example: health authorities expect that 13 million BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine doses could be administered in the first quarter of 2021. At two vaccinations per person, that’s not even enough for one-tenth of the population.

BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin told DW that his company and Pfizer hope to be able to produce 1.3 billion doses next year.


Even if more vaccines come to market, it won’t be enough for the entire world population of 7.8 billion. But it might be possible to protect those most at risk seniors and patients with preexisting conditions by next summer.

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Should I Repeat A Dose Of Injectable Influenza Vaccine Administered By An Incorrect Route

Yes if a formulation labeled for intramuscular injection is given by the subcutaneous or intradermal route, it should be repeated. The dose may be administered as soon as possible. There is no minimum interval required between the invalid dose and the repeat dose.

Administering vaccine by the wrong route is considered a vaccine administration error. Healthcare personnel should take steps to determine how the error occurred and put strategies in place to prevent it from happening in the future.

In addition, we encourage providers to report all vaccine administration errorseven those not associated with an adverse eventto the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System external icon. A discussion of strategies to prevent errors can be found in the Vaccine Administration chapter of Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases . Additional resources can be found on CDCs vaccine administration web page.


How Do I Inject The Insulin

How to inject insulin: Step-by-step guide

Generally, you will want to inject insulin as the dog is eating her meal because it is critical that insulin be given with a meal. Some dogs need a second person to hold them steady initially.

  • Hold the syringe like you would hold a pen or pencil in your right hand .
  • Have someone hold your dog while you lift up a stretchy area of your dogs skin often easiest over the shoulders but it is best if you use different sites around the body.
  • Quickly push the very sharp, very thin needle through your dog’s skin at about a forty-five degree angle into the space or ‘tent’ produced by lifting the skin and push the syringe plunger all the way into the syringe barrel.
  • Then withdraw the syringe and needle. If you are unsure if you administered it correctly, or if you ‘missed,’ do not administer additional insulin. Simply resume your normal schedule and give the next insulin injection at the regular time.
  • Immediately and carefully place the uncapped needle and syringe into a puncture-resistant container such as a sharps container. Do not leave a needle and syringe anywhere it can injure your pet or yourself. Most communities have strict rules about disposal of medical waste material so do not throw the needle and syringe into the garbage until you know if this is permissible. It is usually preferable to take the used needles and syringes to your veterinary clinic or local pharmacy for disposal.
  • Stroke and praise your dog to reward him for sitting quietly.
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    How Insulin Medicine Is Made

    Insulin is made in different ways. You and your healthcare team will discuss which insulin you can take.

    • Human insulin this is synthetic and made in a laboratory to be like insulin made in the body.
    • Analogue insulin the insulin molecule is like a string of beads. Scientists have managed to alter the position of some of these beads to create genetically engineered insulin known as analogues.
    • Animal insulin This isnt used much anymore, but some people find that insulin from animals works best for them. It is usually from a cow or pig.

    How To Avoid Pain When Injecting Insulin

    Most injections are not painful. The chance of pain is greatly minimised by using a new needle.

    Some tips to help avoid or minimise pain when injecting, include:


    • Always use a new needle.
    • Use a needle that is the right length. Your health team can advise you on whether youre using the right needle length.
    • Use insulin and a needle which is at room temperature.
    • Push the needle in quickly when injecting.
    • Try not to wiggle the needle as youre injecting or withdrawing the needle.

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    How Do I Take Insulin

    Insulin is normally injected under the skin with a very small needle. It can also be taken with an insulin pen. Your doctor will teach you exactly how to inject insulin, but here are the basics:

    Wash your hands.

  • Take the plastic cover off the insulin bottle and wipe the top of the bottle with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol.

  • Pull back the plunger of the syringe, drawing air into the syringe equal to the dose of insulin that you are taking . Put the syringe needle through the rubber top of the insulin bottle. Inject air into the bottle by pushing the syringe plunger forward. Turn the bottle upside down.

  • Do I Need To Monitor My Blood Sugar Level

    Subcutaneous Injection: Definition and Patient Education

    Yes. Monitoring and controlling your blood sugar is key to preventing the complications of diabetes. If you dont already monitor your blood sugar level, you will need to learn how. Checking your blood sugar involves pricking your finger to get a small drop of blood that you put on a test strip. You can read the results yourself or insert the strip into a machine called an electronic glucose meter. The results will tell you whether your blood sugar is in a healthy range. Your doctor will give you additional information about monitoring your blood sugar.

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    Variable Impact Of Food

    To achieve a good match between the amount of insulin you take and an anticipated rise in your blood glucose level, you need to know how much carbohydrate you intend to eat, because carbohydrate has the greatest effect on blood glucose level. Some experts also encourage people to take into account the type of carbohydrate consumed as well as the amount.

    Walsh, Wolpert, and Gary Scheiner, a certified diabetes educator in private practice in Pennsylvania, agree that the glycemic index of the foods in a meal or snack as well as the fiber and fat content can dramatically affect how quickly or slowly blood glucose level rises. Using this knowledge is especially helpful at breakfast, adds Wolpert, because some people are more insulin-resistant in the morning and therefore have more of a problem controlling blood glucose around the breakfast hours. For these reasons, both Wolpert and Scheiner suggest that people have foods with a lower glycemic index such as yogurt or a bowl of oatmeal with a piece of fruit for breakfast rather than foods with a higher glycemic index such as some cold cereals, pancakes, or muffins.

    In general, foods and combinations of foods that have a low glycemic index and high fiber content will raise blood glucose more slowly. Meals and snacks that have a higher glycemic index and are lower in fiber will raise blood glucose more quickly. Meals and snacks that are high in fat content tend to cause a delayed rise in blood glucose.

    Steroid Injection Timing If You Have Already Received The Covid

    We want our immune system to function well after we receive the vaccine. That will enable our body to produce antibodies and the cellular components of immunity that we require to minimize our risk of becoming infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

    According to the manufacturers, they suggest the following :


    • Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Theoretically, it is unlikely for a corticosteroid injection to diminish the immunogenicity expected to be achieved by around day 28 or seven days after dose 2, and we would recommend proceeding with corticosteroid injections after this point in time.
    • Moderna COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Based on the data that are provided in two-week intervals, we would recommend timing corticosteroid injections at around day 42 or 14 days after dose 2.

    Keep in mind, for certain patients, such as those receiving neuraxial injections for pain relief, these injections improve pain and therefore decrease the stress associated with pain and improve sleep. Both reduced stresses due to pain and an increase in sleep improve your immune function. If the effect of these injections on your response to the COVID-19 vaccination is small, then it may very well be worth it for you to proceed with the injection. These are important considerations that you and your doctor should explore when considering how to time your cortisone injection around a COVID vaccination .

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    Steroid Injection Before Receiving The Covid

    If you are planning on receiving the covid-19 vaccination, and you know the date that you will be vaccinated, then based on the available research and position statements from various organizations , you should wait up to 2-4 weeks after you receive a cortisone or steroid injection before having a covid-19 vaccine. The exact amount of time will depend on which steroid you are receiving and the dose you will receive. Talk this over with your doctor. If you received a cortisone injection, then you received a vaccination, do not panic. No data shows you will not generate a response to the vaccination. There is a chance that you might generate a lesser response. Again, the data isnt in yet.

    Avoiding Injection Bruises And Lumps

    How to Use an Insulin Pen – Mayo Clinic Patient Education

    Bruising can happen when you catch a tiny capillary under the skin where you have injected. It is quite normal for this to happen occasionally when you are injecting regularly and youre not doing anything wrong.

    If you are concerned, you could make an appointment with your diabetes specialist nurse who will be able to do a review of your injection technique. In some cases, bleeding and bruising can be reduced by something as simple as using a different sized needle or changing your needle after each injection.


    Some people notice hard lumps that can form if you inject in the same place too often. This might be lipohypertrophy , or could be something called cutaneous amyloidosis. These lumps can stop the insulin from working properly, so make sure you rotate where you inject and choose a different spot each time. If you notice any lumps, especially if they’re not going away, speak to your healthcare professional for more advice.

    Other side effects from injecting a lot can be itching, rashes and other skin irritations. Changing where you inject helps with this too. You can also get treatments from your local pharmacy that can will help with the irritation.

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    Questions Your Doctor Might Ask You

    • How do you feel while taking your insulin?
    • Have you noticed any side effects?
    • How are you responding to your insulin dose? Are you having any problems with high or low blood sugar?
    • Have you had any trouble using your insulin syringe, pen, or pump?
    • Do you know how to store and dispose of your used syringes or needles?

    If you have any questions between doctor visits, write them down so you remember to ask them next time. Your doctor can check on your progress so that you can successfully manage your diabetes.

    How To Tell You Need To Start Rotating Sites

    You’ll know if you need to start rotating sites if your skin changes, you no longer feel the injections, and your blood sugars begin to rise. The skin may appear to develop a “grape like” lump or bump, which is known as lipo or insulin hypertrophy. It may be caused overtime by the in natural effects of insulin or by reuse of needles. To prevent further development of hypertrophy, rotate injection sites and don’t reuse needles.


    If you see a dip in the skin that has a firm texture, you may have a condition called fat atrophy which typically occurs when using impure insulin.

    A hard lump can appear after using an injection site repeatedly. This condition, referred to as, lipodystrophy, is considered a scarring of the fat.

    A bruised area should be avoided until it goes away.

    If you have a lump under the skin immediately after an injection, it could be that you didn’t get the needle all the way into your fat tissue and the insulin was injected just under the skin. You may need to practice your injection technique or possibly use a longer needle.

    Appearance of red, irritated lumps or a rash at the injection site, should be discusses with your healthcare provider, as this can be a sign of infection. You may have to change sites while the infection is being treated and cleared up.


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    What Happens If You Dont Give Your Dog Insulin At All

    Not giving your dog insulin will in most cases be like not treating diabetes at all. This can affect the dog’s life expectancy and significantly decrease their life quality.

    Apart from less serious effects like excessive urination, thirst and appetite, your dog will experience a significant weight loss. Living with diabetes can impair a dog’s eyesight, and they can develop cataracts and even go blind very quickly.

    Your dog can also completely lose appetite, feel weakness and anxiety, and catch other diseases that are not related to diabetes but result from a dog’s organism having to cope with the constant lack of insulin and weakened system.

    A diabetic dog’s life expectancy will depend on various factors, such as breed, age, general health, weight and lifestyle. In general, dogs with diabetes can live anywhere from two months to two years if not given insulin.


    Dont Inject The Insulin Too Deep

    Lipohypertrophy

    Insulin is supposed to be injected into the fat layer under the skin using a short needle. This is referred to as a subcutaneous injection.

    If you inject the insulin too deep and it enters your muscle, your body may absorb it too quickly. The insulin might not last very long and the injection could be very painful.

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