Injections for my 4 year old

[Ness74]

Can anyone help me, my daughter got diagnosed last week with type 1 & we had a right game injecting her, I managed to persuade her to have the injections in her arms as she could watch what was going on and she adapted well to this. The nurses over the weekend said it was great how she had adapted and everything was going fantastic until tonight. Tonight I had a different nurse come out &t tell me that she can't have injections in her tummy or the arms as she is too young. They have to be put in her legs or bum, it took 3 of us to hold her down whilst she injected my daughter which was horrid and heart wrenching.
The folders and paperwork tell me you can use arms and tummy, is there anyone out there who can tell me if this is right or wrong as I feel I have taken 2 steps back, I really was getting somewhere before tonight. I got 1 person telling me one thing and then someone else telling me something different.
Please help

 

[mrman]

Sorry to hear this must be horrible. I am 35 and inject regularly into the back of my arm (fatty bit), and stomach. I have read and was told ok to do so . Honestly not sure in your daughters case being so young but would of thought if there was ample fatty tissue would be ok. I would make an appointment with your consultant to discuss, am sure another parent will be along soon to advise better.

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[KieranP]

I'm guessing your daughter is on a mix insulin (Novomix maybe) so generally you can inject that all sites regardless of what age you are. After being diabetic for several years and being on a mix when diagnosed, there is no real reason I know of that you cannot inject her where she feels comfortable.


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[LizG]

Hi, I think you should seek another opinion. My 8yr old son was diagnosed Type1 last year and we were recommended to inject in his arms inthemorning and lunch then legs and tummy in the eve. It has all gone quite smoothly.

 

[carb-counting-mum]

Oh, how horrible for your poor girl (and you).
We were told all of the sites you mentioned were fine. We couldn't use the arms or tummy straight away, as our little girl (8) had lost so much weight and she was too skinny. But once she'd gained some weight back we started using the tummy. I think you need to be able to pinch a bit of fat in the tummy, maybe your daughter doesn't have enough fat on her tummy (or arms) to do this? I haven't heard about children being too young for injections in certain sites, but maybe that is indeed the case for very young children? Maybe other posters know?
Sorry I can't be of more help. Just wanted to say I understand. My little girl was diagnosed before xmas and I know it's very emotional. Luckily our daughter was fine with all the fingerpricks and injections. Can't even imagine what it must be like for you, to watch your little one being so distressed. Personally, I think the nurse was quite cruel to forcefully make her have the injection. I know it needs to be done, but how awful an experience for your daughter, could she not have found a better way?
Hug from me.

 

[mrman]

Have done a little googling and all the usual sites back of arms, outer thigh, stomach, buttocks should all be fine for anyone any age to inject as long as there us a little fat which may need to be slightly pinched depending on size of needle. Most important is your daughter feels comfortable and insulin works as expected.

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[Ness74]

Thank you everyone, I had a little chat with my daughter & said if she lets me try her leg ten I will ring the nurse & tell her not to come this morning. Don't need the stress before school. I don't know if I did the right thing but to try & get my daughter over this fear, I let her needle up the pen & stick it in my leg (obviously minus the insulin) I wanted to feel what she goes through, then she took my blood sugar. I'm hoping that she will give it ago as I know always best to try various places. I too checked out web sites and books & they all say the same, as what you have told me. I have left a message with my pediatriton to call me. Thank you for you posts

 

[juliebarrett]

My daughter will b 4 next week and i inject her in the bum and thighs because her wee arms have no fat whatsoever but i have been told i can inject hrr in arms or tummy talk to ur daughter and c where she mihht want injected and talk to another nurse or ur diabetic team at the end of the day its not whats easiest for the nurse its what makes ur daughter happy enough to get her injection she has her whole life with diabetes now and u dont want to fight every time shes to get injected and holdin down breaks ur heart and scares the **** out of them

 

[elainechi]

poor things...both of you....i can.t see why she can.t inject in her arms and tummy....she must be having only a small amount of insulin anyway at 4 and the less as she falls into the honey moon....make sure she has the small 4mm needleds those....good luck xx

 

[Moomafitz]

Hi.

My 6 year old son was diagnosed november 28th, i was told to inject in his bum and outer thighs, he had lost so much weight and only a delicate frame as it was.

Arms are still to thin to inject but gonna start on the tummy tonight fingers crossed.

 

[Giverny]

I've moved this to the Parents forum, as I feel it's better suited here :thumbup:

 

[Just Laura]

Hi Ness

My little 5 year old was diagnosed about 3 weeks ago (my goodness, it's been that long!) and right from the start, we were advised that we could inject in arms, bum, thighs or tummy. Obviously everyone is different though and I'd still double check first. But can't see any reason why not.

My daughter is thin as a pin (just like her Daddy) and had also lost weight before being in hospital but we inject everywhere. Well, everywhere that's okay! She prefers her bum but clearly that's not okay in school so she has her arm jabbed there.

I know exactly how you're feeling now and it's still very raw and real to me but (and I can't believe I'm now the one saying this) but it really does get easier and less overwhelming as time goes on.

Obviously I'm no expert and totally new to this myself but any time you want to chat, rant, moan or just generally feel peed off with the world, then just holler. Happy to give email address / phone numbers by personal message.

Hang in there.

x


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[Pootie1]

Hi There, my son was diagnosed on 21 December and from day one we were told to not, at this time, inject into anywhere other than thighs and bottom(for night) on the basis he had lost so much body weight. He is older though at 8 and because as yet it is all he knows it isn't a problem for him. He has regained much of his weight now and I hope it won't be long before they suggest we can use alternative sights. He is doing his own injections now, particularly at school and I do wonder if he will have difficulty in injecting his arms though. Best of luck you you and your daughter.

 

[DrewIam]

Hi Ness. My son was 3 when he was first diagnosed and i sure do remember the tough place you are in right now. With time it does get easier! Like you, we had to hold my son down first of all for his injections as a nice scar on my arm will prove when i first discovered how strong his teeth were! However, it will soon become the "norm", and it will all settle down. At the moment you have so much going on. So much to do, so much to learn and so much to take in! It is a really steep learning curve and very confusing but you are off to a good start as it is always good to question everything. My little lad was a skinny 3 year old and my Diabetic Nurse really just pinched the skin and said that was fine as there was enough fat for the needles. So tum, bum and arms were fine. He didn't like the legs so much as they have always been quite skinny and i think he would tense quite a bit which would have hurt him, so we avoided it more than the other areas. Might just be worth asking the nurse to pinch the skin where you would like to do the injections and just ask if they think there is enough to inject. You will then have a better idea and can then rotate the sites. Different sites also have different absorbtion rates for the insulin and the bum is often one of the better places for a more stable release of the insulin which is quite helpful whilst going through the "honeymoon", stage. Try not to let it get you down as it does get easier!

 

[Helene83]

Hi Ness,

My 22 month old boy was diagnosed 2 months ago and he is on the basal bolus regime. We have been told by the doctor to alternate the fast acting insulin between the arms (push the fatty bit out) and the thighs (which he's not too keen on) and the slow acting in his bum. We were told not to do his tummy till he's a bit older. I would definitely get a second opinion or at least ask for an explanation as to why you shouldn't inject the arms

 

[barbergirl]

Hi my son was diagnosed in november not long after his 5 birthday we were told bum or thighs were best as not much fat else where it's taken along time to to get my son settled and have not long managed to get him to do finger test had to do toes for ages I know how you feel I feel like screaming a lot just be strong it does get better we used a star chart which really helped .

 

[Debloubed]

Really feel for your daughter, I was diagnosed at age 13 and I can only imagine how distressing it must be at a younger age, for both you and her! I think you should google or ask your DN about WHY different sites are used for different insulins and times of day etc. Tummy and thighs are the 'quickest' spots whilst arms and bum are 'slower' spots. Obviously amount of flesh is important but to tell you arms are not an option is not only misleading but also adds to the stress involved! BUT if your nurse was suggesting that arms are not the best place due to the type of insulin or time of day then that is something different. Good luck

 

[chrismbae]

Hi my daughter is 4 and 8 months now. For the last year, both her doctor n diabetic nurse encouraged us to start injecting the arms, tummy, thighs and bottom. We have been doing this successfully and have had no problems whatsoever. She advised me to keep rotating to avoid the danger of injecting in one place which would reduce insulin absorption if she ever got lumps caused by injecting in one location. I even called roche diagnostics at the time since i use their meter for more information and they sent me a chat of where to inject which contained a lot of information. In my opinion, i dont see why you shouldnt do the arms. Maybe she was trying to tell you to avoid the muscles which makes the absorption of insulin very fast which can cause the child to hypo if they dont eat immediately, but she could have just shown you the right place at the arm to inject.
I would strongly recommend you get second opinion as its stressing enough to inject the child, let alone to pin her down causing more unnecessary stress.
Hope you get it resolved quickly as when one undergoes such stress again it goes the blood sugars to go up which would really not be helping the child..
Good luck and keep the faith..

 

[emma08]

Hi my 4 year old son has type1 and refuses to have his injection any where other then his arms and his nurse told me its ok as long as he dont have it the same area as his last injection hope it helps

 

[donnellysdogs]

Prior to insulin pump... I injected in the same cheek of one bum probably for 80-90% of my injections in the past 27 years. I may just be lucky, but I havent got a single problem with skin or absorption with it.
The reverse actually!!
I use pump now and my left bum cheek gives better bg rates than the right cheeks.

Please don't fret about insulin sites so early in to diagnosis.... Personally I feel it so much better to get a child used to having injections, let alone trying to get them to change to other parts of their bodies. Try to keep moving the injections around that site whichever one is chosen.....

My first injection was in one of my legs... That was where I was shown 27yrs ago. I never been able to use stomach. If out.. And bot able to get to bum or 2nd leg then I woukd go for 3rd arm.

Honest, i am size 10... Prob a size 0 when diagnosed.. But always used left side of my bum for the vast, vast majority of 27 years.. I personally think you are all worrying yourselves silly too early over something that is significantly lower on list than getting bgs down, stopping swings in levels, and calculating your boluses and ratios effectively for each meal...