A 73-year-old woman, known as Ba Binh, who has been living with type 2 diabetes for 14 years, faced a critical health crisis due to improper insulin injection techniques. After switching to insulin treatment six months ago, she consistently injected the medication into the same spot on her abdomen, leading to severe hypoglycemia.

Recently, after administering her insulin, Ba Binh began to sweat profusely, felt weak, and lost consciousness. She was rushed to Tam Anh General Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, where tests revealed her blood sugar level had plummeted to just 43 mg/dL, well below the safe threshold. Medical professionals diagnosed her with severe hypoglycemia, which caused a disturbance in her consciousness, and they administered hypertonic glucose solution while monitoring her vital signs.

Dr. Lam Van Hoang, head of the Endocrinology and Diabetes Department, explained that Ba Binh did not overdose on insulin, use the wrong type, or skip meals prior to her injections. However, her repeated injections in the same area resulted in subcutaneous lipohypertrophy, a condition where fatty tissue thickens due to continuous insulin administration at the same site. This complication is common among long-term insulin users but often goes unnoticed without careful examination of the injection site.

When insulin is injected into the same location repeatedly, the absorption of the medication becomes unstable, leading to unpredictable blood sugar fluctuations, which can result in both hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia. Symptoms of hypoglycemia can include intense hunger, trembling, sweating, rapid heartbeat, dizziness, confusion, and, in severe cases, loss of consciousness or seizures.

After adjusting her treatment protocol and providing her with proper injection techniques, Ba Binh's health stabilized, and her blood sugar levels improved, allowing her to be discharged from the hospital. Dr. Hoang emphasized that while many diabetes patients focus on administering the correct dose at the right time, it is equally important to consider the injection technique and site.

Recommended injection sites for insulin include the abdomen, the outer thigh, the back of the arm, and the buttocks, with the abdomen being preferred for its stable absorption and ease of rotating injection sites. Patients are advised to change injection locations after each use, avoid repeated injections at the same point, and steer clear of injecting too close to the navel. Additionally, using the correct needle size as advised by a healthcare provider and changing needles after each injection can help prevent infections and ensure accurate insulin delivery. Dr. Hoang also recommended that diabetes patients on insulin undergo regular check-ups to evaluate treatment effectiveness and to monitor injection sites for early signs of complications like lipohypertrophy.