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Injection tips?

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stackingcups

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I did my first dose at the GP yesterday, and didn't feel it at all. Today it stung going in. Do you think I'm doing something wrong? I possibly pushed the needle in slower (apprehensive)
 
Hi. What were you injecting? Some insulins sting more than others some areas of the skin are more sensitive than others. I tend to gently touch the needle to the skin and if it feel sensitive then I move a little bit and try again. Sometimes you just hit a bad spot, sometimes you hit a good spot and the needle slides in painlessly but the insulin stings, sometimes the site bleeds a little after you remove the needle and bruises and sometimes you just hit a good spot and none of it hurts! I find twizzling the pen as I apply pressure sometimes helps it slide in with less pain. Some people don't seem to have any pain with injections or only very occasionally and others find it more uncomfortable. I find there are particular areas of my stomach which seem to be more sensitive and others which are better. I also use my thighs and buttocks for basal insulin and again, there are certain places which are less sensitive than others, but I really don't know why.
 
It was Lantus. It was on my tummy again, but I have a lot of stretch marks so the skin is probably very different in some places.

Thanks for all the tips though, I will see how things go.
 
I find my tummy the most painful place. When I was on injections I always did my basal in my thigh. I also ‘pinch up’ and find that can help. Doing it confidently and pushing it straight in in a smooth way is less painful.
 
I believe that Lantus is known to sting. Was it Lantus you injected at the surgery or quick acting insulin?

I also find pinching up can help sometimes although DSNs don't seem to encourage the technique anymore but I think that is more because it isn't necessary than that it is detrimental in any way.
Sometimes I just pinch and jab and sometimes especially if my last 2 or 3 injections have really hurt, I will mess about trying to find a less sensitive spot. Sometimes I hit a really bad spot and get half way in and really can't tolerate it and it has to come out again and go in somewhere else. No idea why. It really is just trial and error. I find around to the sides is usually less painful than in the front of my stomach.
 
I changed from Lantus to Levemir because of that very reason. Yes - you need 2 jabs of Levemir a day instead of one Lantus, but it didn't sting me so I never tensed up before jabbing it - and tensing up just makes the stinging worse!

By the way - if either the needle or the skin is/are wet - that makes stinging much more likely anyway. So if there's a bead of insulin on the pointy end of the needle from the airshot, gently touch the bead to a bit of skin elsewhere on the body to remove it, before dialling up the dose and jabbing wherever you've decided to jab today.
 
I did my first dose at the GP yesterday, and didn't feel it at all. Today it stung going in. Do you think I'm doing something wrong? I possibly pushed the needle in slower (apprehensive)
A couple more tips. Use a new needle each time and always do an air test first, check using a few units that the insulin is ready to come out. I think many of us have realised that without an air test before every injection, we can easily miss a couple or more units of insulin.
 
I changed from Lantus to Levemir because of that very reason. Yes - you need 2 jabs of Levemir a day instead of one Lantus, but it didn't sting me so I never tensed up before jabbing it - and tensing up just makes the stinging worse!

By the way - if either the needle or the skin is/are wet - that makes stinging much more likely anyway. So if there's a bead of insulin on the pointy end of the needle from the airshot, gently touch the bead to a bit of skin elsewhere on the body to remove it, before dialling up the dose and jabbing wherever you've decided to jab today.
Ah yes there was definitely a bead yesterday. That's a good tip, thank you.
I believe that Lantus is known to sting. Was it Lantus you injected at the surgery or quick acting insulin?

I also find pinching up can help sometimes although DSNs don't seem to encourage the technique anymore but I think that is more because it isn't necessary than that it is detrimental in any way.
Sometimes I just pinch and jab and sometimes especially if my last 2 or 3 injections have really hurt, I will mess about trying to find a less sensitive spot. Sometimes I hit a really bad spot and get half way in and really can't tolerate it and it has to come out again and go in somewhere else. No idea why. It really is just trial and error. I find around to the sides is usually less painful than in the front of my stomach.
It was lantus at the surgery too, but there wasn't much of a bead on the needle and I pushed it in with a lot less hesitation too. Hoping today will be better!
 
Ah yes there was definitely a bead yesterday. That's a good tip, thank you.

It was lantus at the surgery too, but there wasn't much of a bead on the needle and I pushed it in with a lot less hesitation too. Hoping today will be better!
Sometimes you just gotta go for it!
 
I hope things improve for you with the Lantus, @stackingcups but if not, do ask your diabetes team if you can switch to a different basal insulin, don't struggle on with one which isn't suitable for you.

I had problems with Lantus too. I found I couldn't inject it in my abdomen as it stung too much so I switched to injecting it in my legs. It sometimes stung my legs too, I always had little red marks on the leg in which I'd injected it (which I didn't get on the leg in which I'd injected my bolus insulin), and sometimes my legs twitched (with slight muscle spasms) after injecting it. I told my diabetes consultant and she didn't seem to understand at all, so I said I could live with the issues as it was keeping me alive. Then I mentioned it on here and people said I could move to a different basal - before then I hadn't even realised there were any different basal insulins, the consultant hadn't mentioned them to me even though she knew I was having problems with Lantus! I am now on Tresiba, which doesn't sting me at all.

Another tip is if the injection site hurts or stings, rub it with an ice cube - I've not tried that one myself, but I know some of the parents on here do it if they are injecting children.
 
I never understood it was the Lantus itself stinging me once it got inside my skin for ages, then realised it didn't start as I inserted the needle - only began as I depressed the end of the pen to deliver it. And there's me, assuming I was just being a wimp - until someone else on DSF said it stung them too and we found any number of people who had the same trouble. I got myself changed over to Levemir and things started looking up!
 
Went much better tonight too. I think making sure there's none sitting on the needle tip after priming is the thing.

Already noticing my blood sugars seeming a bit less erratic. Not going up so high after meals, or coming down more readily. Not sure which.
 
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