Heroin Totally solid, painless lumps, weeks after IV use of heroin

[Niksput]

Good day,

I'm a long-time lurker, but just resurrected my account on here in order to ask a question I am, as of yet, failing to find an answer to.

I got into heroin about a year ago, and started IV'ing it around 6 weeks ago. I've had enormous trouble finding veins in that time, and pretty much only managed to use veins in the crook of my arm and the back of my hand (leading me to try injecting into my feet and ankle veins, neither of which worked).

So, i'm a pretty useless injector, and usually would stab myself between 20 and 50 times before either eventually getting a hit or just giving up and plugging/snorting the liquid solution or throwing it away because congealed blood has ruined it. I have developed several hard, painless lumps that seem exactly like cysts on some of the spots that I repeatedly pierced with a needle. I was successful in 'registering' and shooting in all of these sites, but I may have punctured the site 20 or so times unsuccessfully before eventually scoring one successful "hit", and I am mainly looking to see if people agree with the conclusion I have drawn about the lumps: that they are caused by scarring/collapsed veins from repeatedly stabbing the same site trying to register.

So, bearing in mind the fact that I would commonly attempt to register repeatedly without success, probably leading to the vein being pierced several times from many different directions, and the needle probably poking through the other side of the vein when I went too deep, i'd like to ask for some information from more experienced people about these hard, painless lumps I have developed, and what to do about them (I have not sought medical attention as of ye, and am experiencing no problems, but I want to make sure i'm not making a huge mistake by not acting upon this). I'll describe them below:

The first one (which is more of a collection) is under the skin in the crook of my left elbow. The two veins I had visible there are now not visible, and instead there are two notably sized lumps (roughly the size of half a brazil nut/ a large peanut each) around the point where the needle would have been going in. One of the veins has one smaller, softer lump (that is still painless and relatively hard) and one more pronounced, round, harder lump a bit further up the arm where the needle has not pierced, but only about 1cm from the actual injection site. These lumps have not changed in size or consistency for about 10-14 days, but have perhaps gotten harder gradually in that time. I do not remember missing notably in this site, except for perhaps a tiny drop of heroin solution a couple of times. I certainly did not miss enough for it to sting for more than a millisecond.

The second one is on my right forearm, on the underside. A homeless man hit me with a 1ml syringe as I couldn't find a vein, but missed approx 20 units of the fluid and shot it right into my arm. It burned at first, but now it is just very faintly blue from bruising and has turned into a hard lump that has not changed in size for approximately 7 days. This one confuses me less as I know it was caused by a miss, but I still don't understand why it would have gone hard and not changed for so long when all my other misses are red, watery and painful and vanish within 48 hrs, whereas this one is not red, solid and painless, and has been there without budging for 7 days.

To make things more confusing for me, I missed a whole shot near the vein that runs down the inside of your leg over your ankle bone into your feet, the main one that sticks out in a warm shower. I missed an entire syringe (70 units) of heroin solution here but it was totally painless which made me think I had registered (also the blood in the syringe etc), but I certainly didn't as I felt nothing from the shot and it formed a huge lump. This one went down and was totally gone within hours, unlike the smaller misses (1 unit and 20 units respectively) mentioned above which have now formed rock hard, immovable cyst-like painless lumps where the needles went in.

Okay, so the point of this scattered thread (sorry, I feel like i'm having trouble being coherent), is that I couldn't understand how missing a whole shot could produce no lumps but missing tiny amounts could produce such extensive hard lumps.

I also wanted to ask if solid, hard lumps are caused by scar tissue or collapsed veins (which is my assumption), or by something else entirely. Also, I wanted to see if anyone had a theory on why these lumps have been produced when under similar conditions, other misses have not produced any lumps at all and have dissipated very quickly. Finally, I wanted to try to gather enough information to be able to make an informed decision about whether to go to seek medical assistance or not.

Thanks so much for your replies, and as I have seen before I know no-one can diagnose or give medical advice on here, and I am aware that any discussion that happens as a result of this post will all be opinion, and there's no replacement for a medical evaluation. I'm just looking to hear opinions on the cause of these lumps, and some stories perhaps of people who have developed similar lumps, as I can't actually find anything about hard lumps through the search engine, only threads about painful lumps, squishy lumps, abscesses and infections.

Thanks,
Niksput

 

[Psychedelic Jay]

Most likely you are developing scar tissue.

I would switch it up...

 

[Tommyboy]

Scar tissue from piercing the vein too much just makes the vein harder. It doesn't leave a lump other than for maybe 1-3 days afterward due to irritation at the injection site.

Lumps from missed shots should start going down after a few days, and be gone after 10 days at the most. One way to tell if a lump is an abscess is to feel if it's hotter than the surrounding skin. I don't know how long it takes for an abscess to become painful, so don't know what to tell you about that other than to get it checked out if it gets worse, or if it doesn't get better. Also, if your vital signs change you should seek medical attention.

 

[Niksput]

Scar tissue from piercing the vein too much just makes the vein harder. It doesn't leave a lump other than for maybe 1-3 days afterward due to irritation at the injection site.

Lumps from missed shots should start going down after a few days, and be gone after 10 days at the most. One way to tell if a lump is an abscess is to feel if it's hotter than the surrounding skin. I don't know how long it takes for an abscess to become painful, so don't know what to tell you about that other than to get it checked out if it gets worse, or if it doesn't get better. Also, if your vital signs change you should seek medical attention.

Yeah, this is the bizarre thing, the lumps are no warmer than the surrounding area, they're not painful to touch, there's no tissue swelling, no pulsing feeling, no signs of infection whatsoever. I'm thinking that these 'lumps' are in fact just hardened veins that i've 'misdiagnosed' as lumps, because they're bang on where the vein used to show up, and I can't see any explanation for the ones in the crook of my elbow except for scarring since I didn't even miss a shot. But then you say that it should only be there for 1-3 days.. it's really so confusing!

They literally feel like someone has put little beads under my skin. I would expect some pain or at least tenderness from them, but nothing. Common sense is telling me it is scarring, but I will definitely get it checked out. I have a prescribing appointment to hopefully get on methadone/buprenorphine tomorrow (can you believe it's taken 17 weeks since my first appointment to even be assessed to go on maintenance?! I could have died 20x over in that time.. stupid NHS.. sorry, going off on a tangent) so i'll ask the nurse who is there. Hopefully they will be able to shed some more light on the matter even if their job is only to assess my suitability for a maintenance prescription.

Is there anything else is could be that I have missed? Once again, the only symptom is rock solid lumps/bumps on the injection site. No pain, no swelling, no redness, no fever. nothing.

Thanks to the two posters who have taken the time to comment so far

 

[shroomster]

Like everyone else said, it's scar tissue. The skin covering th veins on the crooks of my arms are still tough and leathery from hitting it for so many years.

If you plan to continue IV'ing, please have someone teach you, step by step, a good injection technique. You can seriously mess yourself up by missing so often.

This is what I do:

I use the short tip needles. They're easier to manage, but long tips will also work
find a good vein on arm, preferably near the crook of my arm.
Tie off
tap the vein i plan on hitting to make it a little easier to see
wipe area with alcohol swap
bevel up, I make my way in at a VERY small angle, almost parallel to my arm
go in very slowly
Once I go in deep enough (not very deep), and I don't see a register, I PULL OUT VERY slowly
this is when I usually see a register
mind you, i do not aspirate at this time. The register is all i need to see.
then i gradually push the plunger...half way through, then I aspirate to make sure I'm still in

If it's a more exotic injection spot, the technique will change slightly, but you should still be able to hit in your arms. I hit in my arms for years, and I still have strong veins.

I think people miss because they either try injecting at silly parts of the body, or the inject at too steep an angle.

 

[Niksput]

Like everyone else said, it's scar tissue. The skin covering th veins on the crooks of my arms are still tough and leathery from hitting it for so many years.

If you plan to continue IV'ing, please have someone teach you, step by step, a good injection technique. You can seriously mess yourself up by missing so often.

This is what I do:

I use the short tip needles. They're easier to manage, but long tips will also work
find a good vein on arm, preferably near the crook of my arm.
Tie off
tap the vein i plan on hitting to make it a little easier to see
wipe area with alcohol swap
bevel up, I make my way in at a VERY small angle, almost parallel to my arm
go in very slowly
Once I go in deep enough (not very deep), and I don't see a register, I PULL OUT VERY slowly
this is when I usually see a register
mind you, i do not aspirate at this time. The register is all i need to see.
then i gradually push the plunger...half way through, then I aspirate to make sure I'm still in

If it's a more exotic injection spot, the technique will change slightly, but you should still be able to hit in your arms. I hit in my arms for years, and I still have strong veins.

I think people miss because they either try injecting at silly parts of the body, or the inject at too steep an angle.

Yeah, that's pretty much my technique too, but everyone i've spoken to has been astonished how bad my veins were. All of the people I know from the scene introduce me to each other with names like "heres Mrs Piddly-Veins" and today a nurse took over 45 mins trying to get a vein to take some blood, so I guess my horrendous veins that hide from everything are a contributing factor.

Luckily, after a 4 MONTH wait, I got my subutex script today - 6mg of sub per day! And since it's Christmas, i've got take homes for the 25th and 26th, right at the beginning of my script! Freedom here I come (fingers crossed).

 

[shroomster]

Word. Consider lifting weights

 

[Morphling]

There are such a thing as sterile abscesses.

You really need to learn how to IV. 20 to 50 times for a shot? What, with the same needle?

There's some guides on here per correct IV usage, and youtube videos and whatnot, please avail yourself of the available resources!

 

[laCster]

Here is a tip. ALWAYS use clean needles, and there is more benefits to clean needles than just safety. Clean needles hit easier than dull old ones. If you have trouble finding a vein use a tourniquet, remember to release the tension before pushing down on the plunger though because this will fuck ur veins. I like to just use a tourniquet to get a feel for where I need to go in. My veins are alright for injecting, I like to go on my hands and wrists a lot. The vein that runs right below my thumb is good. If it is cold or I'm dehydrated than I first prep the shot and place it down close . Then I use a tourniquet to locate the veins and release. Then the vein I want to use like for instance the one that runs up my bicep, I will make a mental note of where it is with the tourni, release , then I take a HOT washcloth and press it over the bicep for a minute or so, then I take my thumb and start to work blood into the vein by massaging it (slapping your arms like you see in movies doesn't work, you have to massage and rub the vein). Next I take an alcohol swab and sanitize the injectIon site and get the needle in my hand making sure the open side of the needle is facing up. Then when I can barely see it I go in, the instance I break the skin I pull back a little so that when I hit blood automatically enters the syringe and I don't have to gauge when I have to pull back. Once a little blood enters I pull back a little more, and steadily push down and halfway through the shot I pull back a little lore to make sure I'm still in so that I ensure I don't miss.

Supplies you should always have on you: .2um micron filter (and thus u need a lure lock syringe . I prefer 3ml lure lock), alcohol swabs, neosporin, clean needles, clean cooker, hydrogen peroxide, and a sharps kit to discard of used needles.

When I miss a shot, I immediately run to the nearest sink or bathroom, heat the water up as hot as it can go. While it is waiting i pour hydrogen peroxide onto a towel and hold it over the missed shot. Then I soak the same towel in the hot water(the hotter the better (it might be a painful but scolding hot water will help dissolve the shot quicker and kill bacteria)and do a warm compress for 5-15mins. This will help the drug dissolve into your skin so you still get some of it into your body. You won't get the rush but you will still feel it. Then I dry the missed shot injection site and put neosporin over it to prevent any abscess from forming. There is a neosporin the acts as a topical analgesic so I use that to help with the soreness and to halt any abscess or infections . You can also take some ibuprofen or aleve(naproxen sodium) to reduce swelling .

If you are goin to use needles , please take the proper precautions to promote safety. Also if you have to take an hour to do a shot then I suggest taking a break from the pins and let your veins heal upon your elbow so it will be easier to hit. If you hit one spot too many times you will develop phlebitis (inflammation of the vein. Your vein will be hard and feel like a rope), phlebitis makes the vein temporarily unusable for IV use. This will go away if you leave the vein alone.

Stay safe man,
-laC

 

[Mr.Scagnattie]

^^^

Very good post, laC. Good information.

 

[laCster]

Thank you Mr. Scagnattie. Can you tell I'm tweaking hard?lol

 

[Mr.Scagnattie]

Thank you Mr. Scagnattie. Can you tell I'm tweaking hard?lol

Haha, well at least you tweak wrote positive, good information, instead of the typical tweaker babble about random shit that makes no sense. Hah.

I thought you were clean though, dude?

 

[Minxy]

@Niksput, you have resurrecting your account to ask a question which has also been bothering me. Therefore, in turn I have resurrected my own dormant 'lurkers' account to say thank you for this.

Cheers bud