My B12 ampoules just arrived (very quickly!), need to get the other kit....sorry, for asking (again) for advice re needles etc?

[eclilley]

I think & hope I have bought the right stuff!? I'm not fully equipped yet, and prob won't start til mid-Aug as I have my "allowed" GP injection at end next week. Think will try weekly for a few weeks initially to see.... So, couple of questions (sorry, my brain hurts trying to find/remember things):

Do I need a 1ml syringe for 1ml ampoules, or a 2ml?

Is IM or SC generally 'better' overall, and/or which is least painful initially as I have heightened pain just at the mo?

Is needle 30G 1" the right one for IM?

And a separate drawing up needle (which presume doesn't matter too much what size?)

Oh, and do I need to store my B12 in the fridge? But allow to be room temp before injecting?

I will find some videos to watch to give me some confidence too.

Thanks in advance

[Nackapan]

I do sc . 30G 1/2 " 27-30G suitable 1/2" to 5/8" depending on weight and size

Yes the packet looks the same as what I buy.

2ml syringe.

21G needle to draw up b12 csn be used.

For IM 23 -26G 1"

I havd the nurse fo these shd uses a blue 23G.

If you look through old posts fbirder and wedgdwood have given shopping lists and help

Search tool above

In the Box

it says to store lower tgsn 25c

If kept in door of fridge yes room temp before injecting.

Sc and IM both as effective i have both .

[eclilley in reply to Nackapan]

Thank you Nackapan, as ever. I am a bit nervous!

[Nackapan in reply to eclilley]

Yes I was.Good to be in control though

T c

[deniseinmilden]

I buy my needles and syringes through

exchangesupplies.org

I think people also use medisave.

It can be a bit tricky finding what you want on their website but they provide an excellent service and are as good value as any.

It is recommended that you use 21G for drawing up and 23G for injecting, however I use smaller 26G x 1" needles for both (but do usually swap needles because it is easy to touch the tip against the glass and slightly blunt it).

[eclilley in reply to deniseinmilden]

Thank you!Is 1" OK for IM, on a fairly averagely fat thigh?! (1.5" looks long and scares me!!)

And actually is it the end of the world if it is a bit short and so it lands somewhere indistinguishably between SC & IM?!

Thanks, will look at exchangesupplies & Medisave.

[deniseinmilden in reply to eclilley]

Sorry for the delay in replying - I missed your message!

The trick is that if you use a longer needle you don't have to push all the way in.

There are more nerve endings nearer to the skin so within reason the deeper you go the more comfortable it is. Once you are through the skin it rarely hurts any more.

I hope you have got things sorted and are getting on OK now.

[eclilley in reply to deniseinmilden]

Hi, thanks for replying. I ordered blue & orange 1" needles a few weeks ago, then was hectic then holiday so got no further except watching YouTube vids!

But I have literally just done my first ever self injection right side thigh, woo-hoo!!

Found the needle in bit not too awful, but had to go very slow on actually getting the B12 in as that hurt.

Afterwards had a bit of bleed on injection site and now it all hurts a bit (all more than nurse doing it Upper arm).

Maybe I caught a vein? Does this sound normal/OK?!

Fingers crossed I get better at it!

[Hidden in reply to eclilley]

Congrats! Gently massage area it will be fine.

In a few months you'll wonder what the fuss was all about, I was very nervous at first, in fact the first time I did it my partner sat with me facing the wall (so he couldn't see) asking if I had done it yet.

🤪

[deniseinmilden in reply to eclilley]

Woohoo! Go you!

Yes, all completely fine and, as Hidden says, in a while's time you won't even notice what you're doing!

If I get distracted when I'm doing mine I can't remember whether I've actually done it or not - and that's despite my memory coming back with plenty of B12 and supporting supplements!

For a while it used to make my leg ache a bit on some days - particularly the one I hadn't used, for some reason - but now I use slightly smaller bore needles I can't ever tell.

Occasionally you get some blood if you catch one of the tiny veins that are near the surface but it's not a problem - no worse than pruning roses or being used as a scratching post or launch pad by a cat! 🤪😁 The skin heals over in a couple of minutes and it's fine. There are usually nerves that run in the same lines as your veins so this is probably why you felt it - another day you'll miss them and wonder what the problem was before!

Fabulous - you can now start to look forward to getting better!

[eclilley in reply to deniseinmilden]

Thank you, and thank you to all who replied with supportive words & advice!I can really feel I need it this week, very aching joints & fatigue & tummy/bowels. . I had 2 shots a week apart (private pharmacy & GP) and my awful shoulder & arm nerve pain pretty much went away after that 2nd one.

My intention had been to keep doing weekly, but this is now 3.5 weeks. So will start bavk on weekly.

Thank you xx

[deniseinmilden in reply to eclilley]

I hope you feel better soon!

As clivealive reminds us, sometimes after a bit we feel other problems as our nerves "wake up" but keep going - you get through it and come out the other side.

So long as you aren't taking anticoagulants and don't have haemotomachrosis, or have any other specific reason not to, it's a good idea to take a broad spectrum multivitamin and mineral supplement every day, especially to support the healing. Basic supermarket A-Z multivitamin and mineral supplements are as good as, if not better than, more expensive branded ones, and supply a background level of all the main nutrients you need in the right balance.

Looking forward to hearing from you and supporting others on here!