Help! how do I learn to give insulin shots?

Question

mom in law is moving in and I need to learn to give her insulin shots. I am scare and cant figure it out not even what to do with the meter, where can I go to learn this stuff?
any good willing sugestions are welcome. thank you.

Answer 1

Can she help you learn? One way it's done is to have a syringe full of water, and inject into oranges. Don't know of any websites. Sometimes county hospitals have diabetes teaching. Oh, I know, go to the American Diabetic Association web site, if they don't have it on it, they should be able to direct you to where you can go. And bless you for wanting to help!

Answer 2

First of all, why can't she give herself shots?

Know how much insulin to inject. You will need to calculate this based on the blood glucose meter reading or doctor's orders.

If you are calculating it, this is not an exact science. You will need further detail that I don't have time to provide now. You can get an idea of what it entails by reading "Guess my blood sugar?" posts. Your mother in law will have her own unique metabolism.

Inject the insulin equivalent volume of air into the insulin vial with the vial right-side up. With the syringe still in the vial, turn it upside-down and suck out the same volume of insulin. Turn rightside up again and pull out the syringe. You won't get any bubbles this way.

Stick the syringe in a fatty part of your mother-in-law, like her thigh or (shudder...) buttocks or stomach. Push in the plunger and deliver the insulin. Pull out the syringe. You are done.

Answer 3

contact the local hospital's diabetic dept. They have diabetic nurse educators that will train you one on one. They can also help you with all the other stuff you'll need to know, like meal planing stuff like that. Don't be scared there are professional people that will help.
When I was diagnosed with type 1 my endocrinologist wrote a Rx for insulin and needles and sent me on my way. I was lost and scared. The diabetes educator at the hospital was a life safer. but that night I did find a web site that took me step by step how th inject, while I hid in the kitchen from my husband. he was scared for me to take it with a medical person standing by, but I watched the video, took it then told him. I have been injecting insulin 5 x a day ever since that night.

Answer 4

I remember when I learned how to give myself shots, I was deathly afraid of needles! I thought I actually had to inject into the vein, but that's not the case. You'll be injecting into a fatty area, which is much easier and reduces pain to the patient and stress for you! My first suggestion is that you go with your mom in law to the doctor and explain that you will be helping her with injections and can they give you guidance.

Here are some sites to help you out:
Preparing and giving an insulin injection...
http://health.yahoo.com/topic/diabetes/treatment/article/healthwise/tp17136

Giving an insulin injection
http://www.healthtouch.com/bin/EContent_HT/cnoteShowLfts.asp?fname=02813&title=GIVING+AN+INSULIN+INJECTION+&cid=HTHLTH

American Diabetes Association
http://www.diabetes.org/home.jsp

As for the meter, it depends on what meter you use as to how it works. Your mom in law should be able to show you, or her doc.

Good luck to you! Just remember to breathe during that first injection...I think I nearly passed out from not breathing more than from giving myself the shot that first time! Don't worry, it becomes easy pieces after a while!

Many Blessings,
Lilyth

Answer 5

I was very afraid of giving myself shots, my husband went to the doc with me and the nurse taught him how to give me shots but when it came time for the first test injection I grabbed the needle and just did it myself. Ask her doc to show you how and ask if you can inject yourself with a saline solution just so you know how what you are doing to your mom in law feels. Even if she can give herself shots everyone in the family needs to also know and she should keep a log with the insulin so anyone would know how much of a dose to give. Everyone in the family should also know how to test her blood sugar encase she has an episode. If her blood sugar is low and you give insulin this cause even more problems and vise a versa if it is too high and you give her sugar.

I let my husband give me shots occasionally so he has practice at it. The first 2 times he gave them to me I swore he would not be allowed to give them to me ever again. He has gotten much better and his last shot was virtually pain less,

The needles are very small and if you are gentle and you take it slow you should be fine. Ask about using pen instead of syringes

The manufactures of the insulin I take (Lantus and Humalog) have videos on their website about how to give shots and these help me as much as the nurse did.

Good Luck!!