Fragments/dalteparin blood thinner injections

[Anna2006]

I started on these injections yesterday and did my first one which went okay. On them from 28 weeks until 6 weeks post birth.

I have a red dot mark when the injection went in and a pea sized bruise today from it. In anyone’s experience how roughly does it take for these bruises and marks to disappear. Is it a couple of weeks or longer?

I know there will be lots of bruises and marks over the next 4 months. Just wondered how long it takes to clear to keep switching round sites etc. I’ve started on my thighs as didn’t fancy my pregnancy belly. So am hoping I can keep switching between legs and as the older ones clear up use that site again? Is that realistic?

Thanks

I had to go on blood thinning injections after my DS was born, they do leave a little bruise but these clear up within a couple of days, it’s important to use different areas each time (you can go back to same area after a while if needed) to make sure the skin doesn’t go hard due to the constant injections in the area :)

But yes, within a couple of days you should notice the bruises go down :)

I know you want to avoid your bump but I inject Clexane daily (not pregnant) and o can’t use my thighs as the bruising is awful. I tend to go round in a circle of my belly button. It’s normally fine but I managed to give myself a cracker of a bruise yesterday.
I’ve been doing it 2 years and unless they come up with a miracle cure will be doing it til I die (of something else hopefully!!).

My pregnant belly is quite tight and I’m naturally very slim and had no fat in that area before pregnancy what so ever so it’s very difficult to even grab any amount of skin. Love handles at the side I can grab something so maybe I can try them.

@flowerpowerbecky how long did you have to do them post birth? I know not to inject in same place too often. Was just hoping within couple week first few will of healed up & be back to normal. Guess only time will tell.

Well 5 days whilst in hospital and 5 days out so 10 days in total... yay!

They do get better in time don’t worry :)

I’ve been back on these for a week or so now - like you OP I’ve been told from 28 weeks until 6 weeks after birth.

I’ve had them before (either Clexane or Fragmin: Clexane at the minute which I marginally prefer!) a couple of times during IVF attempts, including early in this pregnancy. As others have said, the marks mostly go within a few days - I found some hang around a bit longer, occasionally I get a bit of bruising; it does seem to vary for no apparent reason. So long as you alternate sides each day, and try not to inject right next to a recent mark, you’ll be fine. There is quite a wide area you can use so you’re unlikely to be hunting for a spot.

This leaflet from Oxford Hospitals is quite useful, I thought: www.ouh.nhs.uk/patient-guide/leaflets/files/10707Pclot.pdf - though I’ve never tried using the upper buttock so can’t speak for that!

I was trying to avoid my belly this time (just because I quite like my bump & don’t want to have to avoid rubbing it if it does bruise) but I am finding it easier there than in my thighs - I don’t remember this being the case in previous courses but there we go. If you want to try on your belly but don’t have a lot of spare fat, you could try sitting leaning forward a bit if that helps? You only need as much as you can pinch between two fingers, the needle’s not that long. Also different bits of your bump might be less tight - worth pinching around to see! Just avoid your bellybutton.

(Now to decide what join-the-dots pictures we’d like to design for the benefit of the labour ward staff . )

@giraffesareok thanks very much for your insight! Did my second one tonight & more pushed it into the skin rather than jabbed it and appeared to go better! Someone mentioned a tip about using a tiny amount of a freeze spray or gel first & it seems to help stop the sting! Fingers crossed this one won’t bruise as bad an I slowly get the hang of it!

When is your due date? Mine is 4th Feb. So expecting to do these until end of March at least tbh.

I have to take the same as You from 28 weeks and then 6 weeks postnatally. Mine is due to a previous blood clot in my arm due to trauma not because of a blood disorder but they want to be precautious.
I had to take for 6 months at the time I had last clot so although not worried about injecting myself I don’t like thought of doing it in my belly so will be doing in top of thighs.
I bruise easily anyway so my stomach used to be black and I used to get heamotomas under the skin despite being good and not rubbing skin after injection even though I wanted to lol

Hi anna - glad tonight’s went better! Freeze spray, that’s an idea - and it might help with avoiding rubbing the spot afterwards, like you say kelly it’s hard not to! At the moment I’ve got some mini antiseptic wipes which are cool on the skin, so I use them before and then again straight after - doesn’t help with the sting during the injection, but soothes it down after.

My EDD is 21st Jan, but it’s twins (which is partly why I’m on the Clexane) so they should be along by the first week of Jan - so hopefully I’ll be done with injections by late Feb... the doctor made a point of saying the injections are as important if not more so after the birth than before, so I’ll just have to hope I’m still capable of remembering to do it after a couple of weeks with newborns!

Might not be the case here but I found that when I did it myself I left a bruise because I seemed to be going in at a very slight angle. If my partner did it whilst I was lying completely flat then it was much better! I had already given birth when I started them though so not sure if that actually helps or not!

I've been on them for a month now and will be on them till the end of may at least. worst things ever my belly is black with bruises and are taking ages to clear up I get a new one everyday 😥😷

Yes the doctor mentioned to me also risk is highest after birth so them 6 weeks post birth are most important. Guess at least then my belly will be flabby to do some in there.

Seem to be getting on okay with my thighs. It leave soon a very small red mark/ tiny darkesh tingle behind the bruise. I’m sure I will get a whopper of of a bruise at some
point. I was told to inject it really slow to lessen the sting and I haven’t found it too bad so maybe that is helping!

@giraffesareok @kelly14

Don’t a week worth of injections an wasn’t getting on too bad. Small bruises. Not much pain. An then last night think I hit or snagged either side of vein in top of my thigh. Lots of blood when I removed the needle. An within an hour my vein had swollen up An it is now the biggest bruise ever. It’s so sore this morning! 😩😞

It’s freaked me out a bit now. Have you guys ever hit anything that’s bruised particularly big an nasty?

Oh, ow @anna2006, that sounds painful.

I do find that sometimes it bleeds and bruises and sometimes it doesn’t - once in a week is about the same frequency it happens to me! At the moment I have a fading bruise around 3cm across in my belly from a couple of days ago, and otherwise a collection of small purple marks.

You can just nick a capillary and you won’t know until you’ve done it; and of course the effect of the drug itself makes you bleed more than usual, which in turn means you bruise more.

It does sound like you’ve a particularly nasty one there. If you’re worried you’ve hit something bigger, or the bruise gets more painful, I’d get someone medical to take a look - but unfortunately some bruising does just seem to be part of the game. Hope this one heals up soon.

@giraffesareok yes all mine seem to bruise of some sorts but it’s like pea shaped size if it does. A few were a little bigger. But this one is giant an deff think I hit something not ideal whoops.

Maybe I should of moved further down the thigh. Think I did it bit too close to my groin. I might have to try my bump soon. Don’t like the idea of that though. I am deff more prone to bruising anyway so guess everyone is different.

Feels a long duration at the moment..especially after today now I’ve freaked myself out lol

@anna2006 We’ll be experts pretty soon! Though I don’t think bruising is ever totally avoidable. Hope your horror bruise is a bit better today.

I remembered the tip about leaving the needle in for a few seconds after the injection’s finished (and keeping the pinch for a second or so after you take the needle out). Won’t make any difference if you’ve hit a bleeder, but (if I’m remembering rightly) might help with the ordinary marks.

I keep reminding myself, this is more fun than a pulmonary embolism!

Hi @anna2006 and all - just returning to this thread because I’m out of hospital after having my twins (who are absolutely lovely ), now taking Clexane twice daily instead of once, but with much less difficulty after watching the nurses give it in hospital - they pinch the fat, push the needle in and immediately push the plunger all the way down and pull it out, all in one movement. And contrary to what I thought, doing it quickly is much less painful, no bruising. Of course, it is also significantly easier in a post section belly than it was in a bump - no shortage of injection sites now! Just wanted to share that in case it’s helpful to anyone else. Hope you’re all doing well.

I had clexane injections after daught3r and stomach surgery so Arnica works wonders to heal bruises. The rule of thumb for these injections is to move around a lot on skin but never ever bump or put tight clothing over it as bruising will be spectacular