Bruising

Unfortunately bruising is common. For some more than others. I also find I bruise in some areas more than others. But have basically just learned to live with them. As I’m 62 and don’t expose my flesh much these days, I’ve stopped worrying about it. My needles are 4mm but it makes no difference.

I too bruise - I was told "some people just bruise easily".
Overall, I found changing needles every time helped.
When I first started injecting, the advice was to pinch and inject. The advice to inch seems to have gone out of the window as needles have got shorter. However, I found I was more likely to bruise if I did not pinch. This may be because I am slim but could be worth trying.

Otherwise, it is not something to be concerned about - you have just injected into a blood vessel.

MrBear2016 said:

Hi All,

Sorry it's me again with yet another question. But I'd like to say a huge thanks to everyone who's helped so far.

I have recently started to inject insulin in to my tummy and have notice that started to come up with little yellow bruises is this normal?

They are not painful they just look a little unsightly.

Click to expand...

Hi I bruise really badly and if I inject near a bruise I often find the insulin then takes ages to kick in or doesn’t seem to do it’s job at all. I have been told to leave a good inch clear around a bruise for any subsequent injections.
Switching to longer needles really helps avoid bruising. Gets past lots of little blood vessels and veins. There are 5mm, 6mm and 8mm needles. I started on 4mm and worked my way up to 8mm! It’s really helped.
I am not worried about the bruises themselves it’s the fact that my insulin doesn’t work properly when I get too many bruises. An endocrinologist phoned me after I took a photo and emailed it to my nurse, he said you should expect 1 bruise in every 5-6 injections at most. Any more and change to a different needle. As Type 1 I am on 5-6 injections/day.
I also used to get red lumps appear almost immediately after some injections and there are silicone coated needles available called ‘microdot’ as opposed to the cheaper ‘novofine’ . The microdot needles have completely eliminated this problem for me, and my nurse tells me she has other people on these who just get covered in bruises and/or lumps.
A few bruises are to be expected but if you have a lot and can’t find a clear inch to inject then I would be asking to change needles. Keep an eye on how it goes.

MrBear2016 said:

Hi All,

Sorry it's me again with yet another question. But I'd like to say a huge thanks to everyone who's helped so far.

I have recently started to inject insulin in to my tummy and have notice that started to come up with little yellow bruises is this normal?

They are not painful they just look a little unsightly.

Click to expand...

I get a lot of bruising also and I am on smallest needle I was told to injection my long acting in my top of leg and fast acting in my tummy area

Smiler99 said:

I get a lot of bruising also and I am on smallest needle I was told to injection my long acting in my top of leg and fast acting in my tummy area

Click to expand...

Same, but sometimes I find it really hard to find a spot in my thigh that isn't really painful to get the needle in, even using 4mm
My thighs are also the only places where I've bruised

I find its the quality of the needle. GPs swapped me from BD 4mm to MyLife 4mm. Nurse changed me back then GP pharmacist changed back to MyLife - I now source my own BD ones and no bruising.

nicki92 said:

Same, but sometimes I find it really hard to find a spot in my thigh that isn't really painful to get the needle in, even using 4mm
My thighs are also the only places where I've bruised

Click to expand...

Me to I have asked but my dB nurse won't change them so I may go to doctor keep me informed if you find something that doesn't cause bruising