Well, I got the pen on the 13th of December and im doing well but i have always really favorated doing injections on my stomach and now i have pink and yellow looking marks like blotches of break out. Its reaaly tender and i also have what looks like bee stings on my stomach and i would do it on my sides/back, arms, and legs but that hurts me SO BAD i cant handle it. Is there somthing wrong with me? My mom said we are going to take it up with my doctor next time we go but in the mean time it seems like i cantdo injections anywhere. I dont want to eat! Any advise?
Hi Hannah,
I had been thinking about you and wondering how you are doing. I'm sure that many others here had been thinking of you, too.
I'm so sorry that you are having injection problems! I can't help with that, myself, but I'm sure there are others here who will have useful advice and will see your post very soon.
Thank you for letting us know what is going on, and I'm sure there will be people here who can help.
I'll be thinking of you,
Best wishes,
Marty1492
Hi. I remember a while ago when I started giving my self injections and some things that helped me may be able to help you too. First, I want to make it clear that you are newly diagnosed and still a child. I was diagnosed at 9 and my mom gave me almost all of my injections for a decent amount of time. I think it is fine to get help with injections until you figure out the technique that works for you.
The coloring and marks you mention on your stomach sound like small scabs and bruises from injections. Unfortunately, this happens and this is a main reason for injection site rotation as you seem well aware. I would recomend not injecting into these areas until they heal because you may do more damage and the injection may be absorbed differently.
I think most of the problem with injections for me (at the begining) was mental. I would recomend that you try injecting in new sites in a calm and familiiar environment. Make sure you and your body are calm and your muscle is not clenched or tense at all. Tensing my muscle always causes me more discomfort. When you are calm and ready pinch about an inch of skin and inject. Some prefer slow and methodical, but I prefer to inject at a fast speed as I find it less painful.
You also may want to discuss the type of syringes you are using with your medical team. There are many different syringes and some may suit you better than other types. Hope this helps some.
Hannah, if you choose to, there's no shame in going back to injections. You don't HAVE TO like the pens better. There are lots of sites that have instructions, or suggestions, for giving oneself insulin injections. Google "How to inject insulin" and browse some of them - maybe you'll learn some new tips on how to make it easier?
How have your BG numbers been?
I agree with JRT, if shots didn't cause the same problem, I'd go back to them in a minute. I've never used a pen and never found syringes to be that much of a bother. Plus MrsAcidRock gave me this cool syringe holder, way back before we got married:
Maybe fake but I still love it. People who didn't know what it is would be like '"woah, look at you..." and *then* I'd haul out the syringes, looking like something out of Studio 54, at the sort of redneck bars I'd hang out at...heh heh heh...I think it's a bit small for pens I've seen?
ah. sorry to hear...are you able to do like your sides, more towars the fatty areas (like love handle areas) and towards your butt more? also, i don't have a lot of fat so i do my levemir in my thighs, but more towards the back or sides of my thighs and never the front because they're too lean, I sit on a chair and where there's some meat on the sides or towards the back, i inject. unfortunately, bruising happens...i have bruises all over too..ugh! If you go in at a 45 degree angle, that helps too. Can your mom help you with this...do you have the short nano needles for the pens?
ah, a mini- LV man purse, goes great with your hat, AR! you're too much - just stylin' all over the place. :)
Hi Hannah -
I had problems when I first started injections. I was getting lots of black and blue marks. Showing them to a nurse/CDE really made a difference. She got me some smaller needles and showed me how to improve my technique. I wouldn't wait until your next doctor's appointment to get help; we all need a lot of help when we're newly diagnosed and it doctors and nurses are more than happy to provide it.
Take care,
Maurie
Ok thankyou this is helpful :)
Thankyou very much this is extreamly helpfull. I cant do it on my sides because of the excruciating pain and i dont have much fat either. My doctor told me not to do the 45 degree thing im not sure why, but i would like to. My mom and dad are really great and they do give me injections but i just wish i could do it in the same place over and over :/ No, i have 31gage mini needles and funny you brought that up, The other day my dad and i were at the pharmacy and behind the counter i saw some of the nano ones and i asked my daddy why dont i have those? he dident know but i also noticed that they were a little bit higher of a gage. We are going to talk about all this with my doctor on the 17th. Is that not soon enough?? Thankyou again :)
The bigger number= smaller needles. I would suggest giving your doc a call, or having your mom and dad do it, and seeing if they can give you some nanos to try. I didn't ever try those myself (I liked the 28 gauge needles, and the longer ones, as I probably weighed about 3x what you do?) but I've seen the ads. The needle companies are always coming out with new needles but the pharmacies don't automatically "adjust" anything and most of the time the doctor won't unless you ask about it. I had problems getting the longer needles and sort of gave up after a while.
Thank you very much. I know but everyone in my family not my house hold but like aunts uncles and especially my gramma always say there so proud of me and im doing so good and all and i know there just trying to be kind but its really awful because it makes me feel like i have to meet up to there standards and i feel like going back to the syringes would be giving up and i wouldent be supprised if i went back to the syringes and my gramma tells me i DID give up or im a quitter, she is a really nice and great lady but she is just that kind of person sometimes shes only trying to be nice and help. I will look into the injections stuff, thankyou again for that. My blood sugars have been really high (high 200s) but thing is is that if i dont "sneek" stuff or "cheat" (eating without counting) they stay really great it feels really good to have them were there sposed to be but its hard not to cheat. I have GOT to stop that. Thank you again. :)
Yeah but i dont want to be named a quitter or " i gave up". the bag is very cute btw :) please read the reply i gave to JRT.
you are doing good, hannah! we're all proud of you, this is a lot for anyone, let alone someone your age...you're a star in our eyes! :) keep trying, keep on trying...you know how good it feels to get those numbers down...that's your motivation, right.
Thankyou this is very helpful. I use the pen with 31 gage mini needles. I also like to do it fast and just get it over with. My parents are really great and they give me some of my shots. yeah usually at night when i give my lantus injection i start crying and that proble does make it harder thankyou so much i will try to calm down a little more before them. thankyou agian i will talk to my doctor about that.
Quitter? No way Hannah! We all have to experiment to find what works best for US. It's not quitting or giving up, it's exploring the options and choosing what's best for you. Many people here prefer to use pens, many prefer syringes/vials. Doing great is being able to keep your numbers under control, not how you do it. The method really doesn't matter as long as you get the good result.
Oh, and don't tell anyone, but I cheat sometimes too. I do take insulin for the extra carbs though :)
Hannah, you're a hero!
Thankyou very much :) its always wonderful to get replys like yours :))
LOL, thanks everyone for admiring my bag! It seriously dates way back, to like 1990 or thereabouts?
The thing about diabetes is that if you "quit" (trying to take care of it...) it doesn't go away and I suspect that it's just as much work as trying to take care of it. Maybe more work when stuff starts to blow up, rot, shut down, etc. I would suggest taking the needles and sticking your Grandma with them to see which one she would like better. Or you could adopt "the scientific method" and do "experiments" on yourself constantly. If the pens don't work you have to be able to substantiate "they don't work because [they leave bruises all over my abdomen/ hips/ legs/ whereever else you stick them..." but if you just say "they suck", a lot of *cough cough* older people might not believe you and, of course, it doesn't matter if I or JRT or T1G or any of us believe you or say "I agree, pens suck!", look at it as a science thing.
If you can report "I get bruises on 85% of my shots with pens and only 20% with syringes", you should have a *ton* of credibility and, if your grandma or doctor or parents or other person who is in a position of authority doesn't believe you, bludgeon them over their head with your evidence. I'm actually really horrible about saving any evidence and skip merrily along from one challenge to the next. I can always talk up my spiel though, whenever I encounter doctors or insurance people who get in my way.
I would suggest taking the needles and sticking your Grandma with them to see which one she would like better
OMG, this is funny. sorry but I'm crackin up. Hannah...are you laughin' too???? heee, heee, heeee! :)
Hang in there Hannah. I'd definately have your parents call your Doc, a phone call is all it can take, and the Doc can call in the prescription or send it electronically to the pharmacy. There is enough to deal with with this illness, experiment and try different things and needles to see what works best for you. But there is no need to wait till your appointment. And lol I sneak too, do your parents let u do your own insulin for what u eat? There's nothing wrong with sneaking some from time to time, just need to make sure though u are dosing for those carbs. Good luck, and keep hanging in there.