bruised lump on left thigh

[catherinejordan]

i self injected yesterday into my left upper thigh, today i have a very bruised area and a big lump which is painful to touch, i inject once per week. can anyone suggest what i did wrong as this hasnt happened before. im a little concerned.

[radyeatlantic]

A couple of questions. How big is your needle, (gauge and length) and how much are you injecting?

Also how fast do you inject. I do it over a 10 count but I only inject 1/2 ml each week. When I used to inject 1ml every other week, I did it over a 20 count. Since I went to the slow inject, I have not had any more bruising.

Also, right after I withdraw the needle. I vigorously massage the area to spread the B12 into the tissue. I was told this method reduces swelling at the injection site by a very old Nurse.

[Catherine50 in reply to radyeatlantic]

It's blue needle 1.25 I do inject slowly but haven't massaged area I will try that next time. I inject 1ml weekly. Alternate thigh. Thank you for the reply

[Leilanilea in reply to Catherine50]

I too recommend massaging, but more gently. Since you're injecting weekly, even though it's alternate thighs, you might be sure you're moving around within the recommended injection area. (Also from an old nurse 😄)

[sweetmaddie]

I've had that happen once or twice also. I haven't tried radyeatlantic's suggestion of vigorously massaging the area, but it makes sense and I'll definitely do it after my next injection. (Old nurses usually know their stuff!) I'm. It sure why it happens sometimes and not others.... maybe just a more sensitive spot on your thigh?

The needles I use are 31 gauge, 8 mm...

[radyeatlantic in reply to sweetmaddie]

Good lord. 31 Gauge and 8mm long? Did you typo? I use a 25 gauge and 38mm needle for my thighs. Thigh injections are usually intramuscular, so you need to get past the fat.

[sweetmaddie]

Nope... no typo. It's really only 8 mm long and the package actually says "short needle". Indeed. I'm still new to this so... any input is really helpful here. Will injecting in the upper arm be better with these short needles? I'm guessing there's substantially less fat to get through there. Have I been 'losing' the B12 I've been injecting into the fat layer in my thighs?!

I'm from the US and was diagnosed there about two months ago - so I have cyanocobalamin since that's the go-to form of B12 there. But, I live fairly remotely most of the year and brought a year's worth of needles and B12 with me. I'm hoping I can still use these short needles since I'm not sure if I can get longer ones any time soon. Any ideas?

[Leilanilea in reply to sweetmaddie]

Hi,

B12, cyano-, hydroxy-, can be injected subcutaneously or intramuscularly. It may be absorbed more slowly via sub-q route, but it won't be "wasted."

The needle length chosen varies according to how much a person weighs and/or their muscle mass. If using a 25 gauge, 1 inch needle, (which I do) and injecting into the lateral mid thigh, a thinner person may be injecting into the muscle whereas a heavier person will be injecting into the sub-q fat.

For those unaware, the higher the gauge number, the thinner the needle, eg, a 23 ga needle is thicker than 25 ga. I think that a 25 ga is fine for the viscosity of cyano- and doesn't cause pain on injection.

I also suggest a 3 ml syringe if giving 1 ml of med as you won't be filling the syringe completely, taking chance that plunger may be accidentally knocked out.

For those who choose sub-q route there are lots of websites that illustrate body locations because people with diabetes use sub-q, and there are many resources available to them.

I'm also in U.S. and order cyanocobalamin from a Canadian site. I can definitely recommend their products and service:

Buy-Otc.com

I also bought their syringes with needles attached: BD 3 ml Syringe, Luer-Lok Tip with BD PrecisionGlide Needle. 25G (gauge) x 1in (0.5mm x 25mm)

Best wishes,

Leilani

[engels]

8mm is far too short for intramuscular injections. The needle needs to be long enough to get through the skin and subcutaneous tissue and well into the muscle. To calculate the depth of subcutaneous tissue, pinch the skin at the injection site between thumb and forefinger, measure the distance between thumb and forefinger and divide by two. For example, if you pinch 30mm of skin, the depth of subcutaneous tissue is 15mm so you need that length of needle simply to reach the muscle. As a rough guide, the needle needs to be inserted to at least 2/3rds of the amount of skin pinched so 20mm in this case. If that's not clear there is a picture here:

unionmedico.com/expanded-ne...

[clivealive Forum Support]

Hi catherinejordan,

I'm no medical expert and I have the "luxury" of having my four weekly injections done by my surgery's nurse, but perhaps you nicked a vein to cause the bruising or maybe even a nerve to give you pain?

For more than 43 years I have had the injections in my left arm and on only a very few occasions in those over 550 jabs have I had either pain or bruising and the needle is in and out like a shot.

I hope you manage to "get good at it" and wish you well for the future.

I'm now 74 and still "clivealive"

[pugdogs10]

HI Catherine

I was given a little tip ... always pull the skin taut with the fingers of your other hand when you inject. Hope this helps.