Hi Everyone. Hope everyone here is doing well. Recent diagnosis Type1.5.

[rebrascora]

@PuckingPancreas have you tried pinching some flesh and injecting into that?
I find this hurts less than straight injection. For me, this is because I have little fat and when I started needles were longer so it is what I am used too but I feel more in control with a pinch. I accept it could be psychological.

I think the act of pinching also tensions the skin which helps the needle go through more easily and I think the sensation of pinching acts as a bit of a sensory distraction.

 

[Bruce Stephens]

COVID jab remains the worst one for me

Yes, vaccine injections use much bigger needles and (deliberately) go into the muscle, so they're inevitably a bit more painful.

 

[Tdm]

Injections shouln't hurt to the excrutiating level.
I'd say 50% i don't feel.
25% you feel a bit of resistance, perhaps a bit of discomfort
Perhaps 20% are painful, a bit, but ok.
5% or less are bad and you then give up and move elsewhere.

Overall, i'd say, oh, 2% lead to a degree of bruising. Definatly in single figures. Though i had an impressive one the other week. Like, black purple. But i find that really rarer happens.

Have you seen the injecting technique video on this website? Also, tickling/brushubg the skin next to injection site with finger tip may help, or the tickleflex gadget

 

[PuckingPancreas]

Hi All,

Thanks for all the messages.

Its strange as Its not something I would ever think could be so painful. The entire injection area on my tummy is bruised as well.

I have had covid injections, multiple cannulas and other experiences which cause pain but it still did not feel as uncomfortable as the insulin injection.

I always use the pinching technique. I have quite a bit of fat there as well. Some injections are painless but the thought of that pain makes me hesitant to now put the needle straight through so I go slowly when i put the needle in. Maybe thats making it worse.

At the end of the day it is what it is, I still got to take the insulin..but ngl some hurt really bad.

 

[JJay]

My daughter in law who does regular injections for her rheumatoid arthritis was told to numb the skin with a ice cube for a few seconds before injecting. She found this very helpful, though I have no experience of it myself.

 

[Leadinglights]

My daughter in law who does regular injections for her rheumatoid arthritis was told to numb the skin with a ice cube for a few seconds before injecting. She found this very helpful, though I have no experience of it myself.

When I had a tattoo 20 odd years ago the artiste advised getting some anaesthetic cream from the pharmacy to rub on the area and it really worked very well, didn't feel a thing except for one small area I had missed and wow that did hurt.

 

[Proud to be erratic]

Hi All,

Thanks for all the messages.

Its strange as Its not something I would ever think could be so painful. The entire injection area on my tummy is bruised as well.

I have had covid injections, multiple cannulas and other experiences which cause pain but it still did not feel as uncomfortable as the insulin injection.

I always use the pinching technique. I have quite a bit of fat there as well. Some injections are painless but the thought of that pain makes me hesitant to now put the needle straight through so I go slowly when i put the needle in. Maybe thats making it worse.

At the end of the day it is what it is, I still got to take the insulin..but ngl some hurt really bad.

@PuckingPancreas, this could be a clutch at one straw ... but is there any possibility that you are pinching too tightly (in a sort of desperation to avoid the anticipated pain) and that is causing the bruising?

When my bad injection sites were picked up by a DSN they were noticeable enough, but as a series of swollen lumps and bruised zones with each bruise point being quite small, much less than a 1p piece. When some 12 months on I did a follow-up check I again found a few bruises, each small, each more like a noticeable different redder spot - even smaller than previously. I had my share of cannulas during various hospital admissions, with some causing dreadful damage (from my perspective!). I found some of those far more painful than any of my (relatively infrequent) insulin jabs.