Rotation, rotation, rotation. It really makes a big difference

what
areas you can inject into

You no doubt have one or two favourite areas that you inject into, however there are three areas that generally could be used for injecting: thighs, abdomen and buttocks.

Note: the arms can be used an an injection site if advised by your nurse.

You need to be able to reach them easily, and be comfortable making your injection there.  Talk to your nurse or doctor about the sites that are best for you and try to get into the habit of using these sites.

why
you need to rotate sites

The main reason for rotating between and within sites is to make sure you don't keep injecting in the same spot each time.  Here's why:

• The speed of insulin absorption varies from site to site.  So it's important to develop a pattern where you are injecting in different sites throughout the day.  Doing this helps you control your blood glucose levels.
• If you inject in the same spot regularly the tissue beneath may harden - a condition known as lipohypertrophy (or lipos as they are often called)

Lipos can cause serious problems.  Not only do they not look good (and can grow over time to be quite large), more importantly lipos affect the way that insulin is absorbed.  This in turn will affect the control of your blood glucose with the result that you won't feel as well as you should.

... how
to rotate - the rules

For your insulin to work correctly and to predict the effect of a given dose it's important to always inject in the same area at the same time of the day.  Let's say you need 3 injections a day.  You might start with a morning injection in your thigh.  Then a lunchtime injection in your abdomen.  And lastly an evening injection in your buttock.  It is equally important to alternate between the left and right sides e.g. left thigh, right thigh.

Don't inject in exactly the same point each time

When it's time to use an area to inject again, choose a different spot within the area.  If you imagine a grid drawn on the skin, you're aiming to move on a finger's width from the last injection point.