suddenly more bruises after injecting heparine. should I be concerned?

[Flyingdutchie]

Hi. I am using heparine in my pregnancy (6,5 months now). It took me a while to find out where I best could inject without getting bruises (upper thigh) but since then, injecting is no problem. In the last week however I get awful bruises, quite big. Is this an indication something happened with my blood, or is it bad luck I just keep hitting small blood vessels? I have an appointment over 7 days with the hospital but am wondering if I should contact them earlier about this. Anyone having similar experiences and can explain why this is happening?

[Manofmendip]

Hello Flyingdutchie

I inject Fragmin into my tummy, every morning, since April last year and I am covered with bruises; it seems that this is normal for us fragmin users. I have been told not to worry about it, or about lumps that form under the skin sometimes.

Best wishes.

Dave

[jetjetjet in reply to Manofmendip]

I did lov-nox injections or 9.5 weeks after surgery ad every ounce in awhile I would bruise and swell - - went to Dc's and they said you hit vein or artery or such -- but they said DON"T rub the swelling in that area at all -- I injected anywhere in stomach area accept with in 2 inch's of navel- pinching some fat and needle went in at a slight angel , this worked the best for me

[Manofmendip]

Good advice Lyn, I will try what you suggest. I inject slowly but not as slow as you suggest, so I will try it. Do you ever find that sometimes a little Fragmin will leak back out after the needle is removed? I get that sometimes, even if I wait before pulling it out.

Best wishes.

Dave xx

[Flyingdutchie]

Hi absnotfab, thanks for the advice. I have a bruise of 12 cm long and 3 cm wide now, looks so awful I am really fearful again of putting the needle in. Hopefully your tips will work, I'll try them all

[Manofmendip]

Hi Lynn.

The sister at my GP's surgery, when she taught me how to inject, told me to push the needle in and pull the plunger out slightly and if blood came inti to syringe to try another place, rather than injecting. I have never taken her advice as I feel that I could end up trying several places before getting a 'clean' shot.

Dave xx

[Leigha]

Thanks for this advice, Lyn. I have to do vitamin B12 injections and my thighs look like a war zone. Have been pushing the liquid in as fast as possible, now know have been doing it all wrong, then rubbing it afterwards. So, you're helping several of us.

Leigha

[Manofmendip]

Yes I agree, sometimes though it can not feel prickly but there is a resistance to it going in and then a sudden pop as it goes in that usually means a blood vessel has been hit.

Dave x

[Manofmendip]

I totally agree, eat and drink what you like, no worrying about INR and I feel much better on Fragmin than I ever did on Warfarin too.

So, a good job all round.

Dave x

[Salty]

What I have found to be the most helpful at preventing bruising and the painful nodules is to inject as superficially as possible--just under the skin. I actually read this on the insert and found it makes a big difference. I also pull back about 2/3 cm on the plunger and flick the needle before injecting so there is no drug at the tip of the needle when penetrating the skin. Following these guidelines, I get hardly any bruising.

[Salty]

Flyingdutchie, to answer your question, your dose requirement for heparin can change as your pregnancy progresses due to increasing body weight and other factors, but if anything more likely you might need a higher not lower dose. They can check your antiXa level to see if your dose is correct during the pregnancy.