the best way to give an injection...any tips?

[bubbly1973]

right as some of you may or may not know, i have to take 2 injections which i have chosen to take around my belly

now sil did the injections the last 2 days and they didnt hurt as much as dh did them today

i almost felt his going in all the way, then all the way out

so without using the injection pen (as i dont have one) what is the best way to do it (also will only do it on belly)

would you grab a bit of fat and bang! jab it in quickly

or dont grab anything, just whack it in..etc etc

which is the best way?

hold a fold of fat and push the needle in quickly. Inject smoothly, then pull it out quickly. Once needle is out, give the area a rub with a cotton wool ball or similar(has the same effect as rubbing a bump).

i just whack it in bubbly, whether i'm using a pen or a syringe. going slowly helps sometimes. do you not want to try doing it yourself? i find things hurt less when you're in control. also, whip it out quickly once you've got the drugs, you shouldn't feel that. good luck!

oh, & if i've picked a spot where it hurts at the start IYSWIM i resite it.

Oh, and don't re-use the same spot, till all the bruising has gone. If you inject into the same place twice, it will hurt more. Did't the clinic show you how to do it?

Squeeze a decent amount of skin between your thumb and forefinger with one hand, use the other hand to use the needle a bit like a dart really, although without letting go. The idea being you get it in fast and plunge down and remove. Use your thumb as the plunger. Sharp and fast is the way to go to reduce the pain. My patients always used to compliment me on my injection technique!

PS if you have spare needles, old ones really, practice with tap water and an orange. Obviously don't reuse them. This is what they taught us to do in college. One lecturer advised that vodka was excellant for making the oranges eadible afterwards!

What medication is it? How is it supposed to be administered (subcutaneous?). I used to work for a company that sold a medicine which could be self-injected and we included a patient information leaflet which gave specific instructions about how to do it. Have you got a leaflet anything like that?

thank you tissy and hoxtonchick

so i should whack it in...right will tell dh that..when i asked him how he did it (because it hurt) he said he 'eased' it in!...well it bloody hurt dont ease it in again was my reply!

hoxtonchick, i tried to do it myself but got into such a tissy over it, broke out in a sweat!...the only time i did it myself was the last time i did the treatment...dh made me angry and i was so so furious i snatched the needle off him and jabbed myself and it didnt hurt one bit

now unless he pisses me off every night so i can jab myself i dont think i am as brave as you..wish i was but eeek couldnt!!

tissy, the clinic did show me how to do it the first time around and they demonstrated on an orange (about 3 and half years ago)

this time around they showed me which drugs to use and how to get the air out of the needle thingy and how to get the right amount in etc etc...but they never showed me how to get it in, only that i had to do it on a 90degrees angle

gingernut, its fertlity drugs, small needle, 2 lots of injections a day

flossam, i think i wont tell dh to use it like a dart, oh he would have so much fun!!

thanks for that, tomorrow i will tell dh to do it fast...funny thing is, the very first one he did on thursday didnt hurt, ....maybe he meant to hurt me

Bubbly I bet after the first few times of bringing yourself to put it in you you'll feel much better about it. You can know how it feels for you. You will know the best way. I know it feels impossible to put it in, but unless DH improves dramatically then perhaps it is for the best!

flossam...if i tried to do it myself...do i have to look? cant i turn away or is that a bad idea?

...

thats a bad idea isnt it!!

the thought of doing it myself has got me all hot and bothered...im sure if it came to it and dh couldnt do it and i HAD to do it in order to have a baby i would, but oh i dont know..im nervous

hoxtonchick, i take my hat off to you, you inject and you have a bump!! i know baby is protected in layers of skin and fat but jeez how brave you are to self inject in your belly when your pregnant

absolutely amazing!!

Bubbly, yes, sorry I think that's a bad idea, especially if your pinching the skin as you should be doing. You may end up with very sore fingers!! I do know exactly how you feel. At work I wanted to test my blood sugar on a couple of occaisions. I have always either chickened out or got someone else to do it for me!! How long are you likely to have to inject for? Sorry I am completely uninformed when it comes to IVF cycles.

flossom dont apologise
i have to inject for about 14 to 16 days, the treatment is called IUI, the injections are to help me grow eggs, and one to stop me prematurely ovulating, hopefully sometime on day 14 to 16 dh can go and do his bit, then they inject his sperm into my womb and its a waiting game then

...ouch @ the sore fingers comment...unless i wear gardening gloves

have thought long and hard, decided to tell dh to do the 'whack it in' technique, and if it still hurts, will try it myself

I'd agree with that. It's not like you will have to be doing it for too long, and hopefully DH's technique will improve. Hopefully this cycle will be successful and that will be the last of it. I really hope so for you

Thank you

Sorry I took a while to come back to this, and I see you've had some helpful hints anyway. The drug my company sold was different, but if you do decide to do it yourself they suggested sitting or lying to do it, such that you can easily see the area you where are going to inject. Then hold the syringe in your writing hand like you would hold a pen, and with your other hand take a fold of skin. Hold the needle vertically while you insert it and depress the plunger, then continue to hold the skin fold while you remove the needle. These are the sections which would apply for any subcutaneous injection.

HTH.

i do get a bit freaked out when the baby wriggles as i'm doing an injection, but i don't think i've hit her yet!

have to disagree with most other posters here (who i think are medical?), i never bother pinching up skin. when i say whack it straight in that's exactly what i mean! though i do look what i'm doing...

I'm not medical, I used to work in the medical department of a pharma company though. Flossam is a nurse.

hoxtonchick, I presume you are injecting insulin? Diabetics usually seem to just whack it in without pinching skin, but I don't know why. It may be because some insulins can be given suncutaneously (sc) or intramuscularly (im). Our drug was specifically supposed to be administered sc so pinching a skin fold would ensure it goes in the right place. Does that make sense?

Would like to know what bubbly's drug is so I can check route of administration in case I have given bad advice!

you're right gingernut, i'm a devil-may-care person with diabetes - you get a bit blase about the wretched injections...

gingernut hi, my meds are these

suprecur (suprefact) 0.3ml (to stop premature ovulation)
menopur 75iu (to stimulate the ovaries to produce eggs)

i am pleased to say did as you instructed me to and it didnt hurt like yesterday, but i had to come back on this thread to see if i was supposed to hold the fold of skin whilst needle was coming out...and yes you say to do that....dh let go of the skin after he whacked it in so it did hurt coming out

tomorrow it should work a treat...definitly whacking it in does the trick!!

so thank you

hoxtonchick, i cant help but think of how many injections you take a day and each time i am about to feel sorry for myself i remember this and it stops me in my tracks!!

thank you all very much for the great advice i have received in helping me to take my injections, it is much appreciated

glad it's going well bubbly. just think, the baby you'll get at the end will be worth it .

Hi bubbly, just checked your meds on the electronic medicines compendium and they are for subcutaneous administration (which is what I had assumed). Glad to hear today was better. I cannot imagine having to do injections at home, it would certainly freak me out. Hope it only takes the one cycle!

hoxtonchick, yes I remembered you had diabetes cos we've `chatted' before. My dh has Type II (controlled by diet at the moment). Good luck with the rest of your pg.