Insulin Syringes – I Can’t Be Afraid of Them, I Need Them To Live

Insulin Syringes – I use them all day every day in my Red Sugar Life. As a Type 1 diabetic (more specifically type 1.5 or mixed-type diabetes), I have given myself tens of thousands of injections so far in my Red Sugar Life.

–Yep, you read that right. I have given myself over 10,000+ injections so far at the time of this post. That is a LOT of injections.

It’s Life or Death For Me, Really.

Some people are scared of needles and panic at the sight of them. As a Type 1 Diabetic, I can’t afford to be scared of needles and injections, my entire life literally depends on them. My body does not make its own insulin so I have to use needles and syringes to inject insulin every single day to survive, especially if I want any sort of quality of life. It is definitely not easy. Sometimes the injections are painful, and can be time-consuming if I am having a difficult time finding a suitable place to inject my insulin.

Having to inject myself with medicine all day everyday is not fun, it’s not pretty, and sometimes it bothers me that I have to do this (among many other things) just to stay alive.

There Are Many Types To Choose From

One of the grim realities of my Red Sugar Life and being a Type 1.5 Diabetic is that I must inject myself subcutaneously in order for my body to receive the insulin, there is no way around that, and since I have to do this multiple times daily, my needles absolutely need to be as comfortable for me as possible.

There are many kinds of insulin syringes and needles out there, varying in size, dosage, needle length, etc. so what works for me may not work for another diabetic due to either necessity, preference, or a combination of both. I have tried many kinds of syringes and needles, different brands, different sizes, lengths, etc. And have noticed some key points when it comes to syringes that work for me:

• My needle/syringe absolutely needs to be as comfortable for me as possible.
• My needles/syringes cannot be too long or too short. Both of these issues causes real problems that can be very painful and problematic and actually affect being able to take my medicine.
• Quality matters so much. Shortcuts cannot be taken when it comes to insulin syringes and needles. As a type 1 diabetic, they are such a major and constant necessity in my Red Sugar Life day to day.

The Bad and The Ugly

Other than delivering the insulin into my body so that it can help me, I am not going to sit here and act like injecting myself using pen needles is a pleasant experience so I will spare myself trying to describe the “good.” Here’s some of the bad and the ugly:

• Depending on the quality, the needle may not be as sharp as it needs to be. This can be painful, and may be akin to trying to cut a steak with a plastic knife. It just won’t work and can be damaging.
• Sometimes, needles bend! Every time this has happened to me it is just one of the most annoying things ever and must be extra careful when handling the needle until it is disposed of.
• There are complete duds at times. I have had occasions where the needle didn’t work at all, wouldn’t prime, no insulin would flow through it. It was peculiar.

I Make The Best Of It, I Have To

I don’t love or like having to give myself injections but I need to. And since I need to, I need my syringes to work, and work well! It’s a part of my everyday Red Sugar Life.

~Luna