• Select Your Topic Then Scroll Down
    Alcohol Bupe Benzos
    Cocaine Heroin Opioids
    RCs Stimulants Misc
    Harm Reduction All Topics Gabapentinoids
    Tired of your habit? Struggling to cope?
    Want to regain control or get sober?
    Visit our Recovery Support Forums

Opioids Needle Point Broke Off in arm.. PLEASE HELP ME

Status
Not open for further replies.

timrep renreal

Greenlighter
Joined
Jan 10, 2011
Messages
7
i feel like such an idiot..i used to be a big heroin addict.. and i stopped doing that and finally got down to an occasional suboxone when i have a craving.. but for some stupid reason i got some roxies tonight and decided to shoot them.. ive done this plenty of times i never thought i would mess up and break a tip in my arm

what happened was i had 3 pills mixed up with alot of water as to not clog the needle. i did 2 shots. and on the 3rd one i couldnt hit the vein. its just been a long time i suppose and i could not find the vein at all.. and as i was fishin around for it it cracked off and got lost in my arm. i shot it right on the inside of my elbow. and its gone.. i need advise . lets just say a hospital is absolutely not an option. ill lose everything if my parents find out im using again. beleive me ive learned my lesson im NEVER shooting anything ever again..

but what should i do?? i sterilized some razor blades and cut a little portion of my existing scar to see if it would pop up but i found nothing.. im almost certain it isnt inside a vein cuz i was having trouble getting in. but i need to know if its likely that it will eventually go in and maybe travel somewhere else??? or if maybe my body will push it out like a splinter.. please help im afraid im going to die or something

i need ALL options before i go to a hospital i dont care how crazy they are please help me
 
You absolutely can't see a doctor?

OK... doing a quick google search and finding other posts on other forums from people who have had similar experiences and actually gone to the doctor, apparently they had been advised to just leave it. Surgery to try and get it is too invasive for such a small object, and it is very likely that tissue will form around the needle point, keep it there and it may even eventually work it's way out.

I assume you were being fairly hygienic with your IV practices?
 
ive seen almost this exact same question before here on bluelight.

you got a little piece of metal stuck in your arm? how long ago?

the unicorns and rainbows answer is immediately seek medical attention.
but,

if it doesn't hurt, fuck it.
 
You absolutely can't see a doctor?

OK... doing a quick google search and finding other posts on other forums from people who have had similar experiences and actually gone to the doctor, apparently they had been advised to just leave it. Surgery to try and get it is too invasive for such a small object, and it is very likely that tissue will form around the needle point, keep it there and it may even eventually work it's way out.

I assume you were being fairly hygienic with your IV practices?

This.

Haven't you ever gotten a deep splinter in your finger before? They work themselves out of your skin over time.

Granted, a needle tip can end up pretty deep if you're fishing for a vein. But as long as it's in the tissue and not lodged in one of your veins, I'm sure you'll be fine. If a tiny piece of metal broke off in one of your veins then I'm sure your body would have let you know within several seconds of it happening and it wouldn't have been pretty.

It's probably just comfortably lodged in your tissue and will work itself out over time. No need to freak out (although it's understandable if you do, I sure as hell would, lol).

Keep an eye on the spot where it happened for a while and if you notice it getting more and more sore and/or infected (like an abscess) then get yourself to a doctor pronto.
 
well as of right now it doesnt hurt at all but thats probably because im very high right now.. i even tryed cutting it out and that doesnt really hurt.. its a combination of it just being very numb from years of scarring due to shooting there.. the pain isnt whats worrying me.. its just on the inside of my elbow. im worried that it might one day shift and enter a vien. is that likely??

oh and as for hygeine i never used to needle before this and when i was cutting it i sterilized a brand new razor blade and used alot of peroxide and ran it under warm water during the whole process.. im not worried about it getting infected from that..

i just dont want it getting infected just for the simple fact that its a foreign object in my body..


does anyone think it could shift and start moving down a vein? im not too active to be honest but like i said its in the inside of my elbow and that does alot of moving.

oh and a doctor or hospital is absolutely the last thing i can do. im 22 but i have no insurance and it would be very difficult for me to sneak this past my parents.. if they find out i was using again im getting kicked out no questions asked. so id rather be in any amount of pain then homeless... please help me with more suggestions or assessments becuase im extremely scared for my arm/ life right now.. as stupid as that seems
 
ill post again in the morning about pain and how its healing. thank you everyone for helping. i feel like a complete idiot. this is what i get for shooting something up after almost 2 years of only suboxone use.
 
This.

Haven't you ever gotten a deep splinter in your finger before? They work themselves out of your skin over time.

Granted, a needle tip can end up pretty deep if you're fishing for a vein. But as long as it's in the tissue and not lodged in one of your veins, I'm sure you'll be fine. If a tiny piece of metal broke off in one of your veins then I'm sure your body would have let you know within several seconds of it happening and it wouldn't have been pretty.

It's probably just comfortably lodged in your tissue and will work itself out over time. No need to freak out (although it's understandable if you do, I sure as hell would, lol).

Keep an eye on the spot where it happened for a while and if you notice it getting more and more sore and/or infected (like an abscess) then get yourself to a doctor pronto.

yes it doesnt seem to deep.. in fact when i first went to cut it out it looked like i could see the tip of it but it got lost when i went to pull it out.
and ive had infections from missing veins with heroin in the past and the hospital i went to just told me to leave it alone.. so i ended up doing something similar. by sterilizing my own scalpol and cutting out big disgusting blobs of puss and infection. my main concern is it shifting and hitting a vein and either cause bleeding or travel down the vein. but like i said it does seem to be kind of shallow i wasnt pressing too hard down when it broke off
 
Just find a free clinic, they are usually no questions asked. Leave all your ID at home (or in the parked car) so there is no way they can get you.

Its worth a shot. Worst thing that can happen is they refuse to treat you, which I think is unlikely.

Or find a local needle exchange, go there, and ask them. When I look up needle exchanges in my area, there is usually a phone number associated with it. Call the number, explain your situation and see what they recommend. I bet you'll find an answer and get fixed up no worries.
 
but did your friend have it very close to a vein or was it in the muscle.. the only reason im trying to get it out is because im worried about it shifting and hitting a vein.
 
oh and theres still no pain and no infection

Then stop messing with it, if you keep cutting at your arms you are going to have scars and all kinds of problems.

Your best bet is to just let it go or try and find a free clinic.
 
Please, DO NOT try to cut into your arm or anything like that. You will just make it worse by increasing your chance of infection and might actually encourage it to go deeper and cause more harm.

You can read all the online posts and articles you want, but the bottom line is you need to see a doctor to assess YOUR individual situation. It sucks, but these are the risks we all take when using.
 
Dude. You need to learn how to IV properly. The needle should never break off in your arm EVER. Frankly, unless you hit bone with it or you're using a really really shitty needle, I don't understand how it's possible. If you couldn't hit the vein the third time, why didn't you pull out and try the other arm or your leg or something?
 
Dude. You need to learn how to IV properly. The needle should never break off in your arm EVER. Frankly, unless you hit bone with it or you're using a really really shitty needle, I don't understand how it's possible. If you couldn't hit the vein the third time, why didn't you pull out and try the other arm or your leg or something?

Its not completely clear, but it sounds like he was using the same needle for the third time. They get progressively more dull with each use, and this can put additional stress on the needle.
 
to the guy that is telling me i have to learn how to do it properly... no i dont .. i used to do this every day .. and this was the first time in years that i tryed it this way.. i dont need to learn how to do it cuz im never doing drugs this way again..

and as for the mri. doctors are well aware of my drug use.. if i need an mri ill just tell them that i may have a peice of metal in me.. i think a good solution to just in case im not able to tell them is to tell my mother that i got a sewing needle splinter.. she wont ask questions cuz that was already the excuse i gave her for needing tweezers last night.. i think im going to be fine.. my cut it healing fine. i doubt the scar is going to be any worse than the mess of track marks i already had. and i dont feel any pain or anything so i guess its stayin there.. thanks people
 
co-sign on the howard hughes comment. i do think he had like hepatitis but....no biggie. im really sorry you had to go through this. i always feared what if something like that happened to me. ive used them over and over sometimes, and i never wanna go back to doing that. be more careful if there ever is a next time, and just pretend you got implanted with a drug emitting device....or dont. feel better.


im sure this little sitch really knockeed your high down abit didnt it :)
 
to the guy that is telling me i have to learn how to do it properly... no i dont .. i used to do this every day

Its not completely clear, but it sounds like he was using the same needle for the third time. They get progressively more dull with each use, and this can put additional stress on the needle.

Yeah sorry it wasn't clear. It also sounded like he was fishing around for the vein for a while rather than trying elsewhere. Did you hit the same vein three times? With the same needle?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top