Injection sites

[vince13]

Having started on insulin just over 2 weeks ago I am still a bit mystified about rotating sites. I inject morning before breakfast and again before my evening meal, Humalog Mix 25, which I understand to be a slow release insulin to try to keep me on an even keel through the day and again through the night.

I have been told to keep my injection sites a square inch away from each other. That's fine but I have a very small tummy area into which to inject (from hip to hip I mean) and one square inch around sites does take up a lot of my tummy. I have recently been using my thighs but again there is little fat on them and I am getting rather nasty brusing there.

Does anyone have a system for injecting to keep away from where you've recently injected (e.g. left side, right side, slightly up or on a par with your blly button, slightly down etc) and how do you remember it ? Often I can't see where I've injected but when I bruise I can obviously see where to avoid !

Also, when I've got bruises in the past for any reason I've used Arnica cream to bring out the bruise and that seemed to make the bruise go away more quickly, but am I allowed to use this on recently injected sites ?

I seem to be doing the injections as I've been instructed, so are the bleeds under the skin something that I will learn not to get as I get further into my injecting regime or is it something we just have to put up with as insulin users ?

Sorry to sound rather dim but it's all so new to me and advice would be happily accepted.

 

[Monica]

Carol was extremely skinny (as a 10 year old she weighed just 4lbs more than her 7 year old sister) when first diagnosed. We were told to inject in the left thigh in the morning and the right one at night. Easy to remember RIGHT AT NIGHT rhymes. Do you pinch you leg when you inject? It's always difficult to find a good spot. If you're doing the legs you also have to circle round the thigh, so that you don't inject in the same spot every time. I don't know how you can avoid the bruises. Carol always has them. I don't know about using the arnica cream. I can't help you with the tummy situation either, as Carol outright refuses to inject there.

Good luck in your quest to find a good routine.🙂

 

[margie]

One nurse suggested rotating in a clock like pattern around the belly button.

It can be hard remembering and particularly if you are in a hurry.

The problem is that if you inject too much in a particular place you can get fatty lumps which affect the way the insulin is released - it could hold it up and then you get a sudden release. Rotating is a way to try and avoid this.

I heard someone recommend using a felt tip to mark close to where they inject - or a small round plaster then you know - but you may not want to be covered in pen or plasters.

When you bleed you have nicked a blood vessel - I seem to have periods where I hit none and then other periods were I just can't stop nicking them.

 

[Monica]

Carol was extremely skinny (as a 10 year old she weighed just 4lbs more than her 7 year old sister) when first diagnosed. We were told to inject in the left thigh in the morning and the right one at night. Easy to remember RIGHT AT NIGHT rhymes. Do you pinch you leg when you inject? It's always difficult to find a good spot. If you're doing the legs you also have to circle round the thigh, so that you don't inject in the same spot every time. I don't know how you can avoid the bruises. Carol always has them. I don't know about using the arnica cream. I can't help you with the tummy situation either, as Carol outright refuses to inject there.

Good luck in your quest to find a good routine.🙂

Pffft, not much help there am I!🙄

 

[shiv]

I've heard of people printing out pictures of a body outline, and then marking off where they have injected - one way to keep track of it!

 

[AlisonM]

I was told to make sure the needle goes in at 90 degrees, i.e., straight, but even doing that I still get a little blood sometimes. Only one or two bruises so far which seems to happen when I get the angle wrong and I know when I've done that cos it hurts. I'm working my way round my middle in a clockwise direction an inch at a time.

 

[Dizzydi]

I tend to rotate left and right side on my tummy - currently trialing without Novorapid.

I inject my levemir in my thighs left then right in 3 different spots just above knee, mid thigh and then top thigh.

At one point I was doing both in my tummy and did one on the left and one on the right, I'd inspect before injecting to make sure it was a different spot from the last time.

It will get easier x

 

[mcdonagh47]

Having started on insulin just over 2 weeks ago I am still a bit mystified about rotating sites. I inject morning before breakfast and again before my evening meal, Humalog Mix 25, which I understand to be a slow release insulin to try to keep me on an even keel through the day and again through the night.
.

Humalog is the most efficient "insulin" (it isn't really insulin its an analogue)because it comes closest to mimicking the action of your real insulin. Mix 25 is a version for T2s just starting on insulin with 25% rapid acting to cover a meal and 75% intermediate action to keep things level over 12 hours or so.

When I was on Mix 25 I rotated left and right side of BB, left and right upper thigh with an occasional bumshot.

Heres some pretty diagrams ...
http://www.google.co.uk/images?hl=e...in+injection+sites&gbv=2&aq=f&aqi=g3&aql=&oq=

 

[FM001]

Click on the following http://www.bd.com/us/diabetes/page.aspx?cat=7001&id=7261 for a guide to injecting insulin.

 

[vince13]

Thank you all for your input. I'll keep trying to get it right - practice makes perfect eh ?. The awful thought to me is "it's for the rest of my life".

 

[Dizzydi]

Thank you all for your input. I'll keep trying to get it right - practice makes perfect eh ?. The awful thought to me is "it's for the rest of my life".

It is for the rest of your life unfortunately. But you will soon get used to it and it will become second nature and you won't bat an eyelid x

 

[MeanMom]

Does no one inject in their arms? K only does arms and legs - the first place they showed her to inject was her left arm and DSN knows she has continued with this. K arms are covered with bruises but at least then you know which spot to avoid!
Monica K is the same a Carol and will not inject her tummy

 

[suziepoo]

I rotate between my tum and leg on one side each day eg Mon am left tum, pm left leg, Tues right side etc. Can't bear the thought of injecting into my arms and injecting into my bum seems like too awkward an angle!
I spoke to my DSN about bruising, bleeding and small lumps after injecting. I do bruise easily and that's what we think happens with my injections. I've gone back to using medical tape when I inject and that does seem to reduce the problems.
I also hate the thought of having to do this forever. Even though we're still not sure whether I'm T1 or T2, the hospital have put me on their waiting list for a pump so hope to have that in the next 5 to 6 months. At least it will be less injections!
Hopefully, it will also bring my sugar levels down too!!

 

[Monica]

Does no one inject in their arms? K only does arms and legs - the first place they showed her to inject was her left arm and DSN knows she has continued with this. K arms are covered with bruises but at least then you know which spot to avoid!
Monica K is the same a Carol and will not inject her tummy

Carol was never told to do it in the arm

 

[heasandford]

Does no one inject in their arms? K only does arms and legs - the first place they showed her to inject was her left arm and DSN knows she has continued with this. K arms are covered with bruises but at least then you know which spot to avoid!
Monica K is the same a Carol and will not inject her tummy

I inject in my upper arm at breakfast, stomach at lunch and thigh for dinner, buttocks for overnight lantus. I wear a ring on my little finger which I move from left to right hand etc every night so I change side of injections daily
Not sure I've seen what difference any of it makes?

 

[AlisonM]

... I wear a ring on my little finger which I move from left to right hand etc every night so I change side of injections daily...

What a good idea! I think I may start doing that too as I'm running out of sites in my middle. It would remind which side I should be using. Thanks.

 

[vince13]

Hello again Alison - what regime have they got you on now ? I think you said they were going to do another lot of GAD/C.peptide tests on you to replace the ones which went missing in your records = any results yet ?

How are the tummy injections going ? Have you tried the thigh area - I still find there's not much space on either my tummy or thighs. They are not yet increasing the number of my injections, just the quantity of units (6 pre-breakfast and, from today, also 6 pre-evening meal = up from 4 at first then 5units). Great fun isn't it ? 🙂

 

[sofaraway]

Despite arms not being in favour by DSN's at the moment, I do prefer using my arms. Don't use them as much this time of the year but as I start wearing short sleeves will use them much more.

I have been trying to rest my overused sites the past few months but i'm not convined they are recovered yet.

 

[MeanMom]

Found this diagram of injection sites for children

http://kidshealth.org/teen/diabetes_center/treatment/images_77980/1126294228691.injection6b.jpg

 

[vince13]

If I'm reading that diagram correctly it seems to show injection sites on the stomach area quite a way above the belly button but my DSN said don't do it there as it "will hurt more". Seems you can't win with getting advice even when you ask the right people !

I suppose you can only take a "suck it and see" line - I just wish I didn't bruise so easily even when I get the technique right.

Anyway, thanks everyone for your input. Hugs all round, Ouch, sorry mind my bruises.....😱