[jjstraining]

Hello I am new to this forum. I am writing on behalf of my mother who has to inject insulin 5 times a day.

She is in pain each time despite trying smaller needles as suggested by her nurse.

Can anyone suggest any remedies to decrease the pain of an injection. She has tried injecting into her stomach but gets bruised really easy. She cannot easily inject herself into the arm so she tends to use the thighs.

We have looked into EMLA cream but that is not recommended for continued use?

Please, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

[Jan B]

I don't use needles very much anymore (pumping), but I discovered something a while back. When I touched the needle to the place I was about to inject into, and it stung - I chose another site, even very closeby. When I touched the needle to a place that doesn't sting or cause any special sensation, it didn't hurt there! Also, injecting cold insulin can be uncomfortable. Room temperature is better.

Also, you can pinch harder and the pinch hurts and not the needle!

[shiftzor]

The sweet spot for thighs is between your waist and your knees, at least that’s what I found. We all get bruising; I think the only way around that is to inject 2 in stomach and 3 in thighs in this case. Reduces the bruising in one place, tell her to keep trying different spots on her thighs until she finds the right spot that doesn't draw blood or hurt on her thighs. It takes time to perfect and I can’t say I have it perfected.

[edit] I just did a thigh injection and I think it’s a bit lower (towards the knee) than half way point for me. Its worth experimenting with. [/edit]

[Mich]

Is it the needle sting or the insulin being injected that causes your mom's pain? Some people have trouble with very fast injecting of the insulin and the answer is to slow it down.

I found that doing a "one-two-three" count and getting it over with was the best for the needle sting. If your mom waits for about five seconds, she may experience the pain lessening due to release of endorphins and then can release the insulin.

The sting might be due to muscle tension. Be sure she is injecting into fatty areas because insulin injected into muscle works much faster than it should. The little needles used for insulin are rarely long enough for injecting into muscle, so this probably isn't the problem.

As a last resort, sometimes new diabetics find the use of an automatic injector (look up Busher Automatic Injector) to be a comfort. It always gets the angle and depth correct and lessens the anticipation of injecting oneself.

Mich

[UpNorth]

This is some tricks i've heard about, but never needed to try, exept for one of them....

1. Cool down the site with ice just before the injection- the ice will numb the skin. Costs less than Emla, and can be used as frequently as needed

2. "poke around" until finding a painfree place (something i used to do a lot until i learned where my good areas are) It's a great way to do painfree injections and also learn where the good and bad spots are...

3. Make sure to be RELAXED when putting the needle in and injecting. Take a very deep breath in, and breathe out then put the needle in- this is especially for stomach injections. I've never needed to try this, but my friend Elina use this technique all the time and think it's great- she's rather skinny...

[UpNorth]

Another possibility could be using an Insuflon, and then it's possible to use EMLA too. The insuflon is a small needle you can leave for 3 days and just inject into that one. Bit like a pump infusion set. The Insuflon needle is rather big compared to the pen needles though... Or look into a pump.

[Eddy]

I hunt for an acceptable injection site. Sometimes moving but a couple millimeters does the trick; other times, I need to try half a dozen places all over my abdomen. Being relaxed is helpful, as is getting a good pinch of skin.

Hope this helps.

[jjstraining]

My mother is 70 years old and recently had to rely soley on injections for insulin (prior to this she was on tablets). She takes novorapid 3x pday and lev_? 2x pday.

I cannot believe that nothing has been created to relieve injection sting?

She absolutely dreads the injections so your suggestions are very helpful. She says she cannot inject in the same sites often due to sometimes getting a lump. She also says she has to use both hands to hold the pen as it is very stiff to press and keep steady. This means she cannot pinch the skin whilst injecting.

Would a different pen be less stiff enabling her to just use one hand and pinch the skin with the other?

I think she is doing everything wrong which is increasing the pain. Please keep your suggestions coming as they are very helpful in identifying options to improve her suffering and lift her spirits alittle better.

Thank you so much for your advice.

I too thought of ice to numb the area but was concerned about its ability to reduce blood flow to the applied area? Anyone use this or similar on a regular basis?

[shiftzor]

Originally Posted by jjstraining

My mother is 70 years old and recently had to rely soley on injections for insulin (prior to this she was on tablets). She takes novorapid 3x pday and lev_? 2x pday.

I cannot believe that nothing has been created to relieve injection sting?

She absolutely dreads the injections so your suggestions are very helpful. She says she cannot inject in the same sites often due to sometimes getting a lump. She also says she has to use both hands to hold the pen as it is very stiff to press and keep steady. This means she cannot pinch the skin whilst injecting.

Would a different pen be less stiff enabling her to just use one hand and pinch the skin with the other?

I think she is doing everything wrong which is increasing the pain. Please keep your suggestions coming as they are very helpful in identifying options to improve her suffering and lift her spirits alittle better.

Thank you so much for your advice.

I too thought of ice to numb the area but was concerned about its ability to reduce blood flow to the applied area? Anyone use this or similar on a regular basis?

You mean Levemir? What pen is she using? I usually hold the pen in one hand and hold my clothes or something with the other. I know with the Autopen24 you could get attachments to make the plunger easier to push and the dial easier to turn. However I wouldn’t recommend the Autopen24 as it’s not that great and it’s a Lantus (different type of insulin) only pen. Maybe a Levemir user knows a better pen?

[JoanW]

I am 74 years old and do 5 injections a day, and have been doing them for almost 10 years now. Yes, I get bruises, I don't think that can be avoided, but I agree with the folk who say 'touch the needle to the skin gently, and if it feels picky, move it over a little to another spot'. This works for me. I also use Levemir twice a day, morning and evening. Tell your mother to get a Novo-4 pen, it has a very easy pushing motion, much easier than the Novo-3 pen which I used to use. That pen can also be used for her novorapid. I take Humalog for my bolus, so I use a Huma pen Luxura which again is a very nice pen to use. She will relax when she gets used it it, and will be able to do it with ease. Make sure the pen is kept at room temperature and not in the fridge as this makes the insulin too cold and might sting when injected. Hope some of the hints you read here will help. I have plenty of fat around the waist area, and tend to do my bolus (mealtime) injection just above the waist and my Levemir lower down on the abdomen.

[TenderVittleS]

There are a few things I can suggest which may or may not help:

1) use the short needles
2) inject the insulin slowly
3) use fattier areas of the body
4) rotate injection sites
5) make sure there is no blood in the syringe before injecting

Sometimes pain is unavoidable no matter what you do but these techniques should help lessen the frequency.

[UpNorth]

Definitely give the Novopen4 a go! I've been using it for a couple of years or so now, and it's brilliant So easy to use! Much better than FlexPens (disposable pens). I've never used Novopen 3, but from what i've heard, they need more force to inject the insulin.


As for using ice for numbing, this is something i've heard some doctors recommend even. But with your mum's problems with both pain and not being able to pinch and inject at the same time, i'd still suggest she tries the Insuflon. Then she'd be able to use EMLA for the insertion, and would only need to have needles every 3 days or so.

[jjstraining]

Thank you all so much. I now have a number of suggestions to make to my mum.

She is unsure what pen she is using but we are going to find out from the phamacy. We will also find out about the other recommendations when she next visits the diabetic nurse.

Again, I find it really hard to believe there is no cream/topical applications that can be used to numb the frequent use of injections.

I heard they were developing an insulin patch?

[Tattoo azz]

I don't mean to be rude, but would she be able to inject into her ahem 'butt'? i do and it hurts less and you don't really need to pinch, although i only inject novorapid in there as Lantus tends to sting for me if i inject it in my butt. Again i don't mean to be rude but as no one has suggested it i thought i would.
Azz

[SuzySushi]

You might also want your mom to try the Junior pen, which is designed for children. My daughter (age 11) has been using it by herself for over a year and finds it very easy to handle. It doesn't require a lot of strength to deliver thee insulin dose so she can hold the pen and push the button with one hand while pinching her skin with the other.