Bruises

[susieg]

I'm a newly diagnosed T1. (2months) and I have given myself so many bruises, on my legs and my stomach, I am NOT stabbing myself, I try to do it gently as possible, but I still get bruises, not al the time, bu a lot of the time, one I have now is the size of a 50p piece. and they take ages to dissapear. it this normal??

 

[cugila]

What size needle do you use ?

Are you injecting into the subcutaneous fat areas and pinching the flesh when you inject ?

See here for injection tips.

http://www.bd.com/us/diabetes/page.aspx ... 01&id=7265

 

[susieg]

size 8 needles, and yes I pinch.

 

[cugila]

I use the same and don't have a problem, however I might have a little more fat on me. Not a lot any more though.

You could always ask for the BD 4mm needles from your GP, and check out the injection tips, sometimes it is just down to technique. You could also be just one of those people who bruises easily.

Discuss it with your GP or DSN if it keeps happening.

 

[noblehead]

Bruising is bleeding under the skin caused by hitting the tiny capillary blood vessels which isn't serious but looks worse than it is. As Cugila says try pinching the skin or ask your gp for smaller needles, I use the 5mm needles and rarely get bruises.

Nigel

 

[phoenix]

When I used injections I used 5mm needles. With those it is not necessary to pinch, which I imagine is difficult if you are very thin.( I had never heard of pinching until I read about it on UK forums). I occasionally had a tiny bruise, but that's all

 

[susieg]

Thanks for the tips, I am not thin, lol , but I do bruise easily, I think if it keeps happenng I will ask to try some smaller needles. It's weird, sometimes it fine, I don't feel a thing and no bruise, other times, ouch!! and a bruise !! maybe I'm hitting a small blood vessle. (I've just read the link about it) . interesting. seems a lot of people use 5mm needles. I get bruises on my fingertips too, and my lancet pen's on No 1 !! (not as often tho')

 

[cugila]

Regarding the 'pinch' that is what the SDSN showed me to do. I have since read that it helps if you have problems such as described.

The other thing is that many are shown to inject at a 90 deg angle yet I was always taught that this is for intromuscular injections, when injecting into subcutaneous fat then it should be angled to 45 deg.

Apparently this technique limits any leakage from the injection site as the layers overlap when the flesh is released, meaning there is not a straight path to the skin surface.

The 4mm ones are recent addition.

 

[Sarah69]

I use 4mm needles, I bruise quite a lot and most times the injection stings aswel sometimes quite painful to the point I'm doubled up in pain. I have spoken to
my dsn and she can't understand what the problem is!

 

[HLW]

What type of insulin is it Sarah? I read a post on here the other day talking about lantus stinging, from a quick Google it seems it's because it's acidic. Also is the insulin warm enough? If it's cold it can hurt (or so I was told by the nurse), in this weather it might be too cold if kept on a windowsil or similar.

I am pretty sure this is all in my head, eg I'm imagining it, but I find the Novofine 6mm needles go in easier than the BD 4mm ones, as if they are sharper and better lubricated. I guess it's possible they use a different lubricant though. It might be worth you trying different needles?

 

[Sarah69]

Hi, I'm using novorapid and lantus both sting not everytime I inject but would say at least 1 out if 4 sting. I've changed from 6mm down to 4mm and it's just the same. Both insulins are at room temprature. I guess I'll have to put up with it!

 

[toastlover]

Are you changing your needles and lancets regularly i.e. at least once a day? Blunt ones can also cause bruises.

 

[oldjake]

I get bruises too. I'm haemophiliac and I get some crackers. I'd love one the size of a 50p piece. I get them the size of a saucer sometimes and they are dark purple so they look very attractive if I take the kids swimming or something!

Best regards
Andy

 

[Sarah69]

I change needles at every injection. The recent bruise i had came up as a small lump after i injected then turned into a bruise.

 

[Levy]

I use 4mm needles, I bruise quite a lot and most times the injection stings aswel sometimes quite painful to the point I'm doubled up in pain. I have spoken to
my dsn and she can't understand what the problem is!

I use 5mm myself and I always make sure to pinch and inject at a 45 degree angle. I still bruise quite often as well. Sometimes I can't feel the stings at all but other times they really hurt very badly too! I get the bruises mostly when I inject in my stomach but I have them on my legs as well.
Maybe I should see if I can go onto the 4mm ones, but to be fair I'm not sure if that would do anything.

 

[iHs]

Injecting in the tummy is well known for causing bruises . The leg can also bruise especially if insulin is injected across the top. At the side it's not too bad though.

Although it no longer seems to be recommended by dsns (who say that bolus insulin needs to work quickly so inject in the tummy) but insulin can also be injected at the top side part of the arm. The arm is less tender and as long as insulin is not injected into a muscle, it works fairly well. I injected into my arms for about 20yrs using twice daily insulin with no problems at all and with a 5mm needle for most of those years My morning dose was injected into my buttock because I didn't want to work too quickly.

 

[Snodger]

although everything everyone else has said is true - using finer needles, changing needles regularly, avoiding cold insulin etc, all helps... I wanted to answer your original question which was 'is this normal'?
Yes.
It is normal, and nothing to worry about. I mean, it's annoying and sometimes painful, but you are totally normal.
Incidentally, I bruise more at certain times of the month than others. Pre-menstrual bruising... PMB?