Reaction to needles

[little fawn]

I have had diabetes for 63yrs and 9mths. I am Type 1 and have been doing injections all my life. I'm doing 5 injections a day. I am on porcine neutral insulin and porcine isophane insulin. Within the last 6 months I am experiencing a reaction to my DB needles. I am coming out in some kind of infection which appears like a boil and gets infected. My doctor has prescribed strong antibiotics and the infection clears up. I change needle every time I do another jag.
Has anyone else experiencing this issues with BD needles or any other brand of needles ? I have had problems with my arms, abdomen and stomach but not my legs and I regularly rota my injection sites avoiding any lumps or bumps. These boils take several weeks to form. I am not allergic to porcine insulin as far as I know. At the moment, I have 3 infections on my body.
Can anyone help me please?

 

[Inka]

Could it be a bacteria on your skin that’s getting introduced under your skin when injecting rather than the needles themselves @little fawn ? Have you tried a change of needle type to see if that helps? That’s the first thing I’d do.

An allergy to porcine insulin can develop gradually and one sign is inflamed sites, I believe. So, you could try a change of insulin and see if that helps. You don’t have to use the newer analogues, you could try a Regular Human Insulin and a Human Isophane.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Sorry to hear about the trouble you are having with your sites @little fawn

I have no medical training, but it does sound like some sort of infection with them taking so long to build up?

We have had members who have been sensitive to the lubricant on certain brands of needles which caused an angry reaction, but I think that emerged more swiftly after the injection. @trophywench was it you that had the needle lubricant allergy?

Hope you are able to find a solution, it sounds pretty unpleasant for you.

 

[Lucyr]

Within the last 6 months I am experiencing a reaction to my DB needles. I am coming out in some kind of infection which appears like a boil and gets infected.

Have you tried different needles in case it’s the lubricant?

 

[trophywench]

Certainly was me with the lubricant allergy Mike - however no sign of infection whatsoever - they just instantly stung like hell, as if they were dipped in at least vinegar as soon as the tip broke my skin. Blooming well hurt until I removed the needle but curiously, to me at the time, the Novorapid I injected through the needles, didn't hurt whatever, whereas the opposite was true of Lantus (ie glargine) insulin for which the pens at that time, required different needles. BD needles only supplied screw on ones, whereas the Solo ones for Eli Lilly insulin pens needed click on needles. So they prescribed Ypsomed needles for the Lantus pen. Neither were (then) interchangeable between the pens. They swapped me to Novofine needles, a massive relief, followed later by changing the Lantus to twice daily Levemir, and in the finish to what I still use now, insulin pump with old faithful (for me) Novorapid.

 

[rebrascora]

Sorry to hear you are having a nasty reaction at your injection sites.
Trying a different brand of needle would be the simplest option to try to at least rule out an allergy to the needle lubricant. Changing insulin can be more disruptive. Might also be worth using an alcohol wipe on the injection site before injecting just in case there is some bacteria on the skin which is being taken through the skin by the needle. I know this will be a bit of an extra faff but better than having to take antiBs.

Interestingly I reuse my needles (naughty I know) and I used to find that my Levemir needle would clog up intermittently between injections which I thought was perhaps interstitial fluid coagulating in the needle tip. There was a discussion here on the forum about this and several other people, some of whom didn't reuse needles but prepped their pen with a new needle ready for their next injection, had the same issue. About a year and a half ago my needle prescription was changed to GlucoRx CarePoint needles and my Levemir pen now never ever clogs, so the Levemir was obviously interacting with the coating on the needle causing it to clog. Obviously this is a very different problem to the one you are having, but just shows that different coatings on needles can have quite notable consequences.

Part of the reason I reuse my needles is that I am not overly happy or comfortable about my body being exposed to these coatings so often and I am not convinced it is any healthier to have traces of these coatings left in my body after every injection than to reuse needles, plus I am not seeing any issues with reusing needles and some of my needles are reused as many as 20 times, so I would expect to have seen some issues by now. I am by no means advocating others reuse needles but just saying that if the coating wears off after one use, then it is being left in our body and I am not sure I am entirely comfortable with that. I also hate all the plastic waste and find it very convenient to just change my needles just twice a week.

 

[VICTOR HILL]

Certainly was me with the lubricant allergy Mike - however no sign of infection whatsoever - they just instantly stung like hell, as if they were dipped in at least vinegar as soon as the tip broke my skin. Blooming well hurt until I removed the needle but curiously, to me at the time, the Novorapid I injected through the needles, didn't hurt whatever, whereas the opposite was true of Lantus (ie glargine) insulin for which the pens at that time, required different needles. BD needles only supplied screw on ones, whereas the Solo ones for Eli Lilly insulin pens needed click on needles. So they prescribed Ypsomed needles for the Lantus pen. Neither were (then) interchangeable between the pens. They swapped me to Novofine needles, a massive relief, followed later by changing the Lantus to twice daily Levemir, and in the finish to what I still use now, insulin pump with old faithful (for me) Novorapid.

 

[VICTOR HILL]

WHATO,MY DEAR, HOW YOU DOING .
GREAT TO SEE ON THE THE FAR WRITER ME
JUST GOT OVER CHEST INFECTION , NO LOOKING FORWARD TO EATING SOMETHING DIFFRENT OVER XMAS . AND KEEPING ON THE THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW WELL JUST ABOUT . WISH YOU ALL THE BEST TEN TEN GOOD BUDDY VIC

 

[trophywench]

What ho back to you, Vic. Always good to hear all those we've 'known' for years are still OK, I agree. Same as you, keeping on that same road - well, mainly, anyway! 😉

 

[VICTOR HILL]

I have had diabetes for 63yrs and 9mths. I am Type 1 and have been doing injections all my life. I'm doing 5 injections a day. I am on porcine neutral insulin and porcine isophane insulin. Within the last 6 months I am experiencing a reaction to my DB needles. I am coming out in some kind of infection which appears like a boil and gets infected. My doctor has prescribed strong antibiotics and the infection clears up. I change needle every time I do another jag.
Has anyone else experiencing this issues with BD needles or any other brand of needles ? I have had problems with my arms, abdomen and stomach but not my legs and I regularly rota my injection sites avoiding any lumps or bumps. These boils take several weeks to form. I am not allergic to porcine insulin as far as I know. At the moment, I have 3 infections on my body.
Can anyone help me please?

o dear reminds me of my early days before i was diagnosed boils under the knee and on arms
looks as they say an infection we get ALCOHOL SWAB FROM CHEMIST S
I use them to put on free style LIBRE . OR YOU MAY USE GOOD SOAP AND WATER WASH AND DRY
that may work ....YEARS AGOI SUGICAL SURGICAL SPIRIT STUNG LIKE HEC K BUT DONE THE JOB VIC

 

[VICTOR HILL]

ON BY THE WAY LOV US GOLDEN OLDIERS LITTLE BIT AHEAD OF YOU DDA
AUGUST 1957 KEEP DRINKING NO FOOD AUNT GOT ME IN TO WEST SUFFOLK NHS