Needle sizes

Status
Not open for further replies.
rossi_mac

rossi_mac

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hi,

When I started this habit, I was given 6mm needles, saw nursey the other week and we chatted about this and that and put the world to rights!! One of the subjects was to pinch or not to pinch, and about injection sites and the arm. Anyway in the end she said I was a lean man (made me laugh!) and said I should try 5mm needles, I've used a handful she gave me, much much more comfortable. She also said there was an effort to get 3mm needles for very slight people.

So what size do we all use, have you ever changed, perhaps you should consider it, my nurse had small sample packets of about 5 needles, so maybe you could ask for a pack of a new size to give it a go.

Thats all for now.
Rossi.
 
Hi Rossi,

A few months ago I swapped from 8mm needles to 5mm needles. The difference didn't manifest its self immediately but in the long run it's much better. I have fewer bruises and I can inject in different places that I couldn't with 8mm needles. I've recently taken to doing jabs above my belly button as it just gets too painful to do them sometimes around my navel.

Tom
 
I use the 6mm ones and always have, I don't pinch up.

I do remember once when I got a new pen it came with a pack of needles, I hadn't looked at the size and they were a lot bigger than I'm used to, couldn't believe the pain!
 
its 5mm for me 🙂🙂🙂🙂 i do pinch up to jab
 
i have always used 8mm needles. i have some 6mm ones tucked in the cupboard somewhere, but i haaaate using them. i have a fair bit of flab to inject into (lipohypertrophy plys 18 years of injecting...) so they suit me just fine.
 
Good work rossi-mac, you must have a good DSN!

I used to use 5mm needles by BD, the little purple ones. I never used to pinch (Im quite a porker so didnt really feel the need 😉) but for some reason the BD ones felt nicer than the Novo ones (I must be mad to think I can tell a difference....!). Perhaps I just liked them more because they were purple!

Never injected in the arm though.....have you done that yet? It seems a little weird to think of it!!
 
I find doing injections in my arm is quite helpful. I do my morning levemir in my arm when I've just woken up and I'm in no mood to thrash around in bed to reach my legs! 🙂 I can just about manage to stab myself in the arm with a needle when I've just woken up!
 
Interesting stuff guys, can you explain your arm loc Tom? as thinking about it I'm always topless until I go out, so even if guests are around, maybe easier to stab the arm than drop the trousers! I personnally don't pinch, also don't feel the need, enough padding.Yeah Wendy she's great I'm moving soon (I hope) but not leaving her no way!!
 
I don't really know why I use my arm. Probably to give my stomach a bit of a rest from time to time. I find my arm easy to do when I'm a bit dopey around 6 am when I wake up to do my morning levemir jab. I find it easier to drift back to sleep if I don't have to start sitting up and getting out from under the duvet to get to my legs. Basically a bit of laziness comes into for me not wanting to get out of the warm duvet in the morning!
 
Sorry Tom what I meant was where on your arm do you do it, i was told back of the top arm? I forget the name excuse me I left school a few days ago!
 
rossi_mac said:
Sorry Tom what I meant was where on your arm do you do it, i was told back of the top arm? I forget the name excuse me I left school a few days ago!
Click to expand...

Does it matter tbh ? I just jab in the top of my arm sometimes to give my stomach a rest. 🙂
 
rossi_mac said:
Sorry Tom what I meant was where on your arm do you do it, i was told back of the top arm? I forget the name excuse me I left school a few days ago!
Click to expand...

I do it on my triceps (muscle on the top of the arm, above the elbow. It's on the backside of your arm.) I can go quite high up. I don't do it in my biceps because it hurts to do it there.
 
I always use my arms, just find them easier to get to more of the time. I use top of the arm at the back. I don't get any pain but I do find that it it happens to bruise they linger for a while which can be annoying if wearing short sleeves. I once had huge bruises on each arms which looked like someone have grabbed and bruised me, several friends were quite concerned that I'd been attached or something.
 
Hmm Ive just re-ordered my script and been told by the receptionist ( she hates me :() that I cant have 5mm needles anymore it has to be 6mm as they are not doing the 5's anymore :(:( I think the 5mm are long !! I will be a walking bruise now .. boo hoo
 
insulinaddict09 said:
Hmm Ive just re-ordered my script and been told by the receptionist ( she hates me :() that I cant have 5mm needles anymore it has to be 6mm as they are not doing the 5's anymore
Click to expand...

That's weird, I was on a Dafne course two months ago, and the DSN was giving everyone 5mm to try instead of 6mm! Can you query it with the doctor? :confused:

I prefer the 8mm myself, I'm not really sure why. I tried 6mm a couple of years ago and I really didn't like them - I actually ended up with more bruises! 😱 I think I don't mind the 8mm because I still remember the much larger needles that you got on syringes. 8mm seems tiny compared to those. :D
 
aymes said:
I always use my arms, just find them easier to get to more of the time. I use top of the arm at the back. I don't get any pain but I do find that it it happens to bruise they linger for a while which can be annoying if wearing short sleeves. I once had huge bruises on each arms which looked like someone have grabbed and bruised me, several friends were quite concerned that I'd been attached or something.
Click to expand...

Hmmm, turns out I was inadvertantly lying, I don't use the back of my arm at all, all my bruises are at the front...!
 
randomange said:
That's weird, I was on a Dafne course two months ago, and the DSN was giving everyone 5mm to try instead of 6mm! Can you query it with the doctor? :confused:

I prefer the 8mm myself, I'm not really sure why. I tried 6mm a couple of years ago and I really didn't like them - I actually ended up with more bruises! 😱 I think I don't mind the 8mm because I still remember the much larger needles that you got on syringes. 8mm seems tiny compared to those.
Click to expand...

Yes i will query it as I think 6mm is far too long for me . I know what you mean about the old syringes though they were horrific !! my brother still uses those 😱
aymes said:
Hmmm, turns out I was inadvertantly lying, I don't use the back of my arm at all, all my bruises are at the front...!
Click to expand...


Hehehe I use the front of my arms too , its easy but I always bruise :(
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top