Harm Reduction Blown Hands

[Boogenhagen]

First of all I am not sure if this is the right home for this thread, i was thinking about putting it in healthy living..but I really have not been doing any healthy living. So if this is the wrong home then mods I do apologize and feel free to move it to its proper home.

Now I remember reading in junkie by William Burroughs, something about some junkies he knew getting what he referred to as blown hands. When the hand was used to much for I.V and it got swollen. I don't remember much because I read the book years ago and have since lost my copy.

But the reason I bring this up is because I believe I have "blown Hands" for almost a year now they have been swollen and red and they don't seem to get better when I stop shooting into them either. I have left them alone for months and they stay red and swollen. And yes I have seen several Dr's about this and them all seem confounded, and I have been completely honest about the I.V drug use.

So basically I was just wondering if anyone has encountered this themselves or known anyone else who has? If so did they ever get rid of it? Or are you kinda stuck with it for life...

Thanks in advance for any and all help.

 

[Tommyboy]

First of all I am not sure if this is the right home for this thread, i was thinking about putting it in healthy living..but I really have not been doing any healthy living. So if this is the wrong home then mods I do apologize and feel free to move it to its proper home.

Now I remember reading in junkie by William Burroughs, something about some junkies he knew getting what he referred to as blown hands. When the hand was used to much for I.V and it got swollen. I don't remember much because I read the book years ago and have since lost my copy.

But the reason I bring this up is because I believe I have "blown Hands" for almost a year now they have been swollen and red and they don't seem to get better when I stop shooting into them either. I have left them alone for months and they stay red and swollen. And yes I have seen several Dr's about this and them all seem confounded, and I have been completely honest about the I.V drug use.

So basically I was just wondering if anyone has encountered this themselves or known anyone else who has? If so did they ever get rid of it? Or are you kinda stuck with it for life...

Thanks in advance for any and all help.

Are you IVing into your hands or just your arms?

 

[Mr.Scagnattie]

Many addicts who IV into their hands get this. It's very common for them to become swollen like that. It gets better in time, provided you stop IV'ing there, but yeah it will stay like that for a while.

 

[Boogenhagen]

Many addicts who IV into their hands get this. It's very common for them to become swollen like that. It gets better in time, provided you stop IV'ing there, but yeah it will stay like that for a while.

For like a year awhile?

Yeah. Sometimes it never completely goes away. My hands got a lot better though after about 6 months of being clean, aside from all the scarring. It's different for everybody.

 

[bunge]

It is possible to get localised longterm reactions from I.V use.
Have the doctors tried steroids to counteract the reaction, something like prednisone might work.

 

[Boogenhagen]

It is possible to get localised longterm reactions from I.V use.
Have the doctors tried steroids to counteract the reaction, something like prednisone might work.

No, the Dr's have been quite useless so far and I have been completely honest with them, but I will bring this up at the next appointment.

 

[Fuzati]

In France, where Subutex IV'd is huge, many people have this problem. We call that "Popeye arm"

They usually apply alcohol compresses on them daily, they say it helps, but I'm no Doctor, just repeating stuff that addicts say.

Hope you'll get better.

 

[InHerOwnWrite]

What fuzati said- when i lived in france with someone who iv'ed subutex (he used to be on bluelight here, jasoncrest) he had swollen red hands that stayed that way for over a year after he stopped.
My hands are often red and swollen a swell, even tho i no longer inject anything. I remember when i quit drinking alcohol for a few months last year they got a bit better, and when i started again they went back to being red and puffy. So it seems to be from alcohol AND former iv drug use in my case, but eventually if you keep abstaining from these things it will get better.