Problems Injecting Heroin
Okay, so this post will have two points. I’ll start with this one: I can’t find a spot to hit on my arms. I’ve burned out my biceps down to the crook of my elbow, the top couple of inches of each forearm, and one that’s on the underside of my left arm and runs from the middle of my forearm up to the inside edge of my elbow. I can’t seem to find another spot to hit. I bought a tourniquet on amazon, but my veins really don’t pop out. They never have been. Any suggestions?
Next, a couple of days ago, I shot on the top (thumb side) of my right arm, close to my hand. I use 1/2” needles and it was all the way in when i registered. I hit that spot twice before (see above paragraph) without issue. This time, I pushed it through and immediately it burnt like crraaazy. I’ve used this dope before and haven’t had an issue. Immediately following the burning, my hand started swelling, badly. You could see a clear distinction where the swelling came down my wrist a little, included the injection site and the top of my wrist (again, thumb side). The distinction was a red swelling. This has happened twice before, once was around the same spot (if I remember correctly), and the other was in the crook of my elbow. Even with the crook of my elbow, it was my hand that swelled. Each time, it was a new spot, but not new dope. The previous two times, I waited it out. This time, it was scary enough to send me to the ER. They kept me waiting an hour, in which I realized it had stopped swelling and it would end up going down, just like the other two times. It stays swollen for a day or two, and goes back to normal. I have read posts where people say, “you hit an artery,” so of course, that’s what I told the ER doctor! He said “no, there would be a hematoma.” He said “it’s an allergic reaction,” and gave me antibiotics. This particular hospital has a detox program that provides suboxone and is free via a state program, and attracts addicts from a multi-state area. That fact led me to believe that they would take one look, say, “Yep, you hit an artery. You’ll be fine. Rest, ice, elevate, take 800mg ibuprofen and call me in the morning if it’s not better.” Let me note, the swelling was not hive-like, it was my entire hand. Also, it doesn’t last only hours. The peak is only maybe 2-3 hrs, but the hand doesn’t go back to normal until maybe 2 days later. What’s the consensus here, artery, histamine reaction or infection. Obviously, you can’t see my blood work (none was done, no tests at all), but based on your experience, what do you think?
I mean, not like my ass really cares considering I don't use the stuff any more, but still... Nembies! 
