Injection Sites?

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newbs

newbs

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Type 1
My DN thinks my injection sites may be causing problems with insulin asborption and I injected in my arm last night instead of my stomach and had got a 2 hr post meal reading of 2.4. Continued injecting as normal today and back up to 18's.

My question really is if my sites are the problem what can I do? I usually inject my novorapid in my stomach, alternating sites each time, and my levemir in my thighs, alternating each night. I can only inject myself in my left arm or right buttock cheek 😱 so where else can I inject???

Which sites do you all favour - and do you have any problems?

Thanks.
 
newbs said:
My DN thinks my injection sites may be causing problems with insulin asborption and I injected in my arm last night instead of my stomach and had got a 2 hr post meal reading of 2.4. Continued injecting as normal today and back up to 18's.

My question really is if my sites are the problem what can I do? I usually inject my novorapid in my stomach, alternating sites each time, and my levemir in my thighs, alternating each night. I can only inject myself in my left arm or right buttock cheek 😱 so where else can I inject???

Which sites do you all favour - and do you have any problems?

Thanks.
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omg I had the exact same problem newbs....

I spent years doing all my injections in my stomach and now have extensive scar tissue there. my DSN said I was probably loosing 30% of my insulin due to lack of absorption because of the scar tissue build up.

I now alternate between both legs, both buttocks (one is more difficult than the other) and both arms....however I have noticed that all of these sites are 'problem' sites when it comes to weight :(
 
Probably stupid question but can you feel the scar tissue in your stomach? I have been trying to feel but it feels normal to me, I can feel some lumps at the top of my thighs however. I don't have a lot of fat on me but due to 2 children favour my stomach as that is my flabbiest part :D Won't be good if I can't inject there anymore :(
 
newbs said:
Probably stupid question but can you feel the scar tissue in your stomach? I have been trying to feel but it feels normal to me, I can feel some lumps at the top of my thighs however. I don't have a lot of fat on me but due to 2 children favour my stomach as that is my flabbiest part :D Won't be good if I can't inject there anymore :(
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that's not a stupid question! I used to be able to....it's slowly going down I think. I have quite a flat stomach apart from a small raised area just either side of my belly button which no matter how much weight I lost, never went (even with hundreds of sit ups).

I never wanted to inject anywhere else as it hurt less injecting there....which is good, but the bad side was its because of the scar tissue. catch 22 as you want to inject where it hurts less but that's the whole reason to use other sites instead.

if you're having problems finding alternatives, speak to your dsn as there are others that you can use from time to time. also, shorter needles will help if having to inject in for example your arm without being able to pinch the skin...
 
i do all of mine in my stomach, and i don't have any problems that i know of.
 
You need to move the sites around, either daily or a few days/weeks at a time. I have some strange lumps at the tops of my arms and my abdomen which I've been advised to stay well away from.

I still inject there but keep about 2" away from the lumpy bits. I also use thighs and buttocks.

It can cause a lot of problems over the years if you don't rotate a bit.

Rob
 
imtrying said:
I have quite a flat stomach apart from a small raised area just either side of my belly button which no matter how much weight I lost, never went (even with hundreds of sit ups).
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Sounds like lipohypertrophy which I have too. Quite common minor diabetic complication I think. A build up of fat below the skin when you've over used an area. It often goes away if you avoid the area for a good few months. I've been avoiding much use of abdomen for a year and mine's not gone yet :(

As Robster says, it's important to use as many areas as you can.
 
Many years ago when I was first DX I used to inject in the thighs, as I couldn't inject in the arm what ever technique I tried.. Then around '96 I started to inject in my stomach, no problems and when I was on MDI at could be injecting 5+ times a day..

I do move around the stomach area, but not got any lumps nor as yet any noticable adsorbtion issues's..

But I do think whether you do get injection site problems is partly luck more than anything, so will always be more susceptable to problems than another..
 
i use to inject in my thighs all the time and i had lumps appear so i completely stopped, and the lumos went dowm! i reg use my tummy more for convience?! but i do have lumps there! you do need to vary where you inject to aviod these lumps so i try to use my legs back of legs and buttocks! a tip so that you can use both arms is that if you crouch down and press you arm agaisnt your leg you can get the skin to "lump up" so you can inject in it
 
Its always best to rotate your injection sites with each injection to avoid lumps, but where you inject will effect how fast your insulin is absorbed. My preference for my novorapid is the arms and legs, but if I am eating a high-gi meal I will inject in the stomach, but my basal insulin always gets injected into my buttocks, this is by far the slowest part for insulin absorption, but as it is a long acting insulin I find this works well with the insulin. Take a look at the following for a explanation and advice on rotating insulin sites.

http://www.bd.com/us/diabetes/page.aspx?cat=7001&id=7282
 
Thanks for the link, it is really helpful! This sort of info should be given out at diagnosis to everyone injecting though, not discovered 10 years down the line.
 
newbs said:
Thanks for the link, it is really helpful! This sort of info should be given out at diagnosis to everyone injecting though, not discovered 10 years down the line.
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It's a pleasure, and yes I agree that these things should be routinely given out to new patients upon diagnosis. Wish the internet was around when I was diagnosed, there is so much useful info (although some is doubtful) available, and having the opportunity to discuss and share experiences across the world-wide web is like having another member of your health care team.
 
I used to inject in legs and tummy but the lumps developed in my legs so vie stopped using them for more than a year. Fortunately (or unfortunately) there's plenty of flesh on my tummy. Last time I tried my buttock I got the needle in but couldn't reach enough to push in the plunger I felt like a dart board with the insulin pen sticking out of my bum
 
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