Insulin is part and parcel of treatment of patients with Diabetes. All patients with Type 1 Diabetes are on insulin, usually four times a day, while some Type 2 Diabetes patients might be on insulin, either on once a day or twice a day.
The following are some tips we share with our patients to help them reduce the pain and discomfort during injections:
1. Insulin temperature
Cold insulin is more painful than room temperature insulin, therefore it is recommended you remove your insulin from the fridge at least 30minutes before your injection to let it rest. Depending on your location, the newer types of pen inulin’s might not require a fridge for up to 1 month while in use. . Make sure to avoid direct sunlight though.
2. Size of needle
Insulin pens are more flexible when it comes to needles size, they have the smallest size of 4mm available in the market. Those using syringes, can opt for 6mm syringes with a high gauge, the larger the gauge of the needles the thinner the needle.
3. Needle change
In the west, needles are switched after every injection, this might not be so feasible in our set up since these needles are expensive. We recommend changing needles after every 3rd injection. This should also be dependent on the patient; some patients can go up to 4 days while others change them daily.
4. Injection site
Rotating injection site is very important to avoid pain. Injecting in the same site will cause insulin hypertrophy, which is inflammation around the injection site. This causes pain doing injection and reduced absorption of insulin in your body.
5. Being relaxed
As with everything, being tense causes strain on your body and will increase the sensation of pain. Try taking deep breathes before you inject to relax.
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