[lenjan]

Anybody out there who has to stick themselves regularly, for insulin or whatever else? It's a long story and I'm too p.o.'d to go into it right now anyway, but for awhile I have to give myself heparin (blood thinner) shots. I haven't had to do it for maybe 18 months and I have forgotten how much the little puppies HURT. I am looking for tips to make it hurt less!

It took me most of a year to get rid of the bruises on my stomach from these things last time, and they're already starting again.....

[PlanningtoLive]

{{{{{{{Candy}}}}} my H has to take insulin injections every evening. He used to have the same problem as you, but he spoke to the pharmacist and his doctor, and they now prescribe him thinner needles so they don't hurt as bad - he says he hardly feels them anymore.

The only time it hurts is if he uses the same area too many times. Check into it and see if it's a possibility for you. He gets his at Walgreens.



Mary Alice

[Perna]

Yes, I was going to say thin needles but stomach shots are going to hurt I think.

http://ask.metafilter.com/50320/Shot...-shot-impaired

[lenjan]

Unfortunately these are pre-filled syringes, so I don't have any choice about the needle size.

I have had nurses do this so that I didn't feel a thing, but I'm not that good at it.

[Perna]

The angle has to be harder too, doing it to one's self versus a professional doing it from across. I think I'd try the fire department? Ours does blood pressure, etc. screening so I'd see if the paramedics would help me out and give me the shot each time I needed it on the way to/from work or whatever. That or a walk-in clinic of some sort where it wouldn't cost too much if they charged. Public health nurse or something?

When my husband and I went for our blood tests to get married in the District of Columbia, we ended up at the wrong building somehow, more the admin building than anything else I guess, the wrong part of town, and it was the last day we could get it done before we married or something like that so was a crisis situation but the lone guy who was whereever we ended up (might have been on a Saturday morning but there literally wasn't anyone else around) felt sorry for us and happened to be a doctor so did the testing and "took care of" it, signed our forms, etc. It was one of those moments you don't forget.

[(JD)]

I gave myself my allergy injections for a few years, and ran out of places... I used an icecube to numb the area just a tad, and it made it easier.

(((gentle hug Candybear)))

[lenjan]

Yeah, these have to be done in a very specific area, and although I am a regular tub o' lard, it's not too hard to run out of places.

Thanks for the ice cube idea, I'll give that a try.

[PsyChris]

The best advice for an injection is to do it rapidly.

Do you have to do it in your abdomen? Can you take Heparin in your arm or buttocks? What size syringe do you use?

If you have enough subcutaneous skin (fat) to grab then you can plunge the needle in rapidly and at a 90 degree angle.

If you don't then you can grab as much skin in that area as you can and go in at a 45 degree angle, rapidly.

[lenjan]

Trust me, I have enough fat for any 3 or 4 people.

AFAIK, it has to be done within 2 inches of your navel. I have no idea the size of the needle.

Here's what I found at Rxlist:

</font><blockquote><div id="quote"><font class="small">Quote:</font>
Lovenox must not be administered by intramuscular injection. Lovenox is intended for use under the guidance of a physician.

For subcutaneous administration, patients may self-inject only if their physicians determine that it is appropriate and with medical follow-up, as necessary. Proper training in subcutaneous injection technique (with or without the assistance of an injection device) should be provided.

Subcutaneous Injection Technique: Patients should be lying down and Lovenox administered by deep SC injection. To avoid the loss of drug when using the 30 and 40 mg prefilled syringes, do not expel the air bubble from the syringe before the injection. Administration should be alternated between the left and right anterolateral and left and right posterolateral abdominal wall. The whole length of the needle should be introduced into a skin fold held between the thumb and forefinger; the skin fold should be held throughout the injection.

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">

[(JD)]

Just thought of something else. I would grab the skin too harshly...and much of my distress was caused by this, as I bruised the area that way. The farther away I could pinch the skin, allowing a good spot for the injection, the less trauma to the area of the injection.

[wisewoman]

Candy, I have given many of these to my spouse over the years and he has no fat. I think that I might ask for lydacaine patches to stick on the site for one half hour before the injections. Good luck.

[lenjan]

WW, it's nowhere near bad enough to need lidocaine. Ice cubes might work.

So far I have just the usual little needlestick bruises, but was stunned to find one that is 14 colors and approximately the size of Canada....which is what I mean by it being easy to run out of room even though you have endless fat. That is one big ol' area I can no longer use. Not to mention that bruise is going to take MONTHS to disappear.