Hi, i'm new here but been reading up and noticed there's a lot of worried posts on here. I've experienced a lot of mishaps along the way and have never ended up in ER or had an abscess etc. Just wanted to tell of some of my experiences to maybe put someone's mind at rest?
I must state, I am not advising anyone, I am not a doctor/professional, just an experienced IVDU.
Misses: IME, when you miss, it hurts. You know! I've ALWAYS blown up/bruised when I miss. Plus, the rush/taste/smell doesn't come!
Mostly my partner hits me as I'm a nightmare to hit but I can and have also done myself. If you are missing the vein, you can usually feel resistance on the plunger. It should flow in easily if you are in the vein. Try somewhere else. If there's blood in the pin, use it as quick as you can or it will congeal. Depends on your blood, some people's blood congeals quicker than others(me). You can re cook the hit. I always change syringe though.
Hitting a nerve: IME, when you hit a nerve, it really hurts, like a bee sting and you gotta get that needle out right away! Not had any lasting damage as I couldn't bear the needle to stay in, never mind shoot!
Hitting an artery: IME, It hurts! It doesn't hurt really bad like a miss but it feels weird, like you are getting a dead arm. I knew as the stuff was going in, both times that it was wrong!
I swelled up really bad, was bright red and really painful to touch. It was worse when I woke up next day. Really painful. I left it a day to see if it got any worse, deciding to get medical advice if it did, but fortunately it didn't. I just bruised really badly. It took about a week to recover.
Burning: IME, I live in the UK so we use Vit C or Citric Acid here to clean up our gear when we cook it up. If too much is used, it burns like hell. This also causes a rash which looks like a nettle sting. White lumps on a red backround. Usually around the injection site and it often travels up the vein and often itches quite a lot. It usually goes away after about 20-30 mins and is quite ugly but quite common.
Also, sometimes just hitting a small vein burns. Go slow on the plunger. I've often had to stop mid way through a hit to let the pain peak, then carry on and it goes away. There wasn't any lasting pain afterwards.
Numbness: IME, I have had small and quite large areas of my hand and arm go numb. Usually when I've hit a nerve but it has happened on a couple of occasions for no reason I'm aware of. It did not last longer than a day.
Rolling Veins: It helps me to use the thumb if you can, to rest against the vein on one side and approach it from the other so it has nowhere to go.
Generall, I feel discomfort/burning/slight swelling and slight bruising in any places I use, other than the big veins in the body. Like the crook of the elbow/Top of my arms/my groin(not recommended). My hands are particularly prone to swelling and bruising. Be very careful around your hands, there are a lot of nerves (I think I've found them all)!!!!!!
Itching: IME, this happens a lot and is a common symptom from Opiates. It also depends on the gear. Sometimes the itch is much stronger than others, particularly your nose.
Lumps and bumps: IME, I often get little lumps at the injection site. These are sometimes scarring (if you use the vein for a long time), plunging too quick, flushing or sometimes it just happens. As long as they are not painful, red and swollen, I find they do usually go away in time with no problems except feeling and sometimes looking a bit freaky!
Veins collapsing, unuseable: IME, after a while, particularly if not switching sites, my favourite veins have just seemed to stop yielding (which has felt like the end of the world at the time). This just happens. The vein has had enough and scarring builds up inside. It's not caused me any discomfort, it's just been inconvenient to me!!!
NEVER share needles, use clean everything, every time. I really believe this is the key to not getting infections/abscesses etc. Would you eat off the toilet? So why put your works there to cook up?
Know your body and know your limits. Don't hit alone. And never try hitting yourself till you have had someone experienced show you how/help you if they will.
Not trying to patronise anyone, just want to tell of my own experiences in the hope that someone can relate and maybe not panic/help. If in doubt, see a doctor or go to ER!!!!!!!!!!
Linz
