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Injection; IV Complications and Information MEGATHREAD and FAQ II - show me the blood

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marie123 said:
Can you tell me a little bit more about what the soreness of scar tissue feels like?
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The injection sites I have are not scarred an they don't feel any different.

However - I have about a 4 inch long incision site, and I can only try to tell you how horrible it feels. I had to have surgery, so it's not like I sat there and caused a huge 4 inch track mark or anything, but it feels god awful.

If I bump it into things, it feels weird. It's itchy, it can "burn" or tingle, it is numb at times due to the degree of inflammation.

I would sit around and type about how horrible it feels but it'll just get me into a bad mood. :|

Sometimes my injection sites will be ticklish, kind of like I need to softly rub it. It doesn't get too bad though.

NightLight* said:
Hello to all you IV drug users here on Bluelight.. Just thought id share a picture of a localised skin infection i got from using the same IV site over and over again without letting it heal... 8)
At the time i was using pharmacutical grade Morphine from single use ampouls.. I always used a fresh needle, sterile water and alcohol wipes so i doubt it was caused from any unclean practice..
The infection was easily treated with Cefalexin and went away after about 5 days.. It didnt cause me any pain, just a little itchy at times... Anyhow, safe shooting everyone!, take care... Let your sites heal!, and may life be good to you.. :)
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I have seen worse. Take some of the advise HOOD left above.

If you do apply heat, make sure you are not hurting yourself. If it burns, it is too hot. If you are too high to know if it's too hot, wait until your high wears off first. :)

As long as it's only lukewarm and not too hot for your skin, it won't burn, and the lukewarm heat and water will allow your site to heal quicker. I only apply a heat compress for a few minutes after a missed shot.

I personally just use triple antibiotic ointment and it works very well. I only apply a light layer, one a day, after my last shot of the evening. Otherwise I'll want to do another shot later, wipe off the area, and then incidentally remove the triple antibiotic by sterilizing my next injection site.
 
^^^^ Yes im very lucky the infection was only a minor one, it could have been alot worse, and for that i am thankfull.. It didnt leave any noticable scar tissue which is great and i can still use the same vein which worked out even better.. Warm compresses and vitamin E cream have definatly worked wonders for me in the past.. :-) tho i very rarely miss a shot these days and havent had an infection since.. Thankyou all for the HR advice..
 
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NightLight* said:
^^^^ Yes im very lucky the infection was only a minor one... It could have been alot worse.. It didnt leave any scar tissue thankfully. Warm compresses and vitamin E cream have worked wonders for me..
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Well I am glad to hear that.

If you are planning on IVing in the future, there are a lot of resources here so as to help you prevent this sort of thing from happening again.

PM me if you need help locating them and knowing what to do upon learning the information. :)

If you plan on not IVing ever again: congratulations and I wish you the best of luck!

It's still worth it to know the "right way" to do everything so as to reduce harm, and to be able to pass on this knowledge to others, but obviously this is up to you. :)
 
Thankyou Captain..

This website and its reasources reguarding IV have been more then invaluable to me.. Including a few of your threads..
Without this knowledge i wouldnt be as healthy and safe about my drug use as i am today..

I think the practice of IV will be part of me for the rest of my life..
In the past ive been quite a heavy user.. But im greatful now, its somthing ive managed to get under control..
Having access to fresh equipment and micro-filters has been a godsend..

Hey by the way,... i hope your feeling better soon. :)



 
Glad you're feeling better! Your post illustrates to me one of BL's most valuable functions. True harm reduction for those who need it most. BL has been a priceless teacher to me as well, regarding IV technique and use. Long live BL!

:D
 
would be great if there was a pic of vien locations other than the obvious ones in arm hand etc,
yeah yeah i know if you cant get any viens try another ROA... good in therory but not good trying to convince the steel lovin monster inside,
 
Hi rhodian shore,

Your best bet to start is on your arm. Why don't you outline a list of exactly what you are doing and we'll see if there is anything you are doing wrong. I think it would be more efficient than me trying to regurgitate the whole of the injection thread back out at you :)
 
we need more details.

What gauge needle are you using? What length? Did you make sure to push all the air bubbles out of your shot before sticking yourself? A good trick I have always used is, once you pierce the skin just a bit, pull back on the plunger a little to form a vacuum(you'll see an airbubble form near the base of the syringe by the needle) then when you hit the vein, it'll instantlly draw the blood back into your syringe. What veins are you using? THe crook of the elbow is the easiest when you're starting out.

Also, if your veins are rolling, I STRONGLY recommend using a tourniquet, especially if you are new to IVing. It will really help keep the rolling veins in place while registering. But remember, always release the tourniquet before pushing the plunger down! OR your arm will explode !

IVing is a fine art, but just like riding a bicycle, once you get it down you'll be a pro in no time. Just make sure to follow sterile/safe procedures, and youll be good to go.

Note: Be careful with the wrist, there is an artery close to those mass of veins so don't try and inject in that. Bad news.
 
would be great if there was a pic of vien locations other than the obvious ones in arm hand etc,
yeah yeah i know if you cant get any viens try another ROA... good in therory but not good trying to convince the steel lovin monster inside,
Click to expand...
There ARE diagrams which show you where all the "best" veins are for this hobby. Use a little brainpower and search for them!
 
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elz said:
would be great if there was a pic of vien locations other than the obvious ones in arm hand etc,
yeah yeah i know if you cant get any viens try another ROA... good in therory but not good trying to convince the steel lovin monster inside,
Click to expand...

The best way to find your veins is to work out by lifting weights, and to reduce your overall body weight by running and other cardiovascular exercise.

Excess body fat will prevent IV users from being able to find their veins easily, and lifting weights helps your veins grow and come up towards the surface.

By looking at the vein maps on page 1 of this thread, you should be able to find the easy to identify veins within your hands, and you should also be able to follow them the whole way up your forearms.
 
When I was a lad I had to get other people to hit me because my hands would shake so much. Then I lost contact with them so had to learn how to do it on my own--first with me putting it in and holding it there while the ex-wife flagged it and pushed it in. Long story short: if you suck at it and are determined to do it then maybe seek someone else's hands to do it for a while. If there's no one, then snort it if you must.

I found that once I had some scar tissue it was actually easier, as I could feel the needle penetrate the scar tissue and I'd be pretty sure I was in (though I'd still flag it of course).
 
RHODIAN: Do yourself a favor and try plugging the hydromorohone. I was in EXACTLY your position a few years ago and rather than rush into the IV world I tried plugging, since it got good "reviews" and is clearly a million times safer.

Anyway, I'm glad I did. Plugging hydro gave me the absolute best high of all, even IV. And I did it daily for about 18 months before I built up tolerance (I was plugging 8mg at a time).

Do some research, there is a good current thread that will give you all the basics (do a thread title search for plugging, you'll find it).

Save IV for later, after you build a plugging tolerance; trust me, if you jump straight into IV, you'll have nowhere to go when you build up a tolerance! If you move into plugging right now and save the needle for later, you'll significantly stretch out the amount of time hydro works on you.
 
Is it dangerous to inject at the other side of the elbow? (top of forearm)

I read that it's dangerous to inject at the other side of the elbow 'cus there's a pulse there? but I'm sure I've seen people do it there before? is it an artery or something?

this is the best pic I could get to describe what i mean...

NSFW:
elbow_cubtun_cause01.jpg
 
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I'm not an anatomy expert, but as long as you can hit a VEIN then it's ok to inject there. when I say VEIN I mean VEIN not ARTERY.

an artery will immediately push blood into the syringe if it's hit, because it's under pressure, where a vein you will need to "register" which means to pull the plunger back a little when you think you're in to make sure.

there are other ways to be sure it's a vein not an artery but I can't remember them off the top. it's been awhile since I've shot anything.
 
Where you shouldn't inject is on the inner side of your wrists. Veins there are too flimsy and I think arteries are close by.

The problem with the other side of the elbow is reduced visibility and accessibility.

As said above, you should always identify a vein as a vein before considering it for injection.
 
So long as you are aware that the yellow thing in the picture is a nerve...

Anyways the elbow pit (a.k.a. cubital fossa) is a relatively safe location to inject. You'll likely be able to palpate the brachial artery on the medial aspect but the big vein lateral to it is the primary location for medical professional to draw blood and is where many people start.

edit:
this shows the stuff to avoid.
NSFW:
250px-Nerves_of_the_left_upper_extremity.gif
 
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