Lipoatrophy

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Carolyn74d

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Type 2
Hi there,

I’m wondering if anyone has any experience with lipoatrophy? I was told today that was what was wrong with my thighs. I have recently stopped injecting my long acting there due to build up. I now inject in my thighs. I was told never to inject in my thighs again. But I forgot to ask if the same is going to happen to my buttocks over time. Just wondered if anyone could answer that for me. Also any information on this from people that have it would be much appreciated.
Thank you
Carolyn x
 
Hi and welcome.

Really sorry to hear you are having problems with your injection sites. I can't offer any personal experience but just have a few questions which might help others who know more than me....
How long have you been injecting insulin and have you always just used your thighs?
Do you have any sort of system for rotating around the area on your thighs so that you are not injecting into the same spot day after day?
How many units do you inject? If they are quite large doses, have you considered splitting them? My gut feeling is that putting smaller amounts into each site might be less damaging than injecting a large dose into a single site. For me my morning dose is currently 24 units and I split it into 2x 12 units one into each buttock and I work round in a circle from day to day so that I don't inject into the same place 2 days running. The advantage of splitting the dose is twofold... firstly that you are not injecting a large pocket of insulin into one area and secondly, if there is an absorption problem for whatever reason, it is going to have less impact if half of your dose is in a different site, where it may be better absorbed.
I didn't split my dose between sites until I was injecting 20 units and then I just felt like that was too much in one place.... and it isn't any big deal to stick the needle in a second time in the other cheek.

Hopefully if you haven't been paying much attention to where you inject in the past and you are more careful about rotating sites now, then you won't develop similar problems in your buttocks.

You can also use tummy and upper arms, so don't feel that buttocks now are your only option.
 
rebrascora said:
Hi and welcome.

Really sorry to hear you are having problems with your injection sites. I can't offer any personal experience but just have a few questions which might help others who know more than me....
How long have you been injecting insulin and have you always just used your thighs?
Do you have any sort of system for rotating around the area on your thighs so that you are not injecting into the same spot day after day?
How many units do you inject? If they are quite large doses, have you considered splitting them? My gut feeling is that putting smaller amounts into each site might be less damaging than injecting a large dose into a single site. For me my morning dose is currently 24 units and I split it into 2x 12 units one into each buttock and I work round in a circle from day to day so that I don't inject into the same place 2 days running. The advantage of splitting the dose is twofold... firstly that you are not injecting a large pocket of insulin into one area and secondly, if there is an absorption problem for whatever reason, it is going to have less impact if half of your dose is in a different site, where it may be better absorbed.
I didn't split my dose between sites until I was injecting 20 units and then I just felt like that was too much in one place.... and it isn't any big deal to stick the needle in a second time in the other cheek.

Hopefully if you haven't been paying much attention to where you inject in the past and you are more careful about rotating sites now, then you won't develop similar problems in your buttocks.

You can also use tummy and upper arms, so don't feel that buttocks now are your only option.
Click to expand...
Hi Barbara

Thank you for your welcome and reply. Hope you are well x
Ok so, I’ve been injecting insulin for about 3 years now. My long acting in my thighs and my short acting in my tummy. I do rotate around my sites. But I had to increase my long acting by quite a bit in the last few months and I do split doses. This was when the problem with my thighs started so moved onto buttocks. I’m trying my hardest to reduce doses. This will be discussed with my nurse on Thursday hopefully. I must admit I’ve just been sticking the needle in anywhere in the buttocks but I will use your system of going round in a circle. For some reason, and for the life of me I can’t remember why, but my nurse told me not to inject in my arms. I’ll have to ask here.
Thank you so much for sharing this informs with me and I hope I’ve answered your questions.
Take care
Carolyn x
 
I though even overused sites recovered if left 2 years....i draw a little ink circle for each injection and move down the area so i don't reuse a site very frequantly. Perhaps a bit too much of some...
 
Hiya,

I’m not sure about starting again in 2 years. That is something else I can ask my nurse. My thighs will never look the same again either apparently. I am a bit forgetful so the drawing a little circle is a good idea actually. So I’m going to try and do that.
Thank you x
 
Bit difficult to draw circles on your bot o_Oand even harder to see them when you have 🙄
 
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