Prick after prick after prick ...

[Muggins]

Hey everyone, I'm Megan
I'm 18 and I've had type 1 diabetes for 10 years now, and only over the past few months it has been quite painful to inject. I'm wondering if anyone has any tips or knows why this is happening? I'm guessing because I've been diabetic so long but I'd like some other opinions
Thanks!

 

[Juicyj]

Lol had to chuckle at your post title !!

What size needles do you use and where are you injecting ?

 

[noblehead]

Use a new needle each time you inject and be sure to inject the insulin slowly, it goes without saying that you should also rotate your injection sites as injecting in the same area can become painful.

 

[yingtong]

Hi Megan,I've been type 1 for over 53 years and I am 67 years old and my only advice I can give is to rotate your injection sites,I used to rotate on a 5 week cycle.I have been on a pump for the last 6 months.Its possible that someone that someone will come on and give you some better advice.

 

[Muggins]

Lol had to chuckle at your post title !!

What size needles do you use and where are you injecting ?

I knew what I was doing haha
I think I use 3mm and I inject in my stomach and my thighs

 

[Muggins]

Use a new needle each time you inject and be sure to inject the insulin slowly, it goes without saying that you should also rotate your injection sites as injecting in the same area can become painful.

I'm doing all of that, it's the needle hitting my skin part that hurts now :/

 

[Muggins]

Hi Megan,I've been type 1 for over 53 years and I am 67 years old and my only advice I can give is to rotate your injection sites,I used to rotate on a 5 week cycle.I have been on a pump for the last 6 months.Its possible that someone that someone will come on and give you some better advice.

I do rotate but it hurts every time I inject even though I have no lumps from injecting in the same area too much ...

 

[Daibell]

Hi. 3mm is as small as you can get. A few people do have more sensitive skin than others and you seem to be doing all the right things; sorry I can't help with this.

 

[52O342UOIF]

Have you tried alternative injection sites?

 

[Juicyj]

Hey I would try injecting into your bum for a change, it's got more fat so less painful than thighs or tum, try that and see how you get on, a prick in my bum never hurts that much lol !! Otherwise it's an idea to try distraction technique whilst you inject as the more you think about it the more it hurts, Sod's law !!

 

[noblehead]

I do rotate but it hurts every time I inject even though I have no lumps from injecting in the same area too much ...

If your tensed-up about injecting then this can make matters worse, the modern day needles have ultra-fine tips and shouldn't really hurt when penetrating the skin, maybe have a chat with your DSN and see if they can help in anyway.

 

[mrspuddleduck]

Hi @Muggins do you use alcohol based injection wipes? If you don't wait for them to completely dry then they will make the injection sting as the needle goes in. That's one of the main reason blood tests hurt at the docs!!! Sue xxx

 

[viv k]

Hi Megan, In my day job as a dentist I use a numbing gel (topical anaesthetic) on my patient's gums before I give them an injection. Not sure if it would work on skin (compared to gum), not sure if it would cause any problems, or if you would be able to access anything like that?
It does help reduce the needle sting when used in the mouth. I've only been on insulin for 6 weeks, but find the finger prick testing more painful than injecting. Definitely would NOT use numbing gel for testing, but maybe you could ask your doctor/nurse if there is some numbing product you could use to take the sting away from the insulin needle?
BTW, I hold the gel in contact with the gum for at least 30 seconds before injecting the dental patients- might try some on my tummy when I go back to work after my week off .

 

[CollieBoy]

A possible solution would be EMLA cream (lidocaine and prilocaine.) http://www.medicinesforchildren.org.uk/emla-cream-local-anaesthesia I know it sounds like a sherry for your great aunt <G> but my daughter had it for her innoculations a few years ago and it worked.

 

[AlistairSam]

With my kid he started to complain and I noticed that we had a bad batch of needles. When I looked at them really closely the tip was slightly bent which seemed to blunt it slightly and it took more force to puncture the skin.

 

[charl824]

when I inject I always squish the more fatty parts so im grabbing it and it seems to hurt less , even if you quite thin there will still be some sort of square of fat near the belly button that you can grab to , also when im doing my thighs I always itch near where im injecting so it distracts me.

 

[Suicidal_Tissue]

Try putting a bit of ice on the injection site before injecting, slightly numbs the site for some people.

 

[AimeeWells]

My nurse recently told me that injecting (Or in my case, putting my point for my pump) in the same place, then the tissue underneath the skin can tear and it can become harder for the insulin to be absorbed. The tissue takes years to repair and I was told that I could maybe never inject there again, as I didn't want those lumps to grow bigger.

 

[becky.ford93]

"A prick in my bum never hurts".... this post just gets better and better! Haha

 

[Hannahbradford]

What needles do you have?