RedHat
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2015
- Messages
- 91
I've been IVing for a decent amount of time now, and it took a while for me to get completely disciplined in doing so. In the beginning I would re-use needles, only cotton filter, use whatever gauge/length I could get my hands on. And I definitely regret being so cavalier when it came to my veins, but thankfully I now take it very seriously. I never re-use needles, I always use micron filters (0.22 um to be exact), and try to keep everything as sterile as possible.
With that being said, I do have to admit that I do sometimes still have a hard time finding a vein. And with every single poke, I use a new syringe. So this sometimes means I go through quite a bit of syringes (which I buy in bulk, online). It's even worse when I'm doing this somewhere other than at home. I have to carry multiple syringes, then move the mix from one syringe to the next whenever I miss a vein. It can be a huge pain in the ass (which I'm sure many people here can sympathize with).
Because of this, I've recently started to "experiment" using luer-lock (example) and slip-tip (example) syringes and needles (example). Using these would make it so much easier to carry around and to switch to a new needle when needed. But there are two problems I continue to run into with using luer-lock or slip-tip syringes:
In my online pursuit to find my "perfect luer-lock or slip-tip needle", which would be 29 gauge by 1/2 inch with no dead space, It dawned on me that I can't be the only one to have run into this problem. So I figured id come and ask
Question: Are there any luer-lock or slip-tip syringe users here that have found a source of needles with a decent variety? Which would include needles with low or now dead space.
Thanks in advance for any input.
With that being said, I do have to admit that I do sometimes still have a hard time finding a vein. And with every single poke, I use a new syringe. So this sometimes means I go through quite a bit of syringes (which I buy in bulk, online). It's even worse when I'm doing this somewhere other than at home. I have to carry multiple syringes, then move the mix from one syringe to the next whenever I miss a vein. It can be a huge pain in the ass (which I'm sure many people here can sympathize with).
Because of this, I've recently started to "experiment" using luer-lock (example) and slip-tip (example) syringes and needles (example). Using these would make it so much easier to carry around and to switch to a new needle when needed. But there are two problems I continue to run into with using luer-lock or slip-tip syringes:
- Needle Variety Availability - It seems to be more difficult to find luer-lock or slip-tip needles in any other gauge/size other than those that are commonly used. I like to use 29g and 30g, but I haven't been able to find any 29g's on the interwebs, they seem to be mostly 25g and 30g.
- Dead Space - Dead space is the tiny amount of space that is left in the needle hub thats difficult to evacuate from the syringe. Not only does it just kinda suck to have that left over in the syringe, but that space is a bit of a "blind spot" when you're trying to get a vein to register.
- This can be solved by purchasing needles that claim to have low/no dead space, but believe it or not... those aren't that easy to find, especially in my preferred gauge choice (29g).
In my online pursuit to find my "perfect luer-lock or slip-tip needle", which would be 29 gauge by 1/2 inch with no dead space, It dawned on me that I can't be the only one to have run into this problem. So I figured id come and ask
Question: Are there any luer-lock or slip-tip syringe users here that have found a source of needles with a decent variety? Which would include needles with low or now dead space.
Thanks in advance for any input.
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