injection sites???

[bex123]

hello , wanted to ask, what is it called when your injection sites get lumpy? both my arms and my legs have sort of over grown bits on them now , bearing in mind i have been injecting for 20 yrs now 5 jabs a day . is there anything i can do about it and how does it affect how the insulin is absorbed??
thank you
bex xx

 

[Northerner]

Hi Bex, this is known as lipohypertrophy and is caused bu damage to the tissue in the area where you have been injecting. In areas where these lumps have formed, insulin absorbtion will be poorer i.e. less consistent, so it's best to try and avoid them if at all possible. Do you use your tummy to give your arms and legs a rest? I'm not sure if the lumps will go in time if the area is not used. Have you considered a pump?

 

[Freddie99]

Hey Bex,

Perhaps you should rotate your sites a bit more often? I know you've probably heard that a fair bit in your twenty years of jabs but what I'd add to that is to leave a lonegr period of time before you go back to jabbing at a particular site.

Tom

 

[bex123]

Hi Bex, this is known as lipohypertrophy and is caused bu damage to the tissue in the area where you have been injecting. In areas where these lumps have formed, insulin absorbtion will be poorer i.e. less consistent, so it's best to try and avoid them if at all possible. Do you use your tummy to give your arms and legs a rest? I'm not sure if the lumps will go in time if the area is not used. Have you considered a pump?

thanks for that 🙂 no i inject in just my arms and my legs , i have been wanting the pump for 2 yrs now.... have been on the waiting list for a year...they are really hard to get here...all to with pct funding , have done loads of reasearch , really just want it so i dont have to jab 5 times a day and just have to change infusion site every couple of days would be a welcome change ...but i just have to be patient i guess...i have nagged but it makes no difference

 

[SilentAssassin1642]

have you tried injecting in your bum? Sounds wierd i know, but it might give the arms and legs a rest. I've just started doingmy lantus in my bum to give my legs a rest as they're all funny shaped. I'm wondering now on where to do my NR jabs, as my poor tummy is getting the same

 

[Northerner]

thanks for that 🙂 no i inject in just my arms and my legs , i have been wanting the pump for 2 yrs now.... have been on the waiting list for a year...they are really hard to get here...all to with pct funding , have done loads of reasearch , really just want it so i dont have to jab 5 times a day and just have to change infusion site every couple of days would be a welcome change ...but i just have to be patient i guess...i have nagged but it makes no difference

I'm not entirely sure, but if your consultant says you need one then they have to fund a pump, or you can ask to be referred. A lot of people are stalled by the funding argument unnecessarily.

Adrienne? You're our expert!🙂

 

[bex123]

have you tried injecting in your bum? Sounds wierd i know, but it might give the arms and legs a rest. I've just started doingmy lantus in my bum to give my legs a rest as they're all funny shaped. I'm wondering now on where to do my NR jabs, as my poor tummy is getting the same

lol 🙂 im lumpy bumpy all over hehe my butt is the only un-ruined bit of me , my legs are so bumpy they look like chicken drimsticks i did used to inject my butt when i was a kid , dont know why i stopped, akward i guess . i would inject my tummy but that has always made me cringe lol uurrgghh just cant do it! , i def think after 20 yrs injecting i have started to run out of places to jab😱

 

[Northerner]

lol 🙂 im lumpy bumpy all over hehe my butt is the only un-ruined bit of me , my legs are so bumpy they look like chicken drimsticks i did used to inject my butt when i was a kid , dont know why i stopped, akward i guess . i would inject my tummy but that has always made me cringe lol uurrgghh just cant do it! , i def think after 20 yrs injecting i have started to run out of places to jab😱

Be brave! Use your tummy for a while! It's actually no different from the other sites, but I can understand your reluctance. When you get to see your DSN, have a good talk about it🙂

 

[Einstein]

lol 🙂 im lumpy bumpy all over hehe my butt is the only un-ruined bit of me , my legs are so bumpy they look like chicken drimsticks i did used to inject my butt when i was a kid , dont know why i stopped, akward i guess . i would inject my tummy but that has always made me cringe lol uurrgghh just cant do it! , i def think after 20 yrs injecting i have started to run out of places to jab😱

Sometimes for a break from the 35 jabs a week - starts to sound a lot like that doesn't it?! I use a small canula device, developed for diabetic infusion.

I think they have to be bought privately and are around ?50 for a box of ten. The flexible line goes underneath the skin and there is a port through which you can put the needle, a bit like the cap on vials of insulin.

You can wear them for 4-5 days, and they give a great relief to the rest of your body from the daily jabs - here is the product link. http://www.applied-medical.co.uk/insuflon.shtml

I have only tried using them in my stomach though, it might be worth printing the page and discussing it with your DSN, she might be able to prescribe them, or arrange a few as samples for you.

They are low profile and very durable during normal life, showering, under clothes etc, I've even swam and been to the gym in them.

There was another device I recall, the i-port a similar concept.

 

[Flower87]

That is really interesting Einstein, i've never seen those before and I guess that would give some relief to other areas.

I think i may have a lump on the left hand side of my tummy, a natural area for me to inject in - easy to get to, and I'm right handed. I'm trying to steer clear of my tummy for a while.

It's such a pain in winter though because everywhere else is covered with loads of layers!!!

Happy new year 🙂

 

[Einstein]

That is really interesting Einstein, i've never seen those before and I guess that would give some relief to other areas.

I think i may have a lump on the left hand side of my tummy, a natural area for me to inject in - easy to get to, and I'm right handed. I'm trying to steer clear of my tummy for a while.

It's such a pain in winter though because everywhere else is covered with loads of layers!!!

Happy new year 🙂

See if they do an extension piece 😉 only get an insulated one so it doesn't freeze 😱

 

[Flower87]

haha! An extension would be excellent!

 

[MCH]

I'm not sure if the lumps will go in time if the area is not used. Have you considered a pump?

The lumps do go eventually, but in my case it took at least a year of avoiding the tops of my thighs. I now use tummy (after the first one there it didn't seem as bad and I have now got used to it), round the sides of my thighs rather than the top and - mostly for the levemir - which I gather is more likely to give you lumps because of the way it works - my backside.

 

[bex123]

Sometimes for a break from the 35 jabs a week - starts to sound a lot like that doesn't it?! I use a small canula device, developed for diabetic infusion.

I think they have to be bought privately and are around ?50 for a box of ten. The flexible line goes underneath the skin and there is a port through which you can put the needle, a bit like the cap on vials of insulin.

You can wear them for 4-5 days, and they give a great relief to the rest of your body from the daily jabs - here is the product link. http://www.applied-medical.co.uk/insuflon.shtml

I have only tried using them in my stomach though, it might be worth printing the page and discussing it with your DSN, she might be able to prescribe them, or arrange a few as samples for you.


They are low profile and very durable during normal life, showering, under clothes etc, I've even swam and been to the gym in them.

There was another device I recall, the i-port a similar concept.

thats interesting ! i will definatley ask my dsn next time i see her. anything for a bit of a jab holiday for my legs and arms is good

 

[Twitchy]

Hiya...

I had lumpy injection sites quite badly in my late teens / early 20s...years of the older insulins I guess. I had been injecting in my thighs, tummy & buttocks... In the end, because it was affecting my diabetes control, I was operated on - effectively liposuction - to remove the excess fatty tissue from the injection sites in my thighs & tummy. All I can say is it was flippin sore afterwards!! 😱 (honestly, how people have it done more than once, voluntarily for anything other than medical need is beyond me - but maybe I'm just a total wimp! )

I'd just offer a word of caution about the bum - my experience has been that since the op, on the newer insulins the bumps tend to dissipate over time if you rotate sites, but I have not injected in my bum since the op on my thighs/tum, and still have what I think are raised injection site areas. Admittedly most of what went into these was the older insulins. The sites are not raised enough for me to want to do anything about it (& as it would not be for improved diabetes control I doubt it would be justifiable anyway), but it is a niggle. (luckily my current baby bump makes all others look small lol!) I guess just rotate, rotate, rotate! Best of luck with the pump too...how i dream of a pump....!!! (long story).

All the best,

Twitchy x