Skills check list for successful insulin therapy:
Monitor your blood-glucose
(minimum: pre-meal, bedtime, when experiencing a low blood glucose and before driving)
Count your carbohydrates.
Know your insulin formula:
For intensive insulin therapy, this means your insulin-to-carbohydrate ratio, blood glucose correction and background dose.
For sliding scale therapy, this refers to pre-meal dose, bedtime time high blood sugar correction and background dose)
Understand how different insulin formulations act in your body.
Establish blood sugar goals.
(before meals, after meals, bedtime)
Know how to troubleshoot when your blood sugar is not at your goal.
Understand glucose emergency responses
Those with type 2 diabetes should periodically discuss their insulin regimen with their diabetes team. New kinds of insulin and delivery systems are always being developed that could change your dose and schedule.
Tips for Storing Insulin
Keep opened vials at room temperature.
Discard opened vials after one month.
Refrigerate unopened vials not in use between 36-46 degrees Fahrenheit. The expiration date applies to unopened, refrigerated insulin.
For some pens and other dosing devices the storage life is less. Read the label.
Durable pens and dosing devices should NOT be refrigerated once in use.
General Notes On Medicine
It is very important to follow your insulin regimen. Do not miss any doses of insulin. Contact your doctor to discuss specific instructions in case you miss a dose of insulin.