SUPPORT GROUP
INJECTING INSULIN
Living with insulin injections
As you know, insulin is very essential for the survival of children with diabetes. Insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas, which causes cells in the liver, muscle, and fat tissue to absorb glucose from the blood. In people without diabetes, the body senses when the blood sugar is high and signals the pancreas to release the exact amount of insulin needed to take up the excess glucose. Children with type-1 diabetes need to take insulin injections, to try to mimic what their body used to do by itself before they got diabetes. When insulin is absent, the glucose is not absorbed, and the body begins to use fat as an energy source.
Several types of insulin are available and many new types of insulin are due to come out soon. Your child probably does not use all these types of insulin. Doctors prescribe insulin types and injection schedules according to the specific needs of each person with diabetes. Some children may have only two injections per day, while others may need three or even four injections.
Planning your child’s meals and snacks around the time the insulin peaks is very important. This is why rapid- or short-acting insulin is usually taken just before meals. Once the insulin is injected; it starts to work- whether or not there is enough sugar in the blood to work on. If your child doesn’t eat when his insulin peaks, he runs the risk of becoming hypoglycemic or running dangerously low on sugar.
Intermediate and Long-acting types of insulin help in keeping insulin and sugar levels steady throughout the day and night. They are typically given to control the blood sugar when you are NOT eating. They provide the background insulin needed to cover the glucose released into the blood stream around the clock to keep the body running. So these types of insulin have to be in the blood stream around the clock to assist the movement of glucose into cells. This is called BASAL INSULIN.
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As you know, insulin is very essential for the survival of children with diabetes. Insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas, which causes cells in the liver, muscle, and fat tissue to absorb glucose from the blood. In people without diabetes, the body senses when the blood sugar is high and signals the pancreas to release the exact amount of insulin needed to take up the excess glucose. Children with type-1 diabetes need to take insulin injections, to try to mimic what their body used to do by itself before they got diabetes. When insulin is absent, the glucose is not absorbed, and the body begins to use fat as an energy source.
Several types of insulin are available and many new types of insulin are due to come out soon. Your child probably does not use all these types of insulin. Doctors prescribe insulin types and injection schedules according to the specific needs of each person with diabetes. Some children may have only two injections per day, while others may need three or even four injections.
It is very important to understand the insulin your child is using and to be clear on the answers to the following questions:
- How soon after the injection does the insulin your child is using start working?
- When does it work hardest (peak)?
- How long does it continue to work?
Planning your child’s meals and snacks around the time the insulin peaks is very important. This is why rapid- or short-acting insulin is usually taken just before meals. Once the insulin is injected; it starts to work- whether or not there is enough sugar in the blood to work on. If your child doesn’t eat when his insulin peaks, he runs the risk of becoming hypoglycemic or running dangerously low on sugar.
Intermediate and Long-acting types of insulin help in keeping insulin and sugar levels steady throughout the day and night. They are typically given to control the blood sugar when you are NOT eating. They provide the background insulin needed to cover the glucose released into the blood stream around the clock to keep the body running. So these types of insulin have to be in the blood stream around the clock to assist the movement of glucose into cells. This is called BASAL INSULIN.
Next
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