Take Insulin Every Day

People who have type 1 diabetes must take insulin as part of their treatment. Because their bodies can't make insulin anymore, they need to get the right amount of insulin to keep their blood sugar levels into a healthy range.

The only way to get insulin into the body right now is by injection with a needle or with an insulin pump. If a person tried to take insulin as a pill, the acids and digestive juices in the stomach and intestines would break down the medicine, and it wouldn't work. Luckily, these days insulin shots hardly hurt at all, thanks to smaller needles.

There are different kinds of insulin for different purposes. Unless they're using an insulin pump, most people with type 1 diabetes need more than one shot of insulin a day to keep blood sugar levels under control. Your doctor will figure out how much insulin you need based on your size and daily schedule. As you grow and change, the amount of insulin you will need to take can change, too.

Once you've had your insulin injection, you can't stop the medicine from working. If you take an insulin shot but forget to eat, your blood sugar levels can get too low. So try to avoid skipping meals or snacks. If your parents remind you to eat when you take your insulin, it's probably because they worry about you, not because they're trying to nag you!

Your diabetes health care team will teach you how and when to give yourself insulin shots.