I’m new to SI and to start with my partner was doing them no problem but when he’s been away working I’ve had to do them myself. I did them sc into my stomach area. The first one I was left with a bruise but subsequent ones I’ve been left with a red circle about an inch wide. Can this be normal or what am I doing wrong as my partner does it sc into my buttock area and I’ve nothing there?
I SI ever alternate day just now
My partner started giving my my injections first in the area shown for subcutaneous injections but now I’ve done a few I do them in the tummy area
You may be injected intradermally - into the skin, rather than subcutaneously - into the fat. The red circle would be the B12 pooling under the skin.
Ah, I see so what do I need to change? I use a yellow needle to inject
I'm not too sure about subcutaneous technique, but I'm sure somebody will be around to help.
Are you injecting at a shallow angle?
Yeah I watched a YouTube video so said a 45 degree angle
Search for sub cutaneous on here. I do 90 degrees, although I’ve seen some people say 45, I believe that’s only for very little fat.
I also don’t think you should be injecting into bottom because of the sciatic nerve.
Subcutaneous into the buttocks should be fine. It's intramuscular that should only ever be done by an expert.
I don't think you need to be an expert to inject into a muscle - you do need to be trained by an expert and many surgeries seem keen to teach this. It's quite straightforward really as you just need to know how to avoid blood vessels and nerves - and make sure its done with strict observance of sterile conditions.
Injecting into the buttocks is not recommended;
Traditionally the dorsogluteal (DG) muscle was used for IM injections but this muscle is in close proximity to a major blood vessel and nerves, with sciatic nerve injury a recognised complication (Small, 2004). In addition, drug absorption from the DG muscle may be slower than other sites and this can lead to a build-up of drugs in the tissues and risk of overdose (Malkin, 2008). Many patients find the use of the DG site intrusive and are reluctant to undress to give access to the relevant area. For these reasons, the DG muscle is no longer recommended for IM injections – in spite of this, many nurses continue to use it.
nursingtimes.net/clinical-a...
I did not suggest anyone self inject into the bum. That would be extremely foolish as it is not at all practical and as you say is fraught with danger. The best place to self inject is into the outer middle third of the thigh. Raising the leg allows the muscle there to be readily seen - don't inject with the leg raise though.
I posted a pic on my original post as these were the areas shown online for subcutaneous injections?
Yes, if I were to try subcut I think I'd go for a steeper angle than 45 degrees. But I guess I'm thicker-skinned than most.