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Stimulants Bruising after meth is IV'ed- not a miss?

TweakerBirdie

Bluelighter
Joined
Jun 10, 2013
Messages
88
So, I slowly insert the needle into my inner elbow vein, and check to see if it registers. Blood comes trickling in, so I know I've hit a vein, and I slowly inject it, stopping halfway through to check and see if it registers again, to make sure I'm not missing (My arm is sore most of the time now, from shooting up so often in nearly the same place- Yes, I've started rotating. That's not what my question is about), and it registers, so I inject the rest of it. Afterwards, I notice that a small, hard bump has formed. I can't tell if there's a bruise, or if it's just a cluster of tiny track marks. This has happened to me twice. I know I didn't miss, so why is a bump forming? I know I've hit myself in the same place far too often, which is why I've started rotating my injection sites as much as I can, and I'm planning to quit using this area until it's healed, but could hitting myself in the same place too often cause a bump to form even when I know for a fact I didn't miss? It's sore, small, and pretty hard. Are my veins collapsing? Is it an abscess? Someone please tell me, because I'm pretty worried. I'll definitely go to the doctor if it doesn't sound like something that will heal on it's own, or something that I can nurse up enough on my own to heal. I was injecting about 0.1g of meth when this happened the first time and the second time. I have bumps like that on both of my inner elbows. Any ideas? I'd shot up about 5-8 times (most of the shots a millimeter apart from each other) in my inner elbow on one side, which I know is a no-no, and I won't ever do it again (so no lectures please, now that I know I was an idiot for doing that), but could that be why there's a bump forming?

If there are any questions you need to know the answer to to help answer my question, please let me know! I'd definitely be glad to answer them!
And by the way, what's a way to cover up track marks without wearing long sleeve shirts all the time? That's suspicious because it's summer. And makeup didn't really work for me. Is there a specific brand of concealer that might cover them up really well? I can't have people seeing them at work, but I can't wear band aids and long sleeves, or my close friends and relatives will definitely know what's up.

If it changes anything, the bumps don't feel hot to the touch, they aren't red, and you can't see them. You can only tell that they're there if you touch them. They are pretty sore, though. I'm hoping this is just slightly damaged or irritated skin or something :/ And trust me, I'm going to be so much more careful with IV use from now on. I don't even need lectures. There's no way I'll reuse needles, hit in the same place, or NOT clean all of my equipment from now on.
 
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I'm positive that I didn't miss. It registered twice, and I didn't feel a burn at all. Plus, I got a rush like I do when I don't miss. I know what it feels like to miss, and this was definitely not a miss.
Well, thank god. Let's hope for scar tissue! I'd much rather that than an abscess or something serious. Thank you for helping to put my mind at ease!!
 
I would say most likely scar tissue.
A miss should be painful as the muscle tenses and contracts around the injection site.
Try rubbing it gently every hour or so and see if it goes away.
If it doesn't do anything it's likely scar tissue as the above poster said
 
I would say most likely scar tissue.
A miss should be painful as the muscle tenses and contracts around the injection site.
Try rubbing it gently every hour or so and see if it goes away.
If it doesn't do anything it's likely scar tissue as the above poster said
What do I do about scar tissue? Do I just leave it? Will it go away?
 
Not really no. Not unless you get keyhole surgery to havee kt sliced away in the samemanner they do with arthooscopies of the knees to trim back and clean up ligament and cartilidge and scar tissue.
 
I think that the area is so bruised that the blood flow in that area is very slow (hence the blood trickling in the syringe very slowly) and if you are shooting between two bruises it's creating the bump.

sec5_fig1.gif


So lets say your vein has a few spots that are like #3 in that diagram. If you shoot between two of those spots then it won't allow for the blood with the shot in it to freely move along its normal route, and instead will create a little pocket (or bump) where the shot will stay as it slowly makes its way through the narrow vein.
 
I think that the area is so bruised that the blood flow in that area is very slow (hence the blood trickling in the syringe very slowly) and if you are shooting between two bruises it's creating the bump.

sec5_fig1.gif


So lets say your vein has a few spots that are like #3 in that diagram. If you shoot between two of those spots then it won't allow for the blood with the shot in it to freely move along its normal route, and instead will create a little pocket (or bump) where the shot will stay as it slowly makes its way through the narrow vein.

Thanks so much for the reply! You don't know how much I appreciate it! I've found new places to inject so that I won't be doing it in the same place that I used to always do it in. Do you think my arms will heal up a bit, or are they going to stay like this?
 
I believe it has something to do with when you pull the needle ou t the tip still has traces of the dope
 
Also there is a product called dermablend. It's a very heavy makeup used in the entertainment industry. It will cover just about anything even tattoos
 
If you use the same site often you could have poked through the other end of the vein a few times and some is leaking out.

Or maybe you are leaving your tourniquet on while you inject?

Not using a new syringe for every injection could be the cause too. You are tearing the vein not piercing it. This will cause bruising too. Also a fatty sensitive area will bruise easy.

When I shoot coke it happens to me sometimes. I get a little not painful bump that goes away in like 20 minutes. I usually have to leave my tourniquet on loose if I've been shooting it for a few hours + because other wise I will loose the vein easy. Soon as the plungers down i fully release the tourniquet and pull the syringe out at the same time. The pressure always lets a tiny bit leak out. It never causes bruising and is very temporary for me.. 30 minutes later you'd neve know.
 
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