To thigh or not to thigh?

[cherrycake]

I'm not quite sure where to post this question, so my apologies in case I've posted in the wrong place.

I've been injecting insulin since January this year .. it took me months to get the hang of it.. and I always inject in my tummy but I try to inject on different sides.
I saw a few raised red bumps on my tum this weekend, so thought Id inject in the thigh instead. It was a disaster the needle sort of came out of my thigh before all the insulin had been injected properly and insulin was running down my thigh!!!! Maybe I shouldn't have injected in my thigh???

 

[Northerner]

Quite a few people do inject in the thigh, so it is certainly an area you can use. Personally, I don't inject there as I don't have any fatty areas on my legs so it hurts! It's probably just your technique that needs some work. You can also use your buttocks or upper arms, and you might not be making best use of the area around your tummy - imagine a circle a couple of inches out from your belly button, you should be able to inject anywhere around that circle, including above and below the belly button, it doesn't have to be just at the sides 🙂

 

[Redkite]

You can inject in your thigh at the side near the top. Make sure you're injecting into a fatty part, not muscle. You can't inject into the front of your thigh because you would just hit the muscle. You may find that absorption time for the insulin is different in your thigh than what it would be when you use your tummy. For my son, tummy injections always worked faster.
This link shows where to inject:

http://healthypalm.com/diabetes-cho...insulin-injection/insulin_injection_sites_pi/

 

[gabriele]

I inject my basal in my thigh morning and evening . My novo around my tummy .
In the beginning I had quite often bruised legs , now Im so used to it , it works very well .

 

[cherrycake]

Quite a few people do inject in the thigh, so it is certainly an area you can use. Personally, I don't inject there as I don't have any fatty areas on my legs so it hurts! It's probably just your technique that needs some work. You can also use your buttocks or upper arms, and you might not be making best use of the area around your tummy - imagine a circle a couple of inches out from your belly button, you should be able to inject anywhere around that circle, including above and below the belly button, it doesn't have to be just at the sides 🙂

Oh I didnt realise I could inject in the area above the belly button too.. thanks for letting me know Northerner 🙂 I shall definitely try there.

Im mentally trying to work out how i would inject into my upper arm .. would I inject in the outer or inner part of the arm or doesn't it matter?

 

[cherrycake]

You can inject in your thigh at the side near the top. Make sure you're injecting into a fatty part, not muscle. You can't inject into the front of your thigh because you would just hit the muscle. You may find that absorption time for the insulin is different in your thigh than what it would be when you use your tummy. For my son, tummy injections always worked faster.
This link shows where to inject:

http://healthypalm.com/diabetes-cho...insulin-injection/insulin_injection_sites_pi/

I wish we had a 'Thanks' button on the forum 🙂

Oops! I did inject into the Front of my thigh.. now it makes sense why it didnt work properly.. it did hurt too! 😱 I wont be doing that again.

 

[Northerner]

Oh I didnt realise I could inject in the area above the belly button too.. thanks for letting me know Northerner 🙂 I shall definitely try there.

Im mentally trying to work out how i would inject into my upper arm .. would I inject in the outer or inner part of the arm or doesn't it matter?

You inject in the back of the upper arm. The problem is that you can't 'pinch' the flesh up because you're already using both arms. I've tried it once!

 

[newbs]

I find injecting my thighs doesn't really work for me, like Northerner, I don't have any fat on my legs. I inject all around tummy, buttocks and also my left arm (being right-handed). To inject my left arm I cross my arm across my body, tight to the chest and that way I get a little bit of 'fat' at the back of the arm which allows me to inject.

 

[Highlander]

I inject in my thigh sometimes, however, if it's going to hurt, that's the place that will be worst. Most of the time I use my tum as there is plenty of plump to inject into! Keep at it, it does get easier, I have only been injecting for three months and manage quite well, I do get the odd bleeder, but not often.

 

[Caroline]

is there any one round who might be able to inject your posterior sometimes?

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I dont have much spare on my legs either, but managed to inject OK there for a good few years on MDI when my abdomen was playing up - I just took a good gentle pinch of flesh to raise the skin up a bit.

 

[trophywench]

Yes Mike, the only time you really need to pinch up probably! I have some terrible sites on both my thighs due to overuse in the past, so I just avoid mine as a matter of course - but I still have plenty of scope LOL

I usually say that the injectable area of your 'tummy' starts just under your underwires (or where they would be if you were a girl 😉 ) and stops about an inch, inch and a half, above your pubic hair (excluding same radius away from your navel) and as far round the sides as you can comfortably reach, even if you can't actually SEE !

If you are painfully thin and can count all your ribs, then avoid the ribcage. Never a problem with that here ...

It's one hell of a large area on most people !

 

[PhilT]

I inject Novo in my thighs most of the time, have to pinch up to inject as i have quiet muscular legs. I inject the side of the thigh about 6-8ins up from my knee. I inject Lantus in my tummy.

 

[Aoife]

I'm the complete opposite! Levemir always in thighs, morning left thigh, evening right thigh. Novorapid in tummy moving round like a clock 🙂

If I have a few levemir induced bruises then I will give thighs a break (or if I am going on holiday which = swimwear and short dresses) and go for hips or top of bum

 

[cherrycake]

is there any one round who might be able to inject your posterior sometimes?

this made me

ermmm I suppose I could ask hubby 😉

 

[cherrycake]

I dont have much spare on my legs either, but managed to inject OK there for a good few years on MDI when my abdomen was playing up - I just took a good gentle pinch of flesh to raise the skin up a bit.

What's MDI please?

 

[Northerner]

What's MDI please?

MDI is 'Multiple Daily Injections', also known as 'basal/bolus', where you inject a slow-acting insulin once or twice a day and a fast acting insulin with food 🙂

 

[trophywench]

Aoife - make sure you rotate your thigh sites diligently - I walked past my full length bedroom mirror one day whilst getting dressed to go out on the motorbike in cold weather and hence was ONLY wearing a really close fitting set of thermal leggings over me drawers - very thin ones from Marks & Sparks - and stopped in my tracks.

Have I really got a HUGE dent in the side of my right thigh, at the side where I usually - Oh hell - inject my basal - ......

Yup. And a smaller one on the left .....

The big un was about 5 inches going down my leg and 3 inches across and getting on for 1 cm deep. Couldn't notice it sitting down and I'd normally sit to jab. Then fling my clothes on .....

Took about 7 years to disappear and there is still zilcho fat there on either side.

To be truthful, though I have a fat belly at the front and admittedly my bew-tocks have sagged in recent years LOL - at first glance I actually thought - Saddlebags, where the hell have they come from? I just don't HAVE saddlebags! - but it wasn't a saddlebag sticking out, it was a crater sticking IN ! Which was actually a relief really, as I had an explanation for the hole !