HELP! I don't know how to find a vein to IV. Need tips to find them.

[mattlewis12234]

ive tried a tie as a tourniquet & the chord that goes from the back of the computer to the power pint & wrapped it around my bicep but still cant see any veins. will doing pushups or bicep curls help? what about applying a warm washer?
I cant find any veins on my forearm or bicep. It's driving me crazy!

if i still cant find a vein is there next best place on the back of my hands or on my feet. I dont wanna inject there but i cant find a vein anywhere else. anyone have any tips?

 

[Mr.Scagnattie]

Take a hot shower and when you apply the tourniquet, make sure it's not too tight.. You only want it to be like a light squeeze. Too tight and you cut off blood flow all together, therefore hindering any vein dilation. You're hands are a much better option than your feet if you have to go that route. Be sure to use a small needle and inject slowly if that's where you end up going because the veins are very fragile there. Exercise will help with the veins too but they never show better than just after a nice hot shower.

 

[NeighborhoodThreat]

Since this is an IV question, I'm going to move it over to Other Drugs.

BDD --> OD

 

[tentram]

Take a hot shower and when you apply the tourniquet, make sure it's not too tight.. You only want it to be like a light squeeze. Too tight and you cut off blood flow all together, therefore hindering any vein dilation. You're hands are a much better option than your feet if you have to go that route. Be sure to use a small needle and inject slowly if that's where you end up going because the veins are very fragile there. Exercise will help with the veins too but they never show better than just after a nice hot shower.

this.

otherwise check out some vein maps to familiarise yourself on what's where.

 

[mattlewis12234]

yeah thanks guys. mr.scagnattie thanks for the tip of not making the tourney to tight. I didnt know that. Ive always had someone else IV for me. but the other day I didnt have anyone to help me & i think i missed the shot & wasted my money.
i'll try putting it on looser. Next time I have a shower I'll see if my veins are more noticeable

Do u have to use a different needle when injecting in ya hands?. im not sure what needles i have. i'll have a look... it's 1mL U-100. what's the U-100 mean?

So using hand is better than feet ah?
i dont want collapes veins in my hands. but isnt it very dirty to inject in ya feel. what could happen is ya inject in ya feel & it has lots of bacteria. i hope u couldnt loose a foot or anything. would alcohol swaps be good enough to clean ya feet first?

I do have alcohol swaps but if i dont happen to have any should I just not go near my feet?

 

[Tommyboy]

You should avoid injecting in your hands and feet, but if you have to choose then go with the hands. There is a lot less circulation in your hands and feet than their is in your arms, so if you miss a shot then there is a higher risk of getting an abscess since any bacteria there has more of a chance to settle and reproduce there. If you try to IV in your hands then you want to use a shorter tip, like the 5/16th size tip which usually comes in a 30 gauge.

I suggest feeling around for veins in your arms after looking at the map for where they should be. The only visible veins on a lot of people are in the crooks of their elbow, but if you follow that down with your hand you can feel where it goes from your inner elbow down to your hand, and you can hit any point along that. Even if you don't have visible veins in the crook of your elbow you should still be able to feel them. I don't use a tourniquet and can feel them just fine.

 

[Swimmingdancer]

Yeah, you don't actually need to see the vein, you can teach yourself to feel for them. Also doing some quick exercise and being in a hot room or having a hot bath/shower first will help. Make sure you're well-hydrated, that actually makes a big difference.

Also using a computer cord as a tourniquet is not the best idea, in fact it might possibly even be making it harder for you, and shouldn't even be necessary for someone who is relatively new to injecting. If you are going to use something to tie off, learn how to do it properly (for example you need to not tie it too tight, and to be able to untie it before injecting without letting the needle slip out of the vein), and find something better to tie off with, ideally a proper synthetic latex/rubber tourniquet, which can be obtained from a needle exchange, online, or some pharmacies.

If you don't want collapsed veins or scars on your hands, then don't inject in your hands, as the veins there are delicate and damage very easily. Don't inject in your feet. Arms are best, there are a number of usable veins on the arms, and as Tommyboy mentioned you can inject in different places along the vein. The veins running up the insides of your legs are a better choice than hands or feet in my opinion, just don't go close close to the groin or ankle.