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Harm Reduction Broke a needle tip of in my arm

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I'm gonna have to agree with OxyMorphone on this one because I am IMO a fairly experienced IV user and even with a Re-Used rig and some heavy scar tissue on injection site I've never broken off even the tip of the needle before, I've seen it bend a bit but never break, but anyway OP good luck with whatever you decide to do (which I hope is going to get it removed!)
 
I can speak from experience here... had 12 broken hypodermic needles in my arm (not due to drug use but still very relevant to this discussion obviously). ER doc was not going to touch it... said as long as they didn't cause a problem, I didn't need surgery. Being in constant pain was not enough to justify surgery.

I was not happy with the idea of living my life with these needles stuck in my arm. I saw 3 different doctors and talked to several others on the phone before I found one who was willing to go after them. It really depends on how deep the needle is and where it is placed... you may or may not need an ortho who specializes in trauma.

And to dispel the myths around MRI's, I had to have an MRI before I had my needles removed and they told me to let them know if the needles felt hot... they did not come flying out of my arm... that's just not going to happen.

I had a nerve study conducted and found that one or more of the needles had moved and damaged a nerve. That is one possible complication... another being infection. However, some people are able to live with no problems despite having a needle in their bodies... so it is often treated as a "wait and see" type of thing.

Good luck getting it out... I know that's what I wanted for my own peace of mind. Be sure to ask the surgeon about long-term complications. My right hand is still half-numb from my surgery... the ortho said it could be up to 2 years to return to full function. Hopefully your needle is in an easy place to access and you won't have that problem. Just be sure to ask all the questions.

Here's to hoping you don't ever have that experience again!
 
My son had a needle snap in his leg at his 8 month immunasation..it can happen even in a clinical setting witH a brand new needle.
 
Damn, now i'm going to wake up from having nightmaress about big ass needles breaking off in my and killing me, great.....
 
from reading these posts i am no longer skeptical of hypo breakage .
drawing on my own experience though; i have bent insulin syringe needle back on themselves for ''sharps'' disposal many, many times and never experienced breakage .

the MRI myth though i can testify to . there are countless staples within my carcass from surgical procedures and i have had MRI's since . nothing came ripping out . it was a non event . that's the stuff of urban legends as i see it .
 
JamtasticX: I guess I assumed anyone who is wealthy enough to have a computer and intelligent enough to be on Bluelight will not re-use needles.

I never understood re-using needles, but then again I never developed a needle fixation (as to be put in a compromising situation where I might re-use needles), even after trying "it" several times. I have gone back to snorting heroin, too much of a hypochondriac to deal with shooting on my own.
 
from reading these posts i am no longer skeptical of hypo breakage .
drawing on my own experience though; i have bent insulin syringe needle back on themselves for ''sharps'' disposal many, many times and never experienced breakage .

the MRI myth though i can testify to . there are countless staples within my carcass from surgical procedures and i have had MRI's since . nothing came ripping out . it was a non event . that's the stuff of urban legends as i see it .

Oh believe me, it can and does happen when people are careless around MRIs. MRI machines involve very powerful magnetic fields, and as such these will only affect iron-containing metal objects. Most medical devices made for internal usage are MR Safe, so they will have no problems with MRI machines. Other metal objects or shrapnel are classified as MR Conditional or MR Unsafe depending upon the amount of iron contained in them, which is why pre-MRI screening is essential.

Some objects would just heat up, but others that were larger or contained a higher concentration of iron can move internally and cause tissue damage. One specific set of cases involve aneurysm clips that were used before MRI technology existed, many of these are not MRI safe (several brands were even improperly labeled as MR Safe which resulted in instantaneous deaths when the machines were used.) Talk about lawsuit material.
 
JamtasticX: I guess I assumed anyone who is wealthy enough to have a computer and intelligent enough to be on Bluelight will not re-use needles.

I never understood re-using needles, but then again I never developed a needle fixation (as to be put in a compromising situation where I might re-use needles), even after trying "it" several times. I have gone back to snorting heroin, too much of a hypochondriac to deal with shooting on my own.

all the money in the world can't buy back the 5 minutes you had to wait before shooting.:)
 
JamtasticX: I guess I assumed anyone who is wealthy enough to have a computer and intelligent enough to be on Bluelight will not re-use needles

What a bitchy thing to say number one, and number two no matter how much money you have heroin destroys your bank account eventually, and when your a heroin addict you would rather spend the little bit of money you have on packs than constantly buying packs of needles, and while we're on the subject it isn't really uncommon no matter how much money you have or how intelligant you seem to be!
 
JamtasticX: I guess I assumed anyone who is wealthy enough to have a computer and intelligent enough to be on Bluelight will not re-use needles.

I never understood re-using needles, but then again I never developed a needle fixation (as to be put in a compromising situation where I might re-use needles), even after trying "it" several times. I have gone back to snorting heroin, too much of a hypochondriac to deal with shooting on my own.

What a bitchy thing to say number one, and number two no matter how much money you have heroin destroys your bank account eventually, and when your a heroin addict you would rather spend the little bit of money you have on packs than constantly buying packs of needles, and while we're on the subject it isn't really uncommon no matter how much money you have or how intelligant you seem to be!


I think everyone can agree that neither profile fits every person out there. There are plenty of people who are addicts who use a new needle every time, and there are plenty of people who don't.

Where I don't think there is any confusion is which method people should use in terms of safety and health.
 
I can speak from experience here... had 12 broken hypodermic needles in my arm (not due to drug use but still very relevant to this discussion obviously).

How the fuck did you manage to have 12 needles break off in your arm dude?
 
hard to imagine a needle which is very malleable stainless steel breaking . one can bend them back on themselves several times before they work harden and finally break.
I don't buy it !

probably a very often reused one? haha, i used to throw 10cc rigs into a thick plaster wall at a friends house and the needle never broke, so it seems kinda curious.
maybe there are different qualities of needles used in certain hypodermic needles or something.
 
yeah me and a bunch of other junkies lived at this diabetics house, he had millions of 100 count bags hah.
i ended up sitting on them every once and a while..

You and a bunch of junkies in a house full of needles? Hmm.

I'd make sure you get tested for hep c/hiv, especially if you've been pricked by them
 
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