Tinziparin injections after c-section

[Alb1]

I had a c-section on Monday and have been having the blood thinning injections since, but too my surprise when they discharged me yesterday they gave me 6 more of the horrible things to take home and administer myself.

Problem with this is I'm a wimp and don't no how to do them! They've been doing them in the back of my arm and I had no idea I'd have to do it so I haven't been paying attention. Last night I broke the needle by mistake so didn't bother, today I injected half of it into my thigh and then panicked and stopped!

How important are these injections? Can I get away without doing them? If not, any hints or tips? Is it bad that I gave myself half a dose?

I wouldn't be able to do it either, can you not pop in to a local walk in centre or somewhere similar?

I have had to do these post surgery (am on oral anti coagulants)

The way I was shown was ti pinch an inch of skin on my tummy and just stick it in quickly. The needle is very short anyway.

Don't rub it afterwards - that can increase the bruising.

Don't give up on them, they're really important. I had anticoagulants after my C-section- i'd ask your midwife to show you how to inject them

Watching with interest as I'm going in for a section in the next few weeks. I've already told DH he needs to be prepared to do these for me as there is no way I'll be able to do them myself. My dad had DVT and therefore I'm at higher risk of a clot post surgery so it's definitely important for me to make sure they're done properly!

Darn. Posted too early. I freaked out messed one of mine up too so contacted the maternity ward for advice. They got me to go in and showed me what to do.

I had fragmin after my section and for 7 days after I went home. I was lucky and my mum who is medically trained did it for me. I used to lie on the bed and hold my baby and sing and she would do it in my thigh.

They are important but I couldn't imagine doing it myself!!

There are some good tutorial videos for self-injection of anticoagulants on You Tube which might help

Oh gosh, they are MASSIVELY important. You have two independent risk factors for clotting - the surgery and having recently given birth. Combined risk for the first week especially and first six weeks after birth is massive. If it motivates you, getting a clot will likely mean you need to take double the dose every day for six months.

I'm not sure of the brand name you mention but I have long experience of self injecting the blood thinner Clexane. Search my posts on here for nearly painless tips. Main ones are use fattiest area (stomach is good post partum but not close to belly button. Make sure there is no drip of the liquid on the end of the injection before you insert it. Hold a good pinch of skin and inject into the whitest spot you can see - this is fat which means nearly no nerves or blood vessels.

If you really can't do them, make someone else or even go to a doctor or clinic. But do NOT skip them. Also make sure you are moving regularly and not sitting immobile under the baby for hours. Treat every day as if you see on a long haul flight.

Although I probably would have to get my hubby to administer them as a nurse they're part and parcel of the routine - it's really bad they didn't teach you before you were discharged!! Basically it's a sub-cut injection - just below the skin surface - pinch the skin and inject at a 35 degree angle - if they're the prefilled syringe then you can push in all the way to the bubble of air. We were taught to pull back a little on the syringe to make sure you didn't go into a vessel by accident before pushing plunger down. Missing one isn't a problem but they do have to be done at roughly the same time every day to be effective. You can use the skin on the thigh and the tummy personally I don't usually do the arm. It will leave you prone to bruising and best to swap sides each night/day/morning. If you don't have anyone to do it then the district nurses/community nurses will come out and do it - honest! if you ring the gp they can refer you to the dn service. Hope that helps - but it does cut the risk of blood clot formation! :)

Plus the injections typically cost somewhere above £20 each - they really would not be handing them out willy-nilly if they weren't vitally important.

I found it hard, did a few myself. Got my mum and step mum to do some when visiting and if a midwife was in near the right time for her to do it. DH is a total wimp so wouldn't, though stepped up on the last day when I really bottled it.

Thing is logically I know it didn't really hurt (a wee sting), but found it hard to do it to myself. It's only a few days- good luck.

My midwife who visited me at home did it and then the health visitor did it for me.

Yes they are important, my sister did mine for me, the nurse showed her how before we left hospital as I didn't trust ex-wanker.

Have you any friends, family or even neighbours who's any type of HCP? I'm just a carer although it's not in my job role I'm trained to do it safely in an emergency.

Thanks for the replies, I'm at the hospital every day anyway (baby was early and is in nicu) so il pop back onto the maternity ward and see if they'll just do them for me, I just had no idea they existed! Fully expected everyone to say they hadn't had them and my hospital were just weird

Oh I didn't realise you had a nicu baby. Congratulations and good luck it can be really hard going

If the wards ever too busy the neonatal nurses might help out if they are still allowed these days.