Heroin Puffy Hands from IV Heroin Base

[F.U.B.A.R.]

Due to the fact that all the heroin we get in the UK needs to be dissolved in acid I've lost all my accessible veins and have finally had to throw in the towel and start smoking again. However, for the last few months of my IV career I was going in my hands - back of the hands, wrists, fingers etc. which caused my hands to swell up - making finding a vein even harder. Now I haven't had a dig for well over 6 months, but my hands are still quite puffy. I've looked this problem up and it seems to be due to the blood having difficulty returning from the extremities due to the reduced number of blood vessels available. Does anyone know whether this will get better in time, or am I destined to have fat blokes hands for the rest of my life? Any suggestions on how to improve this problem? Finally, to what extent can I reasonably expect my veins to recover? Even after 6 months abstinence I still cannot find any decent veins.

 

[jamesBrown]

Due to the fact that all the heroin we get in the UK needs to be dissolved in acid I've lost all my accessible veins and have finally had to throw in the towel and start smoking again. However, for the last few months of my IV career I was going in my hands - back of the hands, wrists, fingers etc. which caused my hands to swell up - making finding a vein even harder. Now I haven't had a dig for well over 6 months, but my hands are still quite puffy. I've looked this problem up and it seems to be due to the blood having difficulty returning from the extremities due to the reduced number of blood vessels available. Does anyone know whether this will get better in time, or am I destined to have fat blokes hands for the rest of my life? Any suggestions on how to improve this problem? Finally, to what extent can I reasonably expect my veins to recover? Even after 6 months abstinence I still cannot find any decent veins.

Well, it all depends on the amount of damage that was done....and for obvious reasons, no one online can tell you how bad of shape your hands are in.

But, if the damage was minimal, than chances are it will heal and the swelling will go down....its hard to say when or how fast but my best guess would be anywhere from 1 to 3 months(based on experiences my friends went through).

Now, if the damage was extensive, than first off....I would go see a doctor IMMEDIATELY...actually, no matter how much damage you think you caused I would recommend seeing a doc very soon....the risk of you losing some fingers or a limb is VERY high when dealing with damaged blood vessels/veins in your arm.wrist.hands. Its just not worth it to sit back and see what happens, go to a doctor so that you can hopefully guarantee the flesh in your hands isnt slowly dying off due to lack of blood or some similar issue....because that could quickly become gangrenous and that brings a whole new set of problems to deal with.(bloodborn infections which can potentialy be deadly very quickly)

So, yea, basically, GO TO A DOCTOR AS SOON AS POSSIBLE...but if you choose not to, I think you can soak your hands in warm water and that will help the healing process and the blood flow.

*Also...stop shooting up....especially in your hands/swollen areas....but really you should stop alltogether...your life is worth much more than an increased BA*

 

[Flexistentialist]

It may or may not get better, very hard to say especially without looking at the area. Lifting weights and doing exercise can help improve circulation, so give that a try. It can take 12 - 18 months for vein damage to improve, if it's going to improve at all. Sometimes the vein damage is too severe and then you'll have to learn to live with poor circulation.

If it doesn't get better over a decent period of time, go see a doctor because there can be some long term complications. It's not like you're hand will fall off overnight though, so no need to panic. The complications can include ulcers that take a long time to heal and cuts / scratches that are more prone to infection. Some people with bad circulation from injecting also report a lot of pain in their hands / arms. If you notice any of these complications, see a doctor as soon as possible.

Otherwise don't inject into that area, exercise (especially weight training), eat healthy and wait.

 

[Crake]

So, yea, basically, GO TO A DOCTOR AS SOON AS POSSIBLE...but if you choose not to, I think you can soak your hands in warm water and that will help the healing process and the blood flow.

Don't use hot water, it is not going to help with the inflammation and could even make it worse.

 

[jamesBrown]

Don't use hot water, it is not going to help with the inflammation and could even make it worse.

I didnt say hot water...I said warm water...which does help with blood flow...which seems to be his MAJOR problem here...his inflamation is a result of blood flow issues in his hands veins and blood vessels.

 

[jamesBrown]

It may or may not get better, very hard to say especially without looking at the area. Lifting weights and doing exercise can help improve circulation, so give that a try. It can take 12 - 18 months for vein damage to improve, if it's going to improve at all. Sometimes the vein damage is too severe and then you'll have to learn to live with poor circulation.

If it doesn't get better over a decent period of time, go see a doctor because there can be some long term complications. It's not like you're hand will fall off overnight though, so no need to panic. The complications can include ulcers that take a long time to heal and cuts / scratches that are more prone to infection. Some people with bad circulation from injecting also report a lot of pain in their hands / arms. If you notice any of these complications, see a doctor as soon as possible.

Otherwise don't inject into that area, exercise (especially weight training), eat healthy and wait.

Also...DO NOT LIFT WEIGHTS or strain your swollen, damaged hands in any way. This is not good advice. If you have done damage to your veins and blood vessels...they are probably not working correctly, meaning your circulation in those areas is poor and is unable to properly oxygenate the muscles in your hand....therefore, putting stress on your hand will force it to try to excesively pump even more blood through allready damaged veins to those muscles, more than likely causing more damage. You need to try to increase the blood flow to your hands while keeping it under control...not by forcing it to endure excess pressure and stress. Has a doctor ever told you to run on a sprained ankle?...or smoke a cigg while you have bronchitis?...i doubt it...the same concept applies to this scenario.

The less stress you apply to a damaged body part, the better.
Im pretty sure if you go to a doctor with swollen hands he will NOT tell you to lift weights. You need to heal before stressing the muscles/vessels/and veins in your hands.

 

[Flexistentialist]

^ You're confusing veins and arteries. The veins are taking de-oxygenated blood away from his muscles.

Moderate exercise is the standard advice given to someone experiencing the early signs of circulation problems from damaged veins. Search these forums, ask at your local needle exchange, etc.

 

[jamesBrown]

^ You're confusing veins and arteries. The veins are taking de-oxygenated blood away from his muscles.

Moderate exercise is the standard advice given to someone experiencing the early signs of circulation problems from damaged veins. Search these forums, ask at your local needle exchange, etc.

His hands are SWOLLEN...I guarantee you that telling him to lift weights with those very same hands is NOT good medical advice. Maybe if he had no swelling, but he does, so no, he should not "exercise" with them.

 

[jamesBrown]

Also, I know that veins take de-oxygenated blood away from his muscles...but the WHOLE FUCKING POINT is that he has DAMAGED those veins, causing them to not do there job correctly(meaning they arent taking away the deoxygenated blood away from his muscles)..therefore, if he lifts weights, it puts more strain on those veins/muscles, which are trying to pump ALOT more blood through those veins to oxygenate the muscles, but since the veins arent talking away the de-oxygenated blood away correctly, it could cause MAJOR problems....I would think this is very obvious to anyone with common sense.

 

[Flexistentialist]

You don't know what you're talking about. I worked in needle exchange for many years. What the OP is describing is a very common presentation, I've seen heaps of people with the exact symptoms. When the major veins have collapsed, smaller veins are taking the load. These have thin walls and struggle initially, leading to "puffy hands" - one of the first symptoms of poor circulation. These smaller veins can be strengthened over time and improve their capacity. This is done by placing a load on them via exercise.

This is the standard advice for someone where there is recent vein damage with some chance of healing, and there are no complications (eg infections, ulcers, pain).

Google it if you'd like, I'm not going to continue arguing this, OP can make up his/her own mind.

 

[Cane2theLeft]

In the interest of harm reduction, you should really see a medical professional that can physically examine you. Flex and jB might have good insight but without a medical degree and the ability to examine first-hand, its impossible to diagnose and prescribe treatment accurately.