Heroin Anybody else have only 1 good vein for IVing?

[Twiztidd]

I would by no means call myself a "Junkie", however I do enjoy opiates very much, and I also require them on a daily basis due to a chronic, non-fixable pain condition. It was actually that problem that first introduced me to opiates, and it was love at first taste Anyway, I use my prescribed meds as directed without abusing them, however there was always the occasional time where I'd take a few more at a time than I should have for fun , but never got out of control. Well, there was a time that I was running low, and struggling to make it to the end of the month, when a buddy of mine introduced me to Dope. Now at first I just snorted it, but every single time I hung out with him, he would bust my balls about how much I was wasting, and how I had no idea what I was missing, etc... Long story short, I let him do a shot for me, showed me how to do it myself, and the rest was history.

Anyway, here is my question:

My situation goes like this, and I"m curious if I'm an oddity, or if this is a common occurrence, all of my friends who are into the same things as me, always tell me just how unusual I am, and how they do NOT envy me at all. I would not consider myself a Junkie AT ALL. I don't use excessively, and it's certainly not an every day thing, however... Unfortunately for me, apparently my body was just not built for this habit. From the VERY BEGINNING, I only had ONE vein that was visible and easy to hit. My main vein on my right arm that most people have on the under side of your elbow where your skin is the thinnest. This is literally the ONLY vein that is easily accessible. there is not a single other point on my body that you can even see a vein that would work. I have ones just under the skin everywhere, but they are all little veins, too little to even think about hitting. The ones on my hands are visible, but are extremely shallow and extremely hard to hit. My other arm doesn't have a main vein running down it like my right does, no visible veins on my feet... And tying off makes almost NO difference at all btw. Now I know I've had low blood pressure all my life, idk if that has anything to do with the reason all of my veins are either super tiny, or not visible.

So even though I do not use excessively, when you literally only have ONE vein to use, there's only so much that vein can take... So now here I am, Absolutely LOVE H, have made sure to always use it responsibly, and to never get carried away with it, and I have the SAME EXACT PROBLEMS that a Junkie who has used excessively for years. I literally have no spots anywhere on my body that can be hit reliably. I have managed to hit a few other spots from time to time, but more often than not, I end up either completely or partially missing, swelling up or getting abscesses, bruising up from being a human pin cushion in the effort to try to find just ONE other spot on my body that I could hit so I can spare my main vein, which is in horrible condition at this point, and I"m pretty sure is in danger of collapsing on me because I can barely hit that one at this point.

I always read on here, people telling others that when you get to the point that you have no veins left to hit, it's time to give it a rest... And while it seems that I may have no other choice, this statement really doesn't apply to me I didn't run out of veins to hit by being an out of control junkie, I was born this way!)

 

[littlepenguin]

My situation goes like this, and I"m curious if I'm an oddity, or if this is a common occurrence, all of my friends who are into the same things as me, always tell me just how unusual I am, and how they do NOT envy me at all. I would not consider myself a Junkie AT ALL. I don't use excessively, and it's certainly not an every day thing, however... Unfortunately for me, apparently my body was just not built for this habit.

I always read on here, people telling others that when you get to the point that you have no veins left to hit, it's time to give it a rest... And while it seems that I may have no other choice, this statement really doesn't apply to me I didn't run out of veins to hit by being an out of control junkie, I was born this way!)

denial is not just a river in Egypt...

on a serious note - you should be thanking your lucky stars that your veins are hiding from you. and yes - you should be taking that as a sign from god, buddah, allah, etc. that you should just drop the habit, especially since you seem incredibly fearful of 'becoming a junkie' because the fine line you are dancing on is just that - a fine line. btw, everyone's got veins, usually the same ones. there's many ways to make them more visible or easier to hit, but I won't list them here.

oh, and your friend is an asshole with no conscience.

 

[InHerOwnWrite]

I have the same problem. Even as a child nurses and doctors had great difficulty drawing blood from me because my veins were very hard to hit. Nevertheless i managed to get an iv heroin habit and have usually been able to find SOMEWHERE to hit, tho it may take a while.
I have none in my forearms or inner elbows where everyone else does. I usually have to use hands amd feet.
So i feel your pain, but at the same time i'm bothered by the tone of your post. It's coming off as very judgmental toward iv users, "junkies", as you say, making yourself out to be superior. You're injecting heroin directly into your bloodstream just like all those other people.

That aside, there are ways to make your veins more visible, such as hot showers or baths and exercising.

 

[Xn1919]

i never had this problem but my girlfriend did.. try rubbing under your arm pit on the top. should be a nice one there. good luck

 

[Rybee]

I think a lot of the stigma of being a junkie is in using a needle, as opposed to a pill-popper.

My only words of wisdom would be that the fact you have crap veins is a blessing in disguise, stay away from it.

 

[incomplete]

have you tried an alternate route, like rectal administration.

for the most part IV dope is over rated; its for that rush and that is all. while snorting doesnt provide that instantaneous rush of euphoria the high is just as strong and actually lasts longer, with fewer health risks.

dont fall into the trap of IVing because of peer pressure, feeling the need to do all this harm to yourself because your "friends" are calling you a pussy, claiming youre wasting your dope. well, you are wasting your dope because you can barely hit yourself. 100% strike rate with snorting as well as rectal use. and no holes, bruising, abscesses, using yourself as a pin cushion, etc.

 

[Tommyboy]

I edited the title so that people have an idea of what the thread is about before clicking on it. In the future make your titles such that they paraphrase the topic/question in your original post.

I think that many others have thought that they only had 1 good vein to hit, but over time they discovered others that were less visible than the 'main pipe line' that they primarily used for a while.

 

[mrflowers00]

you're just inexperienced you need to be in a very hot room with a tie on to see the harder to find viens but once you find them they are easy to hit try turning up the heater and exercising for an hour you'll find other viens

 

[Twiztidd]

denial is not just a river in Egypt...

on a serious note - you should be thanking your lucky stars that your veins are hiding from you. and yes - you should be taking that as a sign from god, buddah, allah, etc. that you should just drop the habit, especially since you seem incredibly fearful of 'becoming a junkie' because the fine line you are dancing on is just that - a fine line. btw, everyone's got veins, usually the same ones. there's many ways to make them more visible or easier to hit, but I won't list them here.

oh, and your friend is an asshole with no conscience.

Whoa there buddy... lol, you appear to be doing quite a lot of ASSUMING here, and well, you know what they say about people who assume...

First of all, I am not in denial about anything, I am well aware of what I am doing. Secondly, I am not fearful of anything... Let alone "becoming a Junkie". I don't believe I'm dancing on any "line" here. I know exactly what I am doing, I'm aware of all the consequences, and consider myself to be quite a responsible user, compared to some others I see. The fact is, I enjoy using, I know the risks involved, and I try to take all the necessary care and precautions in order to allow myself to continue using without letting it get out of control, or cause irreversible damage to myself. And yes, I know that everyone has veins, and I know all of the ways to make them more visible & easier to hit. It just so happens that 90% of my veins are either too small to even attempt hitting them, too deep, or roll too easily. I am very similar to "InHerOwnWrite" in that even as a child, doctors always had trouble finding my veins.

Oh, and btw... My asshole friend without a conscience is actually an EMT who has spent a good deal of time checking my arms and different spots on my body for me, and he is in awe of how the "normal" veins are just not there for me. Forearm veins, Inner side of the elbow, bicep, feet, and the veins on my hands are super tiny.

Also, in response to InHerOwnWrite:

So i feel your pain, but at the same time i'm bothered by the tone of your post. It's coming off as very judgmental toward iv users, "junkies", as you say, making yourself out to be superior. You're injecting heroin directly into your bloodstream just like all those other people.

I meant absolute no disrespect by my use of the word "Junkie", and I don't consider myself superior in any way to anyone else. It was not meant to come across as judgmental at all, and I apologize if that is in fact how it came off. When I used the word Junkie, I was more or less referring to those IV users who against all their better judgement continue to hit vein after vein, knowing full well the consequences and all the damage they're doing to themselves. Yet they just continue to hit the same veins over and over and watch them collapse one by one without changing anything or taking any kind of break.

I have been using for over a year now with literally only ONE injection site, and have managed for the most part to keep it in pretty good condition for all that time. Unfortunately, no matter what precautions you take, or how careful you are, with only one spot to hit, there's only so long it can last. Unfortunately I seem to have gotten to that point, and now have been taking a complete break from IV use all together because I refuse to let myself irreversibly damage or collapse my one and only good vein.

My main point of this thread was basically to say that I think it sucks that I'm having the same issues that an IV user with an uncontrollable habit has after years and years of abusing their veins without mercy. I can honestly say that if I had just ONE MORE decent sized vein, lets say the exact same vein but on the other arm, that I would not be in this situation at all. If I had the ability to rotate my shots to at least one other area, I wouldn't be being forced to stop shooting all together. Instead of having only one vein, that even with proper care and moderation will eventually wear down, I would have two veins that would still be in pretty good shape.

 

[xtcgrrrl]

you know, I've always been curious about injecting a substance into oneself. Is it hard? How do you know you've got a vein? I have so many questions. I don't intend to ever do it myself but I just wonder how a person can decide to do it one day and then right off the bat just start injecting themselves with a drug right into their veins. Nobody around me does this and I've never seen it done except in the hospital when I had an IV for fluids when I was pregnant. I'm sorry to derail the post a little. I'm just thinking out loud I guess...

 

[Screaming_Skull]

Ya,my veins are shallow and roll and the one that was always easy to hit was the one on my right arm inner elbow...can't see it but I know where its at. I always went for it cuz it was the easiest and I didn't have to look forever, this lead to always having a nasty looking BIG red spot there that I always hoped nobody noticed,and don't shoot now(well, habitully) but still have a scar that I don't think is gonna go away and that vein kinda feels like a cord now.... Rolling veings are the worst, "Yay,got it! Fuck, no I don't."

 

[Screaming_Skull]

Ya,my veins are shallow and roll and the one that was always easy to hit was the one on my right arm inner elbow...can't see it but I know where its at. I always went for it cuz it was the easiest and I didn't have to look forever, this lead to always having a nasty looking BIG red spot there that I always hoped nobody noticed,and don't shoot now(well, habitully) but still have a scar that I don't think is gonna go away and that vein kinda feels like a cord now.... Rolling veings are the worst, "Yay,got it! Fuck, no I don't." and xtcgrrl you know you gotta vein when you pull back and see dark red blood and you push and it DOESN't hurt in any kind of way. If it does stop immediately. And no, its not hard really. I decided to do it because I was always 'curious' and this lady I know got Exaglo(time-realesed hydromorphone)and was always told hydromorphone only good when shot(not true,for rush ya,but it's really good plugged also)...anyway.

 

[Twiztidd]

you know, I've always been curious about injecting a substance into oneself. Is it hard? How do you know you've got a vein? I have so many questions. I don't intend to ever do it myself but I just wonder how a person can decide to do it one day and then right off the bat just start injecting themselves with a drug right into their veins. Nobody around me does this and I've never seen it done except in the hospital when I had an IV for fluids when I was pregnant. I'm sorry to derail the post a little. I'm just thinking out loud I guess...

Honestly no...MIT really is not hard at all, even for someone who has never done it before. Most people have a couple of protruding veins very close to the skin in certain areas, so you literally just insert the needle on an angle right into the vein that you can clearly see. Takes a little practice, but all in all it's not difficult.

I'm also very glad to hear you say that you don't ever intend to try it, as that is really the best thing you could ever do for yourself. Even if you're an opiate / heroin user, but haven't tried IVing, do yourself a favor and don't start, stick to eating, snorting, shit... Even plugging. But unfortunately, for most opiate lovers, once they've had a taste of of main lining and the rush it gives, going back to your old method just will not cut it anymore

Moral of this post... Stay away from using needles!! Especially if you've never tried it in the past cuz you can't really miss something you've never experienced!

 

[dopemegently]

I don't shoot anymore but years back it was an everyday thing for 2 years. I didn't use proper technique, and ended up pretty much butchering my veins - I can't shoot anymore. The only decent, reachable vein I have is on my outer right forearm (I'm sure there must be more). I'm sometimes tempted to inject in this vein, but know I can't; I need an "emergency vein" for if I need a blood test, need to go to hospital etc

 

[InHerOwnWrite]

Ok twiztidd, i understand your post better now. I've reallybeen in the same position before, where i've looked at my veins and thought "but it's not fair- i didn't ruin them from years of improper iv technique, i never had them in the first place!"
What really sucks is having to go to hospital and they have no place to put an iv so they tell you to "clench your muscles like you're having a bowel movement" and look in your neck for veins to hit. Thank god they managed to find one in my upper arm last time i was there or i would've spent three days in hospital with a constant iv in my neck...
Anyway, the ppint i'd like to make is that there are others like you out there, but you'RE still injecting street drugs directly into your bloodstream without being any kind of medical professional, so don't go feeling too superior to all those "junkies". I'm sorry you have a chronic pain condition and hope you can find better alternatives

 

[Mr.Scagnattie]

You'd be surprised what veins can be hit with good technique. There were many that I thought were impossible in the beginning to hit, so I basically didn't even consider them when I thought about the quality of my veins.. but years later when I was forced into trying some more creative solutions because my really good veins were spent, I realized that they were very hittable.

With proper technique, you can hit almost any vein you can see/feel. I've gone in the tiny veins in my palms, between my fingers, microscopic ones on the tops of my hands, whatever. It can be difficult to get those, but with the right equipment (small short tipped syringes) and good technique, it's very possible.

 

[InHerOwnWrite]

Amen mr scagnattie

 

[dopemegently]

Ok twiztidd, i understand your post better now. I've reallybeen in the same position before, where i've looked at my veins and thought "but it's not fair- i didn't ruin them from years of improper iv technique, i never had them in the first place!"
What really sucks is having to go to hospital and they have no place to put an iv so they tell you to "clench your muscles like you're having a bowel movement" and look in your neck for veins to hit. Thank god they managed to find one in my upper arm last time i was there or i would've spent three days in hospital with a constant iv in my neck...
Anyway, the ppint i'd like to make is that there are others like you out there, but you'RE still injecting street drugs directly into your bloodstream without being any kind of medical professional, so don't go feeling too superior to all those "junkies". I'm sorry you have a chronic pain condition and hope you can find better alternatives

That's my biggest fear/consequence of shooting: what if I get into a serious accident or something, and they're literally incapable of finding a vein? Having an iv line in my neck does not sound fun....so, at least I know I've got at least one "Virgin vein" left. And I did try hitting all those tiny little veins like MRScagnettie said; between the toes, the fingers, etc, but like I said I just didn't have proper technique at the time. I was using the large gauge 2 ml pins and causing some serious damage in the process.

Well, it's not like there was an IV 101 school out there years back, and I sure as hell didn't have any decent HR materiel on hand. Just needle exchange clinics back then; they just give you the needles you ask for and that was pretty it. It's gotten a lot better since then though, I briefly volunteered in one and they're much more forthcoming with decent, helpful advice now, at least where I am.