Ok, i'm just gonna give you information that's to the best of my knowledge - i've been using for about 8 yrs or so and i've had to go to IM and skin poppin and all that..
i searched on the internet for good spots to IM stuff - cuz you know guys who do steroids do it that way a lot. you can do it on the other side of your bicept as well as pretty close to your shoulder - at least i've never had too many problems with all that. i've done it all around my upper arm - just feel the spot and flex and you can pretty much tell where you have enough muscle and where you don't.
be careful when doing it close to your joints - especially the elbow area. once i hit the wrong spot and i couldn't use my arm for almost a month, cuz i had hit a nerve or tendon or somethin like that. i was lucky it started workin again, so like i said, be very careful.
there's also the thighs and your butt of course, and i think you just have to kind of learn how to feel muscle shots. i find that when i do it IM, if i just breathe deep from in my stomach it helps me feel that little rush i get.
i've heard that when doing IM shots(of tar at least) you're supposed to rub it and have a hot and a cold pack to switch on and off after you do it to make sure the tar doesn't just sit in one spot.
what i usually do (cuz i don't carry that kind of stuff everywhere i go) is just make sure you rub the area very well to make sure your circulation stays goin.
make sure you try not to use the same spot more than once, that's how you get abcesses. of course you could get one from doing it only once, but you're pushin it if you keep doing it in the same spot.
another good idea is to get some antibiotics to have around. i try to have a constant supply of it.
i'm not sure about skin poppin - i just use the short needle when i do that, but what dankstersauce said sounds pretty accurate.
the femoral vein, ya, it's right in front of the femoral artery, which you should be able to find the pulse for. i suggest you finding someone who knows how to find it and get them to look for you. it's pretty close to your groin area, and it's great if you can find this vein cuz once you do you're set for a good while as long as you take care of it.
although i do have a friend that i was only once able to find the femoral vein for - and that was early on in her usasge. she has pretty much the same situation as you, she's always had terrible veins...she's got some terrible scars, and i'm worried she's gonna lose a limb soon, but what can you do? like i said, same situation, i doubt she's gonna quit because of that..
anyways, ya, the 1/2" is long enuf for the femoral, but no shorter than that. another thing that might help you find it is start at the bottom of your leg - cuz it's a huge vein that runs on the inside of your leg. my friend that i've only been able to find the femoral vein once for has another huge one on the outside of her leg - i've never been able to find that one on myself though.
i think i answered everything.. let me know if you need any more help
i searched on the internet for good spots to IM stuff - cuz you know guys who do steroids do it that way a lot. you can do it on the other side of your bicept as well as pretty close to your shoulder - at least i've never had too many problems with all that. i've done it all around my upper arm - just feel the spot and flex and you can pretty much tell where you have enough muscle and where you don't.
be careful when doing it close to your joints - especially the elbow area. once i hit the wrong spot and i couldn't use my arm for almost a month, cuz i had hit a nerve or tendon or somethin like that. i was lucky it started workin again, so like i said, be very careful.
there's also the thighs and your butt of course, and i think you just have to kind of learn how to feel muscle shots. i find that when i do it IM, if i just breathe deep from in my stomach it helps me feel that little rush i get.
i've heard that when doing IM shots(of tar at least) you're supposed to rub it and have a hot and a cold pack to switch on and off after you do it to make sure the tar doesn't just sit in one spot.
what i usually do (cuz i don't carry that kind of stuff everywhere i go) is just make sure you rub the area very well to make sure your circulation stays goin.
make sure you try not to use the same spot more than once, that's how you get abcesses. of course you could get one from doing it only once, but you're pushin it if you keep doing it in the same spot.
another good idea is to get some antibiotics to have around. i try to have a constant supply of it.
i'm not sure about skin poppin - i just use the short needle when i do that, but what dankstersauce said sounds pretty accurate.
the femoral vein, ya, it's right in front of the femoral artery, which you should be able to find the pulse for. i suggest you finding someone who knows how to find it and get them to look for you. it's pretty close to your groin area, and it's great if you can find this vein cuz once you do you're set for a good while as long as you take care of it.
although i do have a friend that i was only once able to find the femoral vein for - and that was early on in her usasge. she has pretty much the same situation as you, she's always had terrible veins...she's got some terrible scars, and i'm worried she's gonna lose a limb soon, but what can you do? like i said, same situation, i doubt she's gonna quit because of that..
anyways, ya, the 1/2" is long enuf for the femoral, but no shorter than that. another thing that might help you find it is start at the bottom of your leg - cuz it's a huge vein that runs on the inside of your leg. my friend that i've only been able to find the femoral vein once for has another huge one on the outside of her leg - i've never been able to find that one on myself though.
i think i answered everything.. let me know if you need any more help
