Changing Insulin Sites

For a Diabetic it is very important to always change your sites where you give your insulin.  A diabetic on the insulin pump is required to change the site every 2-3 days, but a diabetic on the insulin syringes must remember to do that on their own.

If a diabetic gives the injection of insulin into their arm and uses the same spot for weeks at a time, the spot will become swollen and the skin will turn hard and tough.  The same thing will happen with a person on the pump if they use the same spot and do not switch sites.  Instead of using the same spot over and over, try other spots like the arms, legs, stomach, and butt.  If your site does become hard and tough it will eventually return to normal if you stop using it in a few weeks to one month. The same swollen and toughness of the skin caused by syringes can also occur with diabetics on the insulin pump.  Diabetics on the insulin pump and insulin syringes should rotate sites.  

Another reason to rotate the sites is because the insulin will absorb from the body easier.  When the sites become hard and swollen the insulin does not absorb in the body as well and will cause your blood sugars to run high.

REMEMBER TO ALWAYS CHANGE/ROTATE YOUR INSULIN SITES!!!

JDRF's Differences Between Type 1 and 2 Diabetes

I went on the JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) website and found their definition for the difference of type 1 and type 2 Diabetes.  This should help tell the difference between the two.  JDRF describes the differences of the two types by saying
“Diabetes is a chronic, debilitating disease affecting every organ system. There are two major types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which a person's pancreas stops producing insulin, a hormone that enables people to get energy from food. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas. While its causes are not yet entirely understood, scientists believe that both genetic factors and environmental triggers are involved.  Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disorder in which a person's body still produces insulin but is unable to use it effectively.”
Also type 1 diabetes is the type when a person is born with it, while type 2 people generally get when they become over weight.