IVing and Infections

[x0r]

how many of you that IV and know you arent as safe and sterile as you could/should be started out with the idea that as long as you were gonna be iv'ing that you always would be 100 percent safe with it all..well as humanly possible?
just wondering if its something that starts to get taken for granted kinda and you start to think ah nothing will happen to me.. and then the saftey and sterily part kinda fades away
sorry if it seems a tad off topic or not really that important. i'm just kinda curious.

 

[ebeneezer_geeza]

the only risk i ever take is when i run out of sterile water i use boiled water. also sometimes re-steralise a syringe if i have ran out, but only for one shot and i follow guidelines on www.exchangesupplies.org

I tend to take oral more than iv so i dont "need" to iv all the time. I never use really dodgy practices. I am always thinking about hygeine and worry about endocarditis (2 ppl i know developed this, one died).

 

[ClosetJunkie]

I shot into an artery once on accident, I guess (in my wrist) and my hand blew up so big and so painful that I had to go to the hospital and had to have emergency surgery. they said I was going to lose my whole arm if they didn't do it right away! I ended up having that bacteria that eats your flesh! I had 35 stitches and was cut in three places! It was not fun and the pain was the worst pain I had ever felt in my entire life! Of course the morphine drip wasn't working because I have such a high tolerance. I was getting 2 mg every EIGHT MINUTES!! I also take MS Contin every day from the doctor, so that didn't help! It was just a mess, the whole situation! Never shoot in the area right by where they check your pulse! You will know instantly cuz your hand will burn like fire and get numb and turn real blotchy colored and the pain will literally KILL YOU!!
So where does everyone shoot? I have a terrible time finding anywhere as my veins are pretty deep... always have been! Sometimes I have to try 10 or 15 times to hit good and by then they blood in the syringe that got in on a partial hit has already clotted and ruined my gear!! Anyone know how to prevent that?

 

[ayjay]

-wipe needle with alcohol pad and cap syringe

Probably unnecessary, plus you risk damaging your needle

before injection
tie off, exam good vein
apply alcohol pad in circular motion to remove dirt from surface of vein (injection site)

inject

wipe area with alcohol pad, apply small amount of bacitracin to injection spot, and if your real anal here apply a bandaid

Poor swab technique here. Single wipe in one direction is best (not circular motion). Also, swabbing after injection stops the blood clotting and will increase bleeding and bruising. Just hold a cotton ball or folded tissue over the site with light pressure for 30s or so.

But really, I'm just being picky on an otherwise fine post. Sorry techno

 

[negrogesic]

Yea one direction is good, in a motion sort of closing the wound. It will reduce the brusing. And applying a warm compress after will help even more.

ANd yes, wiping your needle with alcohol is unneccesary if its a new sterile rig. But if youve used it before, yes by all means clean it. A simple wipe would only damage something with a 30-31g needle.....

 

[ayjay]

-wipe needle with alcohol pad and cap syringe

Probably unnecessary, plus you risk damaging your needle

before injection
tie off, exam good vein
apply alcohol pad in circular motion to remove dirt from surface of vein (injection site)

inject

wipe area with alcohol pad, apply small amount of bacitracin to injection spot, and if your real anal here apply a bandaid

Poor swab technique here. Single wipe in one direction is best (not circular motion). Also, swabbing after injection stops the blood clotting and will increase bleeding and bruising. Just hold a cotton ball or folded tissue over the site with light pressure for 30s or so.

But really, I'm just being picky on an otherwise fine post. Sorry techno

 

[kemikals]

Thanks ofr all the replies, and it was surprising how rareinfections occurfor those who have shot hundreds of times.

 

[Ketamike]

My injection history has been far from perfect. I live in Jersey, so I've tended to reuse needles until they were blunt. Tap water yada yada.

Never gotten an infection from shooting just heroin.

Had one minor absess from missing a speedball

Had two infections from injecting tar. There was something strange about this stuff. The only other person who shot this stuff got an absess that require a hospital visit. I stared at em for a few days and the pain subsides... now after 2 months, those veins are back to functioning.

 

[Geez-A]

A friend of mine works in the microbiology dept at a major hospital in Australia. She had a case of two flatmates that were sharing needles and injecting straight into their EYES. Dunno how common this is but the people may lose their eyes. Sharing needles is not worth it.

 

[Zan-fan]

Geez-A what the hell? I have heard of injecting everywhere from toes, tits, dicks, etc. but I have never heard of injecting in your eye. I am sorry for I know this has no relation to the post but i am just in awe. Geez-A,if you read this, i am very interested in how they were doing this. PM me if you can.

Also, I will add, that I have injected everything from morphine,heroin, dilaudid, and coke. I have been injecting for probably about 8 yrs and only once got an abcess from a morphine shot that I had saved in the needle overnight, and I missed my vein. So, I also end up with this golf ball size abcess and couldn't move my arm. I ended up just going to my doc. because he knew I was an addict. I had to take very strong antibiotics and hold a heating pad on the abcess and withing 48 hrs. the heat and meds pulled the infection out. But it was DISGUSTING! And I also lost a great vein that I had probably only used about 3 times.

Anyway, be safe, there is alot of good advice in this post and I am sure you will be fine!

Zan-fan

 

[negrogesic]

Ive had cotton fever twice. I have gotten many abcesses, mainly from shooting pills and even more ORAL METHADONE solution, which is VERY hard on the veins, even in ampule form. The veins that i used to have bulging are now gone. It sucks, ive always kept things clean with alcohol, but it happens if you taking 3-10x shots a day (not anymore) All of my veins have retreated towards the bones, and alot are just collasped. I still have scars from some abscesses ive had over a year ago. I sometime have a very very hard time finding a vein. Damned pills/methadone......

 

[julinka]

What exactly is an abcess? I definitely have the occasional huge-ass welt/bruise from a missed shot, and it makes me paranoid. I have the feeling that I am paranoid out of proportion to the actual risk.

For the record, I do reuse needles, but usually only a few times and within a few days (usually same day).

But, again, a case of over a thousand injects, under less than sterille conditions (um, public restrooms), and still ended up with no worse than nasty bruises (fortunately my office is overly-air conditioned enough to justify long sleeves all the time).