Insulin Injection

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Injecting insulin into subcutaneous fat tissue is the most common way to treat both type 1 and some type 2 diabetics. Diabetes is characterised by either decreased insulin production by the pancreas, or in the case of type 2 diabetes  decreased responsiveness to insulin. It was noticed long ago that insulin replacement could solve this problem and it has been used ever since.

Insulin is a hormone that tells the cells within our body to take up sugar, or glucose, from our blood, thus preventing the harmful effects of high blood sugar. Without this insulin you can become very ill and require hospital treatment. To help prevent this, insulin is injected into the fat below your skin at certain times during the day. To know when you need insulin you will need to check you blood sugar levels, by using a blood glucose monitor which tests a drop of your blood. When the levels are high, you will need an insulin injection. Once you have got used to this process you will be able to modify the timing and dose of your injection to suit yourself.