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insulin shots... they hurt!

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Rokiss12

New member
so i was diagnosed with CFRD about 1 1/2 weeks ago. its been really hectic, but were getting down a rountine. my sugars are staying below 400, and are usually 100-200. which compared to what they were, is good.


but i hate the shots! i got used to them at first b/c they really didnt hurt on my stoach, but now im running out of space! my lovehandles and thighs are wear i do them, but im trying to give my sides a break, and my thighs really hurt sometimese. us CFers are pretty skinny, and doing them on the back of my arm is REALLY hard b/c they're pretty skinny too.

one thing i noticed is that ill try and do a shot in one place, and it will hurt like hell, so i'll move over a couple cm and it wont hurt at all there.

does anyone have any advice or jsut tricks to doing them? im gettig really tired of these fast. we have endo clinic appts coming up and me and my mom are really pushing for a pump so hopefully within a month ill have one of those! (were thinking the new 'omni pump')
THANKS everyone, its getting to be really painfull!
-Kate
 
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JoAnn

New member
Hi Kate - I don't have cf, my son does. I have been on insulin for almost 30 years though. I have a few things that might help - the shorter the needle the less painful and don't use cold insulin. Also, even if your arms are really thin - if you lean against a door jamb with the back of your arm - you will be amazed at the fatty tissue that squeezes together for you. Since your shots are hurting, make sure you don't re-use your needles. Are you wiping the area with alchohol first? If so, make sure it dries or else the shot will burn. Hope some of this helps.
 
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thelizardqueen

New member
JoAnn is right - the shorter the needle, the less pain. Are you using a pen needle? - if so, they do have short needle ones that you can use. That's what I use. As well, if you are injecting into the very same area all the time, you will get a build up of scar tissue that will cause the pain that you're experiencing. Always rotate. You say that you can't use your arms and thighs (I'm the same way), try the underside of your stomach, right below your belly button, or even your love handles as well (so long as you are rotating). Have you tried giving yourself a shot in the bum? That's where I usually do mine, and it doesn't hurt at all, because your butt is the most fatty, fleshy area of your body to give shots.

As well, you can store your insulin at room temp - that's what I do, because I notice that when its cold it hurts. I will store all of my extra insulin in the fridge until I need it, but the cartridge that is in my pen needle that I use will always stay at room temp. And if you are re-using your needles, don't. Have you seen what a reused needle looks like? Here's a pic of one:

<img src="http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a162/edawkins/pic_needles01.jpg">

That's pretty nasty. With reusing syringes the tip of a reused needle can be weakened to the point where it breaks off and gets stuck under your skin, a reused needle doesn't inject as easily or as cleanly as a new one and can cause pain, bleeding, and bruising, and studies have shown that there's a link between needle reuse and the appearance of lumps of fatty tissue that can form at an injection site (lipodystrophy).
 
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coltsfan715

New member
I agree with what has been said - shorter needles and thinner needles are not as painful, make sure you are rotating your injection sites (even if it is by a slight amount it can make all the difference).

I also had a hard time with injecting the meds when I first started with insulin shots. They were telling me to inject really fast and it hurt like heck - so now I inject the med slower and it is less painful with no real stinging. Also you are pinching the area around where you stick the needle in right - if you aren't you should and if you are - are you remembering to release before injecting the med. I have forgotten to release the pinched part before injecting the meds at time and OMG it is painful.

Also one thing that I had a hard time with was how to insert the needle. The nurses told me to make sure the needle was straight up and down when I inserted it in my skin. When I did that I was getting huge bruises all over my stomach. Then I started reading some things and alot of info I came across said that for thinner people you can try inserting the needle at a slight angle for easier delivery. Once I started doing that there was alot less pain and no bruising.

Hope it gets better soon and good luck with getting the pump - I will be hoping for you that you are able to get one.

Lindsey
 
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Liza

New member
Liz, thanks for posting those photos of the needles. They were amazing.

Liza
(mom of 2teen girls w/CF)
 
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65rosessamurai

Guest
That was really educational! I just hope I never get diabetes...my mom has diabetes melitus, (sp?) and I've seen her do her shots, and test her blood. Didn't know the insulin being used had to be room temp, cause my mom always stored the insulin in the fridge, but she used short needles.
I won't have to worry about fatty parts, I do have enough of that now! Though I probably got less fat in the bum, but more in the luv handles...that's a post-marriage syndrome!!
 
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JazzysMom

New member
I am not officially a diabetic, but have had to use insulin during "exacerbations" of my sugars while pregnatn & while on prednisone. During these short times I ran into these problems. I also tried different areas of the body & rotated as well as room temp insulin. The angle didnt make much of a difference to me. My larger problem was the tender finger tips. Last time I got the easy touch which allowed additional spots to test my blood! Sorry I dont have much else to offer!
 
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coltsfan715

New member
Insulin is supposed to be refridgerated. I think what the person was saying was to take your insulin out of the fridge and let it warm up a little right before you give yourself a shot. Sometimes when you inject really cold insulin it stings more than insulin that is at room temp. Then once you are done it should go back in the fridge though.

Lindsey
 
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anonymous

New member
The insulin Im on doesn't need to be kept in the fridge once its opened. Im on Glargine and Novorapid. How often does everyone change the needle on their finger pricking pen?

Shamrock, x
 
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Rokiss12

New member
the insulin im on is in the 'pen' form, and so it doesnt need to be refridgerated as long as its being used. the un used pens should be in the fridge. im on one insulin (lantus.. the 24 hour kind, in) in the vile that needs to be in the fridge.

so far, i havent had a problem with cold insulin hurting, its usually fine, and i do pinch my fat (haha that sounds gross) before i do a shot which helps a TON, but i always keep it pinched when im injecting and it doesnt hurt.. shoudl i try letting go?

i never reuse needles, but i do reuse lancets... usually i switch every 2 days, but i've heard of people using the same one for a week!

i started doing injections in my arm, and its not as hard as i thoughttt, but its still difficult (it will be MUCH easier when i get my PICC line out)

question for everyone: when you do your insulin, do you do it fast? or slow? im really nervous usually about it, and do dopy little slow injections, but my nurses always tell me to do it fast! but it hurts!!! my nurse recommended for me to get a dart board to practice! LoL! anyone have any insight on this?

thanks everyone! im sure ill be back with more questions!

random fact: did you know hallie barry has type 1 diabetes? haha just found that out and thought it was pretty cool! go hallie!

-Kate
 
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thelizardqueen

New member
Once I've put the needle in me, I push the shot down not fast but not quick - sort of at a medium speed. And I use the pens too - lispro and humulin N - the insulin that's in the pen I'm using is stored at room temp, but unused cartidges I keep in the frig.
 
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coltsfan715

New member
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>the insulin im on is in the 'pen' form, and so it doesnt need to be refridgerated as long as its being used. the un used pens should be in the fridge. im on one insulin (lantus.. the 24 hour kind, in) in the vile that needs to be in the fridge. </end quote></div>

I am on the same insulins and your right the pen doesn't need to be in the fridge. I remember when I first started using insulin. I was on NPH and Humalog and those both kind of stung if I used them fresh out of the fridge.

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>i do pinch my fat (haha that sounds gross) before i do a shot which helps a TON, but i always keep it pinched when im injecting and it doesnt hurt.. shoudl i try letting go? </end quote></div>

Also when I first started doing insulin shots I would forget to release before injecting the insulin and it hurt for me. If it doesn't hurt you great - but you might want to try it the other way and see if you can tell a difference. Just a thought.

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>question for everyone: when you do your insulin, do you do it fast? or slow? im really nervous usually about it, and do dopy little slow injections, but my nurses always tell me to do it fast! but it hurts!!! my nurse recommended for me to get a dart board to practice! LoL! anyone have any insight on this? </end quote></div>

I was told to inject the insulin fast too - when I was first diagnosed I had a really hard time with that. I usually do slow injection because it hurts less than going fast. I normally do a few units and stop and then a few more units then stop and continue that until the whole dose is injected.

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>random fact: did you know hallie barry has type 1 diabetes? haha just found that out and thought it was pretty cool! go hallie! </end quote></div>

Very cool I did not know that at all. I learn something new everyday.

Hope that the shots are getting easier and less painful.

Lindsey
 
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65rosessamurai

Guest
Lindsey,
(Not to change the subject, BUT...)
Just curious, is that Val Kilmer you took the photo with??
I was wondering cause I thought since the last photo was with Stitch, maybe you were circulating photos with famous faces, or something! <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif" border="0">
BTW, Kate,
I heard that practicing injections on fruits was a normal practice for nursing (as opposed to dart boards!).
 
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coltsfan715

New member
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Just curious, is that Val Kilmer you took the photo with??
I was wondering cause I thought since the last photo was with Stitch, maybe you were circulating photos with famous faces, or something! </end quote></div>

hehe ... No that is not Val Kilmer. That is actually my fiance, Kurt. A friend of ours took that picture of us at a concert we went to last week.

Lindsey
 
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