Fragmin injections

[Picniccakes]

I’ve recently had a baby and need to inject Fragmin for the first 6 weeks.
I’m really struggling with them. I have a needle fear and find them painful so my partner is doing them for me, but the pain is horrendous after. It feels like they have been injected in muscle which I know they aren’t supposed to, but it is in the correct areas the leaflet shows to administer them.
When DP goes back to work next week I will have to inject myself somehow as there is nobody else to help me. It takes me an hour to get the courage to allow my partner to do them at the moment, so I don’t know how I will give them to myself. I’m tempted to stop taking them although admittedly I don’t know the risks involved in that option.
My midwife said I could go to hospital each day for a nurse to do them, but it will take a huge chunk of time out of my days and plus it’s a waste of their time and resources.
Does anyone know any shortcuts to make it easier? And if I’m allowed to change the time they are taken? It’s currently done at 10am but if I can move them to 7pm when my partner is home it may get easier over time, as I know for certain I can’t do it myself. Feeling very sore and battered and running out of space that isn’t bruised, is it safe to inject there still?
Hoping someone can help with these questions as my midwife didn’t seem to have a clue unfortunately. Thanks

I had these after an operation, they left bruises and weren’t pleasant. I did mine in my thigh.

Had these for 4 months. Just move the time to 7pm, it won’t do you any harm. They can sting a bit and some bruise but really it takes about 5 seconds! Why the drama, get him to do it in your bottom, more fat and padding!

I found it less painful and stressful to do it myself. I used to pinch the skin on my stomach and do it slowly at an angle.
its hard if you have a needle phobia though.
I hated my DH doing it. I swear he enjoyed it.

Once a day is fine. Grab a bit of tummy fat pinched and will be less painful. You can buy local anaesthetic cream in pharmacies that takes about 40min to work (will need to plaster it so it doesn't run off) if that would help. Please don't stop them though post natal is a high clothing risk time and a clot in the lung can be fatal

I had to get my partner to do them as I couldn’t do them myself. You can change the time no bother, so he can still do them when he gets home. Have you been getting him to do them in your thigh? I did alternating thighs each night so it gave each leg a night off, could not have coped with tummy. Lidocaine cream will help numb it, but yes, they are nippy. I used to put it off as long as I could each night. Lots of sympathy.

I recently had to have 6 months of these.
Switch to evening. I it really doesn't matter.
Pintch the skin on your stomach quite hard where the needle is going in and encourage him to do it as quickly as possible

Please under no circumstances consider not taking them. I had a clot and it’s no laughing matter, you get very very seriously ill and take a long time to recover. In total I have been on fragmin for a few years, as others said pinch a bit of fat and do it quick.

I had to have these every day for 11 weeks when pg with Ds so you have my sympathy. I couldn’t do it either and dh had to do it.
It will be fine to change the time to the evening. I found thighs the least painful place. Big pinch of skin and it shouldn’t sting for long.

Try icing the area first to get it a bit more numb. Also I know it's weird but don't look while you do it. Line it up, touch the needle tip against the skin lightly and look away before you start to push it in. Be sure to shout your best swears as a way to distract your brain and channel the fear. This is how I got through it.

I had to do these for 3 months after a bad accident that left me out of action. Horrid little things that really sting during and after. I found it depended where on my tummy I did them as to how bad the pain was.
I didn’t like it but I just sucked it up and made myself do it. A few seconds pain.
Dont rub them afterwards as it can make them bruise more.

Wouldn't it be easier to move the injection earlier rather than later so your partner can do it just before he leaves for work?

Maybe the nurse at your GP surgery would be willing to do them as it takes much less time than an actual appointment. Can't hurt to ask.

I have these just now too. I’d have no hope of doing them myself. My husband has to do them and I’ve found if he can grab a really fat bit on my side between his fingers and hold it quite hard the pain from that distracts from when the needle is going in. I let him do them while lying down the other night as I was already in bed and just about jumped out my skin as it went in. They are nippy little things 😬 I’d definitely move them to 7pm rather than attempt them yourself

Aww OP I had to do these for months and it really got me down in the end. I had clexane though but same type of medicine. I found that if I did it slowly it hurt less, and so I would do a big breath out and give a little stab to get it in, then another breath in before breathing out again while pushing the plunger slowly. Then remove on the next out breath. That really helped. Also agree it won't matter if you move the time of them, but I used to prefer doing mine first thing before my morning coffee. I would do it while DH made the coffee and it would be my reward when I'd finished the injection and then I wouldn't have to think about it again all day.

I had these but only for 10 days pp. Injected mid thigh. Best way to do it is pinch the skin, take a deep breath and then breathe out long and slow from injection until you remove it. Helped steady the nerves. Sometimes they did sting slightly and I was left for weeks after wards with hard knobbly bits under the injection sites. Oh and I had to do injections on alternating thighs per day

I'm sure you can move the time. They can be stingy but if you're been prescribed them for 6 weeks I imagine there's a very good reason for it as that's much longer than the 'standard'. I didn't mind doing them but my DH positively enjoyed it so I let him do it both times.

I have these OP. I do them in my bum , in the evening.

when you’re done injecting, immediately press hard (with a tissue) on the injection site for about 20 seconds. The bruising will be much less.

I’ve had numerous blood clots over the years and am on life long anti-coags. I’ve done Clexane / Fragmin injections on/off for years of my life. Used to have a real problem disposing of the needle buckets but that’s another thread.

As others had said, any fatty bits are your friend - tummy, hip, thigh etc. You really want to grab/pinch a decent chunk of skin so it’s a good 2+ inches. Then inject, don’t depress it harder than necessary or wiggle, and straight out. Don’t rub it even if it stings and yes bruising is an issue. I’ve been asked if I’m the victim of DV due to severe bruising and would consider myself an expert who doesn’t suffer from needle phobia.

Sorry to hear it’s problematic for you. The time will go in a flash and trust me you don’t want a clot.

shoudl say, my DH does them for me too. I sing out loud while he does them to give me something to do / take my mind off it. Poor guy has to see my bum, inject, and listen to my singing

6 weeks post-partum is v standard.

I've had 2 sections and it's only ever been 10 days with each, same with a couple of friends who have had them post-birth, but perhaps it is!

I had them from 4 weeks pregnant to 6 weeks post c-section so literally for nearly 10 months ouch!! They are nippy little fuckers! I did them in the fat either side of my tummy until the skin got too stretched then moved to my thighs. Sometimes it killed like hell and sometimes it was ok! I too had to sometimes work up to do them and sometimes I just did it in seconds. It’s tough and I bruised like hell. You’ve had your baby, congratulations, you’re amazing just see it as one more thing you need to do to keep you and your little one safe and literally count the days. I agree that you should take the plunge and try doing it yourself. Good luck honey and massive congratulations to you and your new baby 🥰 x

Oh and if you want to move the time just move it gradually so like an hour a day until you get where you want to x

I too was going to suggest the local anaesthetic cream to numb the skin beforehand. I used it when I had to inject my IVF meds and when I worked in a hospital, we used it before giving children injections or cannulating them.

Emla cream can be bought online, or from larger pharmacies. You put a pea sized blob on the area, apply a clear plaster gently over the top (you can buy packs with the plasters included) and leave it to absorb. At least 30mins, but 60mins ideally. You don't rub it in like a hand cream- just let the white blob slowly absorb to leave an opaque residue you just wipe off before cleaning the area. The numbness should last up to 4hrs, but I've never tried if after that length of time.

Sometimes I'd just put the blob on my stomach, and sit there with no dressing. This is fine, if you don't need to move/walk for 30mins or so.

EMLA Cream 5% & Dressing - 5g | Numbing Cream | Chemist4U (chemist-4-u.com)

Thank you everyone, I’ll change the time gradually and get some numbing cream..hopefully in time it’ll stop me being such a wimp!

I found it less painful to do while laid down and after my evening shower.
Tried it in thighs etc but it was less painful in my stomach. My DP couldn't bring himself to do it for me (despite dealing with medical emergencies as part of his job 😄).

The longer I had to take them, the more painful I found them. I ended up with hard lumps under the skin for months along with deep bruising. I was counting down the days until they were finished.

You just have to bite the bullet and get it over with as quickly as possible. The more you dither, the more painful it will be when you finally do it.