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bruises from IV injections?

Boo

Bluelighter
Joined
Apr 5, 2000
Messages
105
how do I avoid getting them? it seems like no matter where I IV i get bruises. I know it's going in the vein (I get blood in the syringe when i pull out, and I feel the drug) but it always causes very obvious bruises. I've tried my wrist, inner elbow, leg, etc. any advice is appreciated
 
Hmmm...well they are called hematomas and they can be caused by a number of things, including injecting the solution too quickly, using the same vein/site too often, etc.
I presume of course that you use a new, sterile needle every time and that you are using 29 gauge?
Do you bruise when you get blood drawn at the doctor's? Have you had other people IV you without bruising you?
 
Incidentally I typically get bruises too after IVing, even when I make a perfect shot (as I alwasy do ;) ) with a 29-gauge needle, sterile water, and a slow injection. I have easy-to-find big veins, too. The bruises are light -- just a slight yellowish discoloration that appears after a day and disappears after a couple more.
I'd always assumed this was normal... do other people not get this?
 
remember that you are introducing a foreign agent into your body in a very invasive way when IVing something, regardless of how successful and sterile the actual injections might have been.
you are causing trauma to your vein by puncturing it allowing some blood to flow back out. thus: bruises. usually it's nothing serious.
there's also a possibility that after you pulled back to see if you were in the vein, you poked through to the other side.
 
As mentioned above, yes, bruising IS quite normal...especially the type that zorn described, that lasts for a day or so. Longer than a few days or dark, big bruises probably does mean you are doing something wrong, however. Pulling back and poking throught the vein is quite common, will cause usually cause bruising, and is not particularily dangerous.
Also, zorn: about 3/4 of the time when I IV there is no discolouration/bruising whatsoever (despite my tiny shitty veins!...so I don't believe that bruising slightly everytime is always normal. It could just vary from person to person; i.e. some people bruise more easily than others, regardless of how perfectly they inject.
 
I don't usually bruise at all,even when I use the same site repeatedly or (i know this is bad)use the same needle more than once. It doesn't matter where I do it, though I always have stuck with my arms or wrists for the most part... guess I'm lucky, I don't bruise easily from anything.
 
Some people will bruise regardless - if you cant take that (i.e. you live with mommy and daddy who would throw you in rehab if they ever saw a bruise) then you need to either learn how to inject in spots no one can see, or give up IV injecting (you could always take a fucking stand and tell them to fuck off, it's none of their god damn business what an adult does in his free time) ..
Anyways.. another cause can be when there is an irritation caused by the actuall injection fluid gets under the skin - to avoid this, dip the needle in alcohol before you inject, and then flush it with blood once or twice before you pull out of the vein (you should anyway) ... though it might be the former...
 
That's good advice Phreex, thanks. I'll have to try it next time.
It's odd though as I normally am very difficult to bruise. Maybe there is something about my injection technique. <gasp> I'll havta let someone else do it and see what happens... :)
 
smh254 DOES have beautiful veins. ;) *drools on self*
Maybe the bruising thing is somehow gender related, seeing as hellfiregurl and myself are both relatively bruiseless and also female?
 
I only really bruise when I'm using a new site, havent used the site in a while or am shaky & not as careful as I should be.
What I've always wondered about is , does appling presure to the site after you pull the needle out of the vein really stop bruising?
*'Hurridoid' is a really good product to use on injection sites ,it comes in a cream.
 
A few tips to stop bruising:
1) First of all, ALWAYS throw away old needles after use, because I swear to fucking god the number ONE cause of bruising during IV is from using a dull fucking point. If you're not sure, just fucking toss it and start fresh...
2) After IV'ing, be SURE to pull the needle out SLOWLY. I swear to fucking god the number 2 cause of brusing during IV is hitting the vein, banging the drugs and having been successful, sharply pulling the rig out in haste, usually causing definite trauma to the injection site, and a bruise.
3) When done, IMMEDIATLEY apply pressure to IV site. As soon as you withdraw the rig, put one index finger on the injection site and apply a bit of pressure. YES, this works very well and is probably the MOST important step to preventng bruising. One of my best friends is a former paramedic and gave me the technical medical explanation behind it once, but it slips my mind at the moment. Next time you go to the doctor's office though, if you'll notice when the nurse takes your blood, after she sticks a cartoon bandaid on the IV site, she applies pressure to the spot, if she doesn't do this, she's not a real nurse, or she's drunk...
4) Try sticking to the inner elbow if possible. The vein located there is larger than most, and is much easier to access overall (allowing for a more controlled IV, less chance of bruising). Rememeber, some spots tend to bruise more easily than others for some people. For me personally, though I can easily hit some veins on my hand, it almost always causes a bruise or mark, no matter how stunnigly perfect my technique.
5) Worst comes to worse, just have someone else preform the injection.
While brusing isn't anything to really worry about, it's not exactly "normal". So keep practicing till you perfect the technique Proper IV admin should NOT cause a bruise normally, or even any real noticable difference at the site of injection, of course this is realtive to everyone...
Just a few things I didn't see mentioned, hope it helped some, have fun...
 
Apply pressure from the second you pull the needle out - it can definitly help to prevent bruising, but the main idea is that it helps the vein recover, it's not going to prevent a bruise on the skin/muscle... Kell just vouced for Hirudoid, the other one is Lansonil but if you can't find either, go for some Neosporin .. of course you should alternate injection sites - the only problem with the inner-elbow is that ANY bruise in that location is likely to be labeled a "track mark", while injections on the wrist are less noticible, if you have hairy arms you can easily cover up marks just from, well, having hair!
 
yeah, i always use a new rig, 29g, rotate injection sites, apply pressure, etc. the Dr. always causes a bruise, but i've had other friends successfully inject me w/o bruising but only on the inner elbow. my veins are actually pretty difficult to hit or even see, and it seems that bruising is more promenent if i use a torniquet. usually, if it do it myself i have to use my wrists or ankles because those are the only places i can hit/see w/o a torniquet. i am a girl, and i dont live w/my parents but i dont want my job or bf to see any marks.. neither would be too hip with it.
 
Strangely, the only time that I have bruised is when injecting into the inner elbow veins (doctors/nurses have caused bruising this way also).
I have never bruised my wrist veins, even when I use TINY veins on the inside of my wrist.
I think I do usually apply pressure to the vein after IVing, just as a reflex...nice to know that this actually helps prevent bruising.
 
Originally posted by Boo:
i am a girl, and i dont live w/my parents but i dont want my job or bf to see any marks.. neither would be too hip with it.Actually, if you stayed iwth "what's hip" you would see that track marks are being considered almost a "hip" and "trendy" deal
.. they had a thing on the news about it, how people even have friends give them track marks by poking themselves with a needle in a line through their inner-elbow.. at clubs, guys are even putting dark makeup under their eyes to give themselves the "heroin look" ... folks, for once it's COOL to be a junky!
 
getting a bit off-topic, are track marks permanent? I would assume that they would fade a bit over time, but it is scar tissue, so...
 
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