Harm Reduction Injection Complications FAQ and Mega Thread

[fleabag73]

Also, I got abcesses from gettin sloppy, fucked up and lazy. Cuz it was drilling for fucking OIL with me, so I ran my arm under screamin hot water, and the veins popped right up so I didn't have to use the same site multiple times. Ive blown veins many times, and it didnt look like that, and its prolly just irritated cuz if its not burning like hell, you got in there.

 

[KnowBudz]

Please do not use cigarette filters as strainers. Its a dangerous practice as they tend to shed tiny shards into the load.

 

[Jabberwocky]

^correct. never use a cigarette filter. a "rolly" filter is going to be a lot safer to use than a tailor made cigarette. im pretty certain those tiny shards are fibreglass - i've only heard this and never confirmed it so correct me if im wrong. ultimately you want to be using a micron filter.

Yeah I'm high. I guess I should have rephrased, I know I didn't miss because it wasn't burning. Its been a couple hours now, and the bump is still there. I was thinking about it, and does anyone think it's possible that the dope might have leaked out from a hole in the vein from previous injections? I don't know if that can happen or not.
My wrist is a bit swollen and sore, still a bit red. Still has a lump.
Thanks guys.

you said in your initial post you felt burning to you re-registered and then went again. you are high sounds like a partial miss me to me, especially with the histamine release your photo shows. it's likely you've poked through one side of your vein and that's caused some leakage. keep a close eye on it, making sure it doesn't grow any larger or symptoms worsen.

i would be getting a hot compress on that and massage the area in between. i usually run a missed shot under a hot water tap 3 times during the day when i dont have access to a hot compress as well as massage the area. make sure you keep the spot nice and clean as well to avoid any possible bacteria infection.

if it's a sterile abscess it will likely come better anywhere between a few days up to a week or two. dont go shooting into this area again until it's fully healed up. i'd avoid using the wrist altogether to shoot, imo. the veins are extremely shallow and small, not leaving much room for any kind of error.

if it does get worse go see a doctor asap.

merging into IV thread

 

[LeFtY1227]

so ived heard that that IVing into the leg veins is possible.. ive tried but was fruitless... does anyone know a diagrahm of these veins???? thnx

 

[Jabberwocky]

is the best i could do in a quick google. what you've got to keep in mind when injecting into the legs is the superficial veins (veins sitting on top) are connected to the deep veins via a perforated vein - so don't go digging too deep and ripping up all your veins in the process. you're wanting to hit the superficial veins on the top. the jugular and median cubital(crook of elbow vein) are classed as superficial veins for a reference.

deeper veins are located closer to arteries so that's one other reason to avoid digging around and trying to hit the deeper veins.

you know how when you jump in a hot shower or do some weights and the superficial veins protrude a lot more? that's the deep veins feeding more blood into them as a means of temperature control.

why are you wanting to inject into your legs anyway? can you not hit anywhere on your arms?

 

[Abbath]

Also, I got abcesses from gettin sloppy, fucked up and lazy. Cuz it was drilling for fucking OIL with me, so I ran my arm under screamin hot water, and the veins popped right up so I didn't have to use the same site multiple times. Ive blown veins many times, and it didnt look like that, and its prolly just irritated cuz if its not burning like hell, you got in there.

Yeah, I got a few nasty abscesses myself. One I got from missing a shot with diphenhydramine liquid + dope. It was very solid and nasty for over a week.

 

[Captain.Heroin]

so ived heard that that IVing into the leg veins is possible.. ive tried but was fruitless... does anyone know a diagrahm of these veins???? thnx

It is possible to IV in your leg, but it's NOT easy IMO, I wouldn't advise it.

 

[Artificial Emotion]

I wish I wasn't so god damned fat, I can't find any damn veins. It's weird because my weight looks normal from a few feet away, but up close is a different story. I suppose it's the distribution of fat rather than the total amount...

 

[LeFtY1227]

It is possible to IV in your leg, but it's NOT easy IMO, I wouldn't advise it.

why do u say that? are you saying to IV by yourself is not easy? because i will admit its hard to pinpoint the location of a vein when you cant look directly at it... what about with assistance from a friend?

 

[KnowBudz]

That may end up saving you a world of hurt! Usually, the veins on the back of one's hand can be readily-accessed, that is the preferred location for hospital IV's. Be aware that smaller veins require a greater degree of skill to hit, so they're not something a newbie should try!

 

[wespwnzu]

hand is massive after injection..

I just did a shot in the wrist with the usual dope, but after it registered and i pushed in, i suddenly got a burning sensation throughout my hand, so hot that i grabbed the water i was using and just poured it on my hand to stop the pain. it quickly went away but my hand began to swell like a balloon. it is only the side i injected it on, the other side of m y hand is fine. i feel like maybe i hit an artery or i may have missed and it caused pressure to stop blood flow or something, but i had barely shot any of it before i pulled the needle out. this is not normal missed shot swell though, and its been about thirty minutes. it doesnt hurt, but it is just grossly swollen. anyone know what this is and if i need to go to the hospital? i dont feel like getting arrested today

 

[ashla]

hey i had a few of these happen to me, i am not sure it could be an artery, i always refered to it as a down vein because instead of the feeling of the dope going up into me, i felt the painh and heat going down and it felt like my hand would blow of from how bad it swollen, i never had to go to the hospital for mine, i would run it under cold water and it ould eventually go away but you know yourself better if you feel something is very wrong, bite the bullet and get help, i think really it was dumb luck nothing ever happened to me and i was to stubborn to go to the hospital , i should have though, i am lucky i still have all my limbs goodluck

 

[wespwnzu]

hey i had a few of these happen to me, i am not sure it could be an artery, i always refered to it as a down vein because instead of the feeling of the dope going up into me, i felt the painh and heat going down and it felt like my hand would blow of from how bad it swollen, i never had to go to the hospital for mine, i would run it under cold water and it ould eventually go away but you know yourself better if you feel something is very wrong, bite the bullet and get help, i think really it was dumb luck nothing ever happened to me and i was to stubborn to go to the hospital , i should have though, i am lucky i still have all my limbs goodluck

sounds like exactly what happened to me. i feel like if it was serious... it would hurt. but it doesnt. i dont think i missed though because i got high. ill sit tight for a bit... it might be getting better. i mean i can still type with it

 

[rollin_stoned]

sorry, i'm a noob when it comes to the law.......but you honestly would get arrested for this?


our government is so fucked up........."oh hey, you're gonna die or gonna have irreversible damage to yourself if you don't come into the hospital......but you're also gonna get arrested because you used drugs."

 

[wespwnzu]

also ashla how long did it usually take to subside?

 

[TheDankaholic]

I just did a shot in the wrist with the usual dope, but after it registered and i pushed in, i suddenly got a burning sensation throughout my hand, so hot that i grabbed the water i was using and just poured it on my hand to stop the pain. it quickly went away but my hand began to swell like a balloon. it is only the side i injected it on, the other side of m y hand is fine. i feel like maybe i hit an artery or i may have missed and it caused pressure to stop blood flow or something, but i had barely shot any of it before i pulled the needle out. this is not normal missed shot swell though, and its been about thirty minutes. it doesnt hurt, but it is just grossly swollen. anyone know what this is and if i need to go to the hospital? i dont feel like getting arrested today

I'm an ER RN and an ex-IV heroin user. I've seen this happen quite a few times with people coming through the ER as well as had this happen once to myself. What you are describing is a CLASSIC case of hitting an artery. You described it perfect in the sense it feels like the shot flows in the other direction & instantly you feel pain and swelling comes soon after. Your hand/limb on the side you shoot on swells up about twice as big as normal & usually you feel very little high from it.

Honestly you can get away with not going to the hospital and survive because when it happened to me I went straight to the ER but the wait was over 2 hours and by the time it was time for me to go into the actual hospital it had completely gone down and the pain had subsided so I just left. But you bet I went straight to the hospital when it did happen because there are MANY cases of people losing limbs from shooting into an artery. It's a real danger & not one I'd risk.

If you really want to gamble though you can wait and keep an eye on it but just remember, most people who have lost limbs from artery shots are ones who waited till it was too late and finally gave in and went to the ER after waiting far too long. It's your hand/arm and a choice you have to make on your own. But I'd recommend going if it really is that bad and swollen. Especially if it is actively hurting that bad.

As a side note and a word of caution STOP shooting around your wrists. Knowing anatomy well, you have a lot of arteries very close to veins in your wrist area and it greatly increases your chance of missing a vein and/or poking through a vein and ending up in an artery.

For future reference as well, artery blood should appear lighter red in the syringe as well as more "frothy" almost like a foam to it then the regular dark red crimson blood of a vein. Be safe.

 

[wespwnzu]

I'm an ER RN and an ex-IV heroin user. I've seen this happen quite a few times with people coming through the ER as well as had this happen once to myself. What you are describing is a CLASSIC case of hitting an artery. You described it perfect in the sense it feels like the shot flows in the other direction & instantly you feel pain and swelling comes soon after. Your hand/limb on the side you shoot on swells up about twice as big as normal & usually you feel very little high from it.

Honestly you can get away with not going to the hospital and survive because when it happened to me I went straight to the ER but the wait was over 2 hours and by the time it was time for me to go into the actual hospital it had completely gone down and the pain had subsided so I just left. But you bet I went straight to the hospital when it did happen because there are MANY cases of people losing limbs from shooting into an artery. It's a real danger & not one I'd risk.

If you really want to gamble though you can wait and keep an eye on it but just remember, most people who have lost limbs from artery shots are ones who waited till it was too late and finally gave in and went to the ER after waiting far too long. It's your hand/arm and a choice you have to make on your own. But I'd recommend going if it really is that bad and swollen. Especially if it is actively hurting that bad.

As a side note and a word of caution STOP shooting around your wrists. Knowing anatomy well, you have a lot of arteries very close to veins in your wrist area and it greatly increases your chance of missing a vein and/or poking through a vein and ending up in an artery.

For future reference as well, artery blood should appear lighter red in the syringe as well as more "frothy" almost like a foam to it then the regular dark red crimson blood of a vein. Be safe.

iirc the blood was not frothy at all, it was dark. it was a spot i have used many times before, but im thinking i pushed it in too far and hit something else near it. the hand itself doesnt really hurt at all, it is just swollen, but maybe thats because im on dope. ill get some anti-inflammatory medicine and wait a few hours and see if it gets better, but im able to type with the hand and i can still feel with it an all. i think it will be ok

 

[TheDankaholic]

iirc the blood was not frothy at all, it was dark. it was a spot i have used many times before, but im thinking i pushed it in too far and hit something else near it. the hand itself doesnt really hurt at all, it is just swollen, but maybe thats because im on dope. ill get some anti-inflammatory medicine and wait a few hours and see if it gets better, but im able to type with the hand and i can still feel with it an all. i think it will be ok

Well be careful & you came here asking for advice and I'm being honest with you whether or not you want to hear or believe what I'm saying, I'm 95% sure you hit an artery. The blood isn't always that distinguishable from vein blood, especially mixed with the color of dope. I've done 1000's of IV's on people & it's never a sure thing that you can tell the difference even in optimal situations. Everyones different.

But with what you described, the pain & swelling, etc. You hit an artery & are having a classic reaction to doing so. I've seen it in a professional setting at work & done it to myself before. Not only am I professionally trained, I've also first hand experienced being an IV heroin user myself for over 2 years before I quit. It really really sounds like a classic artery injection. Like I said I got away with it without going to the hospital, but truth be told many people don' get off so lucky & the ones who don't get off easily generally have devastating outcomes.

I'm just warning you what can happen & what you probably did. From there you can make your own choices. It's your health & your body, your aloud to gamble with that. I'm just saying, even with my Job & family finding out on the line when it happened to me I still went to the ER. It's not worth losing a limb over. Keep an eye on it ok?

Also the ER absolutely will NOT get you arrested for going in with IV complications. Do not bring ANY syringes, drugs, etc on you to the hospital. You can tell them you were injecting whatever you want, even something "legal" if you please. But being honest has a better chance of getting you the right treatment. I can tell you at my hospital, & ANY I've worked at we do not get patients arrested who are seeking proper medical attention for an IV complication. The only exceptions are when they bring in drugs with them & are combative and uncooperative.

Just be safe & don't be afraid of hospitals and health care professionals when you might seriously need them. You won't get arrested over it. They might give you some shit & a lecture about IV'ing drugs but you won't get arrested by any means for it.

sounds like exactly what happened to me. i feel like if it was serious... it would hurt. but it doesnt. i dont think i missed though because i got high. ill sit tight for a bit... it might be getting better. i mean i can still type with it

I know your trying to calm yourself down but pain is really only common right after the injection when you hit an artery, the swelling is what you need to watch out for. It doesn't usually stay really painful & not having much pain is NOT a good indication of whether or not it's serious. Especially since your body is naturally blocking a lot of the pain you would of felt/should be feeling because you have heroin ( a strong opiate & pain killer ) in your system right now.

Please don't take my message as trying to scare you because I promise you I'm not. I really care and just want to help you out. Me being an RN & a previous IV heroin junkie myself, I have more compassion for most in these kind of situations. I don't want you to make a decision you regret & lose that window of time when you can get help & it's still effective with arterial shots.

You could be totally fine staying at home & letting things go down naturally, but you could also have a really bad situation that could of been taken care of if you didn't wait to long to seek help. It's a gamble & you gotta choose.

 

[wespwnzu]

Well be careful & you came here asking for advice and I'm being honest with you whether or not you want to hear or believe what I'm saying, I'm 95% sure you hit an artery. The blood isn't always that distinguishable from vein blood, especially mixed with the color of dope. I've done 1000's of IV's on people & it's never a sure thing that you can tell the difference even in optimal situations. Everyones different.

But with what you described, the pain & swelling, etc. You hit an artery & are having a classic reaction to doing so. I've seen it in a professional setting at work & done it to myself before. Not only am I professionally trained, I've also first hand experienced being an IV heroin user myself for over 2 years before I quit. It really really sounds like a classic artery injection. Like I said I got away with it without going to the hospital, but truth be told many people don' get off so lucky & the ones who don't get off easily generally have devastating outcomes.

I'm just warning you what can happen & what you probably did. From there you can make your own choices. It's your health & your body, your aloud to gamble with that. I'm just saying, even with my Job & family finding out on the line when it happened to me I still went to the ER. It's not worth losing a limb over. Keep an eye on it ok?

Also the ER absolutely will NOT get you arrested for going in with IV complications. Do not bring ANY syringes, drugs, etc on you to the hospital. You can tell them you were injecting whatever you want, even something "legal" if you please. But being honest has a better chance of getting you the right treatment. I can tell you at my hospital, & ANY I've worked at we do not get patients arrested who are seeking proper medical attention for an IV complication. The only exceptions are when they bring in drugs with them & are combative and uncooperative.

Just be safe & don't be afraid of hospitals and health care professionals when you might seriously need them. You won't get arrested over it. They might give you some shit & a lecture about IV'ing drugs but you won't get arrested by any means for it.

ok. well it is starting to feel better and hasnt really gotten worse since it happened so im gonna let it be for a little bit.. i just took some BC powder. if anything changes ill go straight to the ER

 

[TheDankaholic]

ok. well it is starting to feel better and hasnt really gotten worse since it happened so im gonna let it be for a little bit.. i just took some BC powder. if anything changes ill go straight to the ER

Honestly that is the best news I could hear. I'm happy for you and that is the most mature responsible answer I've hear din awhile from someone scared of an IV mishap on bluelight. I know a lot of people don't want to hear the possibilities of what could go wrong in these kind of situations, but taking your own health seriously is a very responsible thing to do in these situations. No one want to go to the ER for IV complications, but ruling it out can be devastating.

It's great to hear it's getting better just keep an eye on it. If you can get yourself a felt marker and draw a circle around the area that's swollen where you injected so you can get a true & accurate view of whether or not the swelling is going down or not & check it every few hours. I know in are heads we go "yeah it looks like it's gotten better" even if we truly can't tell. If you do it this way you can actually see the difference when it is getting better & that way you can also calm yourself down when you visually see it really is going down.

Just keep a good eye on it ok? Like I said I did this same retarded thing with black tar heroin & It ended up being ok without any medical treatment and it was BAD. My hand swelled up like two to three times as big as it should be. I looked like mickey mouse.