Type 1 Diabetes and Children

Giving an injection can be difficult for anyone, especially a parent.  But the one thing you must remember is that you must stay calm no matter what your child says to you.  You must tune out whatever it is that they are saying and say to yourself  "If I don't do this, my child will die."

Preparing Insulin

When preparing an injection for a child that is on a 70/30 regiment, there are specific steps that need to be followed.  First of all, you will need the following things:

• Insulin
• Alcohol Swab
• Syringe

Take the alcohol swab and clean the tops of the insulin vials.  Remove the cover of the syringe and pull back to where you only get air in the syringe.  Push the air into each vial.  This is important because the vials are like suction and when you try to pull insulin in without the air it will be difficult.  Next, put the syringe into the clear insulin vial.  If your child is on Novolog and Novolin NPH, this will be the Novolog. Turn the vial upside-down. Pull back gently to the desired amount. For example, if your child is to have 3 units of Novolog, pull the syringe back to the 3 mark. If you exceed the desired mark, do not worry.  It is ok to push the insulin back in and try again, only when doing the clear insulin.  When this is completed, you will repeat this process for the cloudy insulin.  Again, if your child is on Novolog and Novolin NPH, this will be the Novolin NPH.  It is important not to push the syringe upward when adding the cloudy insulin.  You cannot mix the clear and cloudy insulin together.  If this happens, throw away your cloudy insulin and call your doctor or pharmacy to request a new vial.  I have found that it is easier to add the regiments together when preparing an injection.  For example, if your child is to have 3 units of Novolog and 8 units of Novolin NPH, your total insulin will be 11 units.  This way you will know what your mark is when mixing the two together. 

Injection Sites

There are specific places on the body that you can give an insulin injection. It is also very important to rotate where the shot is given.  You can overuse an injection site and this can cause the insulin not to work.  Injection sites are as followed:

• The back areas of the upper arms
• The thighs
• The stomach
• The "love handles"

When rotating sites, the method I use is a circle motion. However, I do not use the stomach area for my child. For example, the first injection is given on the right arm, then the right leg, then left leg, then left arm, and repeated.  I continue this pattern so I do not over use an injection site.

Giving an Injection

When giving an insulin injection, the first step is to cleanse the area with an alcohol swab.  Make sure to clean a large area as no one's aim is perfect.  Next, you will need to slightly pinch the skin together to make a "hump" in the location.  Press the needle inward in a straight quick motion.  Press the syringe to push the insulin in, let go of the "hump",  and pull the needle out.  It is important to do it quickly, because if you press the needle in slowly, it may hurt your child.