Rotating Injection Sites
| Author: Judy Kohn, RN, BSN, CDE |
| Last Updated: Friday, March 31, 2006 |
Q: "I was told to rotate my insulin injection sites, so I alternate the left and right sides of my abdomen. I've noticed a large bump at both of these sites. Am I doing something wrong?"
A: You need to have your physician and diabetes educator determine what is causing the problem. Among the possibilities is hypertrophy, also called lipohypertrophy. This is thought to be an accumulation of fat cells that can make the skin look lumpy and is caused by making injections into the same spot too often. As a result, the skin acts like scar tissue with the insulin being absorbed in an inconsistent fashion.
People commonly misinterpret the instruction to "rotate", thinking it means simply going back and forth between the same 2 sites. In fact, it is recommended that each injection should be at least a finger's width away from the last one. I generally recommend that you inject in imaginary rows along the region, and that you don't return to the same injection site until you have used up all available sites in that region. It is best to avoid injecting into existing lumps and, hopefully, with good site rotation, you won't develop any further ones. Again, your healthcare professional can give you a diagnosis of what is going on and how to prevent it from recurring.
Related Links
National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases
(NIDDK)
http://www.niddk.nih.gov
American Diabetes Association (ADA)
http://www.diabetes.org
Diabetes Self-Management
http://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com
Important Notice: The responses provided by the team of Diabetes Educators are based on their personal experiences and expertise as practicing diabetes healthcare professionals, and are not to be considered diabetes management advice from Abbott Laboratories. Remember that information provided by the team of Diabetes Educators is for general background purposes and is not intended as a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment by a trained professional. You should always consult your physician about any healthcare questions you may have, especially before trying a new medication, diet, fitness program, or approach to healthcare issues.
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