Maybe some of the peeps out there remember being taught to insert your needle in your belly then try to draw out blood to be sure you are not in a vein.?Then start all over if you do. I actually did this until I learned that the skin above a vein is more sensitive, a trick I still use to insert insulin sets.
But why do they not teach this method anymore? My nurse told me that they just just train new diabetics to inject it anyway. So why were we warned to never do that back in the day, but now it doesn't matter?
I have not used injections much at all for 15 years, so anyone on injections inject anyway? Or do you abort?
I remember doing that once in my life and I almost threw up, so I never did it again.
I inject where no vein is showing when possible. If it hurts, too bad. It's staying in 'til the job is done. I do sometimes touch the point of the needle on my skin first. If it hurts a lot, then I move to another spot, so I don't hit a vein/nerve head on. Both techniques work for the most part.
Perhaps they found that it was a waste of time, like a few other issues they had back then?
I never did, but I get a lot of injections in a hospital setting and most of the nurses use the draw back before injecting method. I don't think there is much risk with the tinny new insulin needles, our old needles where much longer.
I think that there is still a concern about injecting long acting insulin into veins. Lantus cautions specifically about this. I think that the shorter needs have made this much less likely (and besides, most americans are a lot "fluffier" these days).
I learned this with syringes too. Slowly I just set the needle on the skin. To this day this little pinch gives me the tactile feedback whether or not there is a vein or nerve beneath. Actually I never drawed back but relied on the tactile feedback alone. Back then I used the syringe on my arm too - quite a show in the canteen of my college.
Another interesting thing about these times is that we had U40 insulin back then. If you inject regular insulin in U40 and U100 the U40 insulin will be quicker to get active. To this day I wonder how much speed has been lost due to this transition. The higher concentration made it slower. Then the analog design made it faster again. But I am sure an analog with U40 will beat the analog with U100. Biodel brought that to my attention with their ~U20 analog insulin called VIAject.
I loathed these instructions as a youth. I could never figure out how to draw the plunger back without jostling the syringe and causing 'unnecessary' pain. And then, if you hit a vein and drew blood back into the syringe it would cause a larger bruise. Not to mention the ugly site of blood in the syringe and the question of weather you were supposed to reuse your dose at another location. Does anyone remember drawing back the plunger when you did not hit a vein and having a vacuum that would suck the plunger back down and fight with you?
I also remember around 1990 being told to inject at a 45% angle to my skin. I found this to be laboriously difficult. Pinch your skin and aim for a 45% angle and then let go of your skin. This is a recipe for causing more damage to your tissue than is necessary. I was 10 and remember thinking - why dont you just make a shorter syringe??? I guess I was ahead of my time.
I was a naive youth and continued 'listening' for maybe 6 months before I cried foul and quit! I think these questionable suggestions helped lead me to my pinch, stab and pray methods.