So I did it, I injected my self. But the discomfort ?

[LittleA]

So, I did it. I injected my self with b12

A mini victory

Though I injected my thigh and feel some discomfort, is this normal?

It didn’t bleed much at all no way near as in my arm when the nurse did it at my doctors.

[wedgewood]

I always use 2 needles - one to withdraw the B12 , and another to inject I.M.

25g x 1 inch . If you are pain sensitive use a numbing cream - ( Amazon )

[LittleA in reply to wedgewood]

I used two needles too one for withdrawing b12 and one for injecting. Wasn’t really the pain when injecting more after, maybe I’ll get used to it in time

[Nackapan in reply to LittleA]

Well done. I'm sure it will get easier. You may have been more tense than you think.

[Hidden in reply to LittleA]

Did you warm up the ampoules LittleA just put it close to your body to transfer the heat it makes the liquid thinner and easier to inject,it won’t sting like stuff out of the fridge.ive self injected in my arm about 25 times now and never have any pain and yesterday was the first tiny spot of blood I had ,was my own fault though as I was rushing things.

Well done it gives you a huge sense of achievement doesent it x

[Nonameavailable in reply to Hidden]

How do you manage your arm? I have had to settle for thigh. I could get needle in arm, but how do you pull back plunger to check before injecting?

[JanD236 in reply to Nonameavailable]

There’s no need to pull back before injecting. The nurse at my GP practice never does and told me that it’s not necessary for my B12 IM self injection.

[LittleA in reply to Nonameavailable]

The nurse does it in my arm, I give it my self in my thigh now and found it hurt less doing it but after it hurt more

[Hidden in reply to Nonameavailable]

Hi Nonameavailable .as Jan says there’s no need to pull back the plunger,draw up your b12 into syringe then change to the needle you use to inject ,before you inject push the plunger slightly so you see a small bead of b12 cme out the top of the needle,this ensures no air in it,then stick the needle in your arm all the way in,and the slowly press down the plunger then take the needle straight out and dispose of whole thing in sharps bin.

Hope this helps it’s really easy honestly x

[Nonameavailable in reply to Hidden]

Aye .. no probs with thigh .. I’m clumsy tho ... lol

[LittleA in reply to Hidden]

Ahh yes, Next time I will make sure I warm them up to body temperature

[clivealive Forum Support]

Well done LittleA

[LittleA in reply to clivealive]

Thank you, I am so chuffed I’ve done it and today I feel tired but no way near as I did the last couple of days

[HeartyGilly]

My thigh is a little tender afterwards, but only for a day or so. And it hurts much less going in than when the nurse does it!

[LittleA in reply to HeartyGilly]

The nurse does it so quick, it hurts me too

[Stransky]

Well done for doing first SI, it gets easier from here,, i've been SI for over a year as my GP refused to increase the frequency, the main thing is to relax with no tension in the muscle, after I withdraw I always give the area a firm rub as it feels like a wet bubble in there and the feeling goes away in a couple of minutes, good tip about warming the ampoule though i'll try that next time.

[Lurcher-lady in reply to Stransky]

I put a warmed wheat pack against my leg for a couple of mins with the ampoules between it and my leg. I’ve found that totally pain free, even better than just warming the ampoules against my skin, which do give a tiny sting for me.

[Luac]

Mine always hurts a lot when injecting to the point it makes me swear, but the pain practically stops when i remove the needle.

The piercing is fine but the injecting is the worse bit - that hurts a lot.

I still worry that im injectjng in the wrong place. Every video ive seen shows people injecting in the front of their thigh/leg towards the knee but manuals say that the muscle is in the out side of the leg.

I have always pulled the syringe back to check for blood and it has never had any which makes me worry too - I cant have missed a vein everytime.

I will try warming the vial next time.

[Lurcher-lady in reply to Luac]

You only pull syringe back if looking for a vein. IM doesn’t need this.

[Hidden in reply to Luac]

m.youtube.com/watch?feature...

I started IM in my thigh last week, only a tiny sensation when the liquid goes in and very little discomfort for a few minutes afterward. I did panic the first few times and was sure the "pain" was in my mind! I am on my second week of alternative days now and feeling a little better, then I will try once a month to inject.

[clapic]

I do not self inject yet, but I know that when I have been injected into my arm at the doc's surgery, I have had a dead arm and pain for a whole day after. I asked another nurse why that was, and she said a good trick was to make sure you rubbed the sight of the injection with some cotton wool for about 10 seconds after. Just up and down. This worked for me. After her doing that, I never had any pain at all after in my arm. Worth a try?

[LittleA in reply to clapic]

When a nurse injects me in my arm I’m the same and my arm hurts for the whole day

[Cherylclaire Forum Support]

I only get stinging if I have left a droplet of B12 on tip of needle when checking to ensure air is removed - so worth flicking the syringe (not the needle)to remove it and wait a moment.

The other reason for pain is, like others have said, that B12 thickens if storing in the fridge and needs warming up for a minute first (some tuck it into their bra). You can see that it has become more liquid.

The only other reason that comes to mind is that once the needle is in, push the plunger in very slowly - if done in a rush, it hurts more. Some of the syringes seem tighter than others which makes a smooth slow action more difficult. I get 2ml BD Emerald luer tip which is quite easy to use.

If the final part of inserting the needle is the difficulty, it's because your muscles are not as relaxed as you think. In that case, play yourself some Morcheeba !

Well done LittleA . Hope this helps.

[LittleA]

Thank you all for replying to my post, really appreciate it, I wouldn’t of been able to get where I am with my B12 without all the helpful advice over the last few months, thank you so much

An update on how I’m feeling from injecting,

I injected my self at the point where I started to feel my energy slipping and my nerve pains getting more and my energy levels are much improved, I’m still tired but I can cope and that’s more than what I was doing and i have the energy to cope with the pains that I have from my condition and it’s slightly improved it a little.

Thank you again 🙏