
October 14, 2002
Blood Tests and Insulin Injections
Question from Detroit, Michigan USA:
My 21 month old son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes six months ago. He has swelling and a slight hardness at his injection site on the arm. Will it go away if I give this site a break for a while? Have I done permanent damage with the development of scar tissue?
Answer:
Injection sites can develop a hardness and swelling called lipohypertrophy, especially when the site is used frequently. Usually switching to a different injection site, allowing the affected site to rest, will help to resolve the problem. Finding unused injection sites in such a young child is a challenge, but try to keep the injections at least 1 inch away from other recent injection in each area.
Insulin can be absorbed differently from sites that are hard or puffy, so dose adjustments are sometimes necessary when new sites are tried.
SG