
Strategies for Stabilizing Insulin Absorption Rates
Strategies for Stabilizing Insulin Absorption Rates
Last week, I introduced the topic of insulin absorption . I laid out the basics, and then gave a nice, cheery list of all the things that can go wrong with how our bodies handle incoming insulin. This week, well revisit that list and talk about some strategies for managing this issue.
The first issue we went over last week was site selection. For both infusion sites and for shots, this is very, very important. Repeated use of a single site leads to the buildup of scar tissue, another issue I highlighted last week. Over time this scar tissue can impede insulin absorption so badly that an area of your body simply becomes unusable for taking in insulin. Scar tissue CAN heal over time, but areas with severely built up scar tissue can take years to recover and become absorbent again. The better solution is to avoid developing scar tissue in the first place (as much as possible, at least).
Rotating our injection sites is key. The methods people use vary (some people have said they rotate their sites in the shape of a W on either side of the belly button, moving left to right across the belly, then moving on to the next are of the body and following a similar pattern there; others rotate in a clockwise circle around the belly button [at least 2 inches away], and so on). But there are a few general rules. When you move to a new site, it should be at least 2 inches from the last site, particularly for insulin pumps, as the previous area can become overly saturated with insulin, and so the next round of insulin needs to be far
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