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bruises at injection sites

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Sanober

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Not really knowing what's going on inside my Endocrine system!!!
Hi , one week on insulin. Much to my surprises, I counted 5 small bruises on my stomach. All in different places and it's where I inject the novorapid. (The Lantus goes in thigh as too burny in my stomach). Is the bruising normal?
 
Hi Sanober,

I find that I bruise sometimes too so I gues syou could consider it normal.

For me the burising usually happens because I don't pich the skin quite well enough and so I essentially end up injecting too deep. There are, I guess, 3 solutions to this.

1) Try and pinch a smaller patch of skin so you get a higher pinch point and less flesh.
2) Angle the needle over to up to 45 degrees to reduce the depth
3) Try and get shorter needles. (4mm is the shortest I think)

As I said I find I bruise when I simply grab a huge chunck of flesh though if I pinch the skin up properly it seems to work fine.
I have also taught myself to inject into my arms and I don't seem to bruise much there bet I know some people bruise reayy badly there so it comes down to personal perference.

The important thing is to make sure that you keep rotating sites even when you do find ones you like / dislike since that reduces the chances of developing the whole fatty lump issues (someone please feel free to fill me in on the technical name, I have been up since 5am :P )

Hope you find a technique that works better for you.

/A
 
Hi Sanober!

I think some amount of bruising is normal. I have a really nasty bruise on my thigh at the moment from one of yesterday's injections. For me, it seems to happen if I catch a capiliary or something under the skin - it's just pot luck I think. Sometimes it hurts, usually it doesn't. Sometimes you bleed, usually you don't. Sometimes you bruise, usually you don't. I find the stomach particularly sensitive, uncomfortable and prone to bruising. I really don't have any fat there to pinch (sorry ladies, but it's true :lol: ), so I use the side area around my waist when I have to, but avoid the front stomach area altogether. As I'm gradually having to do more injections, I'm finding the whole rotating of sites very problematic. As Andy said, make sure you're on the shortest needles if possible. They started me off on the 5mm ones and I bruised more with those than I do since swapping to the 4mm ones. Be careful if you inject at an angle, though - I find it stings much more and doesn't work aswell - I suspect I don't get the needle in deep enough sometimes.

Smidge
 
Thanks Andy and Smidge. I'm on the smallest needles at 4mm. I have on occasion just jabbed into my tummy, unlike Smidge, I do have pinchable tummy. I hadn' t realised that I need to do the pinching every time. Smidge I had one 'bleeder' so know to avoid that spot now, it was a surprise initially.
.
 
I find I bruise a lot more with the short needles now..but I changed to these at the same time I changed from Apidra to Novo...so is it the insulin..or ...is it the needle :think: The needle does not bruise much in my butt with Levemir...so I'm thinking it's the Novo :think: Now't major though!
I'm afraid bruising is a side effect of injecting,but I have found 20 years down the line that in certain spots you get the skin of a Rhino...so, no bruising :lol: :lol: Now there's something to look forward to eh.
No, bruising will come and go...just go as steady as you can to eliminate trauma to the dermis, not easy when you are in a car going over a hump back bridge :shock: as I was today...wish my other half had warned me about that one...Lovely bruise for my Christmas and New years parties now :mrgreen:

Get some Arnica cream...it's the dogs for bruises :D
 
personally I bruise in the week before my period, and not so much at other times. So in that week I try and favour the fattier bits of me, top of thighs and bum, and avoid my stomach which is of course slender and washboard-flat
(you can't see me on the internet :wink: )
 
Since changing to the 5mm needles I've never bruised, on the 8mm needles beforehand and going back to when we injected with glass syringes bruises were a everyday occurrence.

Here's a site that contains some useful tips on injecting and avoiding those unsightly bruises:

http://www.bd.com/us/diabetes/page.aspx ... 01&id=7264
 
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