Any advise please re needles

[kirsten555]

My final loading dose is tomorrow, and the doctor has said next shot will be in 3 months time. After reading many posts on this wonderful forum, I've decided to self inject as I really don't feel any better, and I'm sure I haven't had enough B12 to keep me going for so long.

My hydroxocobalamine ampoules have arrived from Germany, and I've ordered blue and green needles, syringes and swabs from Amazon, as recommended on a post here. My son, who's recently qualified as a nurse, is going to show me how to self inject subcutaneously, and I've been watching videos on You Tube. I thought I was almost all set to go!

But today he said that the needles used to draw the liquid from the ampoule should have a filter on them in case of broken glass. Is this right? He's newly qualified and recognises that he might be wrong, but I wondered please if anyone can advise me? And if I do need needles with filters, please can someone post a link to what I should get? The ampoules are the type where you have to snap the glass head off in order to get into them. I really don't want to be injecting slivers of glass, if this is a risk! Thanks!

[Lisahelen]

The larger of the needles is to draw up the liquid and by using the smaller needle to inject it should prevent any glass from passing through. Make sure you snap the top of the phial where the white dot is as this is its 'weak' point.

Have you approached your dr to see if he will consider that you do actually need ongoing injections provided by him? Lots of us have ongoing issues with our gps with regard to how we should be being treated, you might have one who will listen if you tell him of the continuing symptoms.

[kirsten555 in reply to Lisahelen]

Thanks, Lisahelen - so the larger needle is fine as it is then? That's such a relief - I'd worried that I'd ordered the wrong thing! Thank you for putting my mind at rest.

I did ask him if I could have more injections after the loading dose, before the three months is up, but he said he's unable to sanction that. He stuck his neck out giving me the loading dose, before my results of the anti-parietal cells have come back (I gave him a print-out from the Pernicious Anaemia Society for medical professionals!) and I think he's only a locum, rather than someone permanently in the doctor's practice.

He did say though that I must tell him if I'm going to embark on si, as he needs to put it on my records. He said, too, that he wouldn't 'slap my wrists' as he understood. What a bloody ridiculous situation it is! And as many people have pointed out here, it's not as if the B12 is expensive stuff either!

Thanks again for your reply - this forum is wonderful!

[clivealive Forum Support]

Don't forget to have your Folate level checked as this needs to be "healthy" to process the B12.

[kirsten555]

Thanks, clivealive - I will. And I'm taking supplements orally for that too (after having read about it on this forum).

[s4llyd]

I use orange needles , I used to buy them from ebay, but now I use my local pharmacy that does a needle exchange for addicts , ( also orange ) they can supply needles and syringes for tanning injections legally , so this is what i say i'm using them for, they also supply you with a needle disposal box , I do intramuscular injections in the front of my thigh , Youtube have good clear videos that show you how to this

[kirsten555]

Thanks very much, s4llyd - I'll look into that at my local pharmacy.