It's practically gone but here is what happened.

I usually inject myself on various places in my stomach. I must have done it twice in the same place because about a week ago I noticed a big black and blue. I have had these and they always go away.

I have NEVER had what happened after that. I did not even think about the black and blue mark.

However, when I lean up against the sink (which is all the time because I am cleaning my dishes and rinsing my sprouts), I just lean against the sink and don't think about it.

One time a few days ago I said "ouch, what the h is that" I look down and I saw this Dark bulge right in the middle of a big red circle. I said "holy cow". It was dark in the middle and it was hard.

I immediately went on the internet and googled. "Injection site reactions" and found out it was a skin bulge. I did some further research and found the words hematoma and the images LOOKED EXACTLY like what I had.

And the odd thing is that I was massaging it as I laid down WHICH YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO DO. After reading all the information I simply used ice compresses and in a few days the skin bulge got flat and the red part got light pink.

As of this morning, instead of a skin bulge there is a blister where the skin bulge was, and the pink thing is still pink.

No infection, no fever, I feel just fine. So I would gather that my body re-absorbed the blood (which is what I read that hematomas of this kind usually do).

So should I keep doing the ice thing? Should I let it alone? I just googled "blood blisters" even though I don't see any more blood anywhere, just a plain old blister, it says not to prick it, to just leave it alone.

So I gather so far I've done everything I could do. I don't keep hitting the sink with my stomach anymore so I gather that gave it a chance to heal on it's own.

I can't believe I was leaning on this thing all the time and not knowing I was aggravating it.

Anyway, do I still use ice, do I let it take it's natural course. I read where sometimes it takes weeks for a hematoma to heal.

Anyone else (and I'm sure there will be a few on this forum) have any of you gotten injection site reactions like this.

I've been doing this for over 7 years and NEVER did this to myself.

It was sore for a while but now it's fine. I would love to take a sterilized pin and prick it and let whatever is left out of there and just disinfect it and dress it but it says "leave it alone"

So comments and advice are welcome.

thank you very much

Since you would be injecting only into the skin (that is how insulin is done)... I am concerned that the pink is still there.

Is it hot to the touch? With synthetic insulins, it is possible to have an allergic reaction=pink.
Also to have an cellulitis which may be pink. There are just not alot of large blood vessels in the skin where you inject. Do you pull back before releasing the insulin? One is supposed to do that.

Some people develop a deterioration of the fat layer, with repeated injections.

I'd have a doctor look at it. Maybe you could get off the injections now? Also consider the Glumetza...metformin without the horrible GI diarrhea.

it's not hot at all, There is a blister in the middle and the outside pink is getting lighter all the time.

I do not want to go off of insulin. I have been told (by Dr. Fred) that of course I could go off of it whenever I wish but I have good results and I don't want to stress my pancreas.

I have lots of insulin in my fridge so I have several months worth of insulin. I can't afford to go on any new meds until these are used up and my sugar is fine using the Lantus.

I, of course won't go near that site to inject myself any more. I go on the other side of my stomach (never had a problem). Or I inject myself in my thigh.

I'll go with Alan on his next visit to Dr. Fred and I'll show him.

I don't want to make a big deal over this because it's getting lighter and lighter and went from a hard skin bulge to this blister.

Mrs. D, would you pop it and disinfect it and bandage it? Or would you leave it alone?

What do you mean PULL BACK BEFORE RELEASING THE INSULIN??

I always stick the needle in, push the plunger, count to ten, take it out.

This is not correct??

When giving injections...mostly intramuscular... before the plunger is pushed, the nurse is supposed to pull back slightly to see if blood comes into the needle. If it does, the needle has to be repositioned, because shooting IM drugs into a vein or little artery can be dangerous.

I thought some insulin injections were similar, esp if the person does not have alot of buffering fat to go thru. The Pens of course you cannot pull back. But using a traditional needle syringe it is maybe more likely?

This blister thing seems odd to me. Is the fluid clear? or cloudy?
I'd just keep it clean and keep a sterile pad or band-aid on it so when it does break it will go into the pad. (and bacteria won't get into it.). How big is this thing? How big is the blister?

Could this be a bug bite gone bad? or a spider bite?

1. Plenty of fat to go into.
2. When I gave myself an injection, the next day I noticed it was black and blue.
I have had PLENTY of black and blues over the years with no problem.

But what I didn't realize is that I was hitting it over and over when I was at the sink. So imagine a bruise that keeps getting hit because I'm leaning into the sink. I only noticed it because I was sore and I looked down and saw this darkish color hard knot surrounded by a red ring.

That's when I said "oh, what the h is this?"

I then researched "injection site reactions", looked at images and knew it was a hematoma and used ice after that and stopped leaning into the sink.

This is no bug bite. It is EXACTLY where I gave myself the shot and where the black and blue thing was.

I have everything I need to clean this thing.

I have done this over and over with Alan's blisters, Alan's ulcers, Alan's cellulitis infections.

I know what they look like. I'm the one who says "that's an infection".

And I would take him to Dr. Baird. Alan's thing would be hot to the touch, bright red, lines going up the leg,

I have NONE of that.

And I never knew that I had to do that with the plunger. It seems I now have to go and watch youtube videos of how to give an insulin injection.

It's not like weigh 110 lbs and have no fat to inject it in.

And I just took my first aid kit, took a sterilized needle, popped it, all the pinkish jelly like fluid came out. It's now flat as a pancake, I used sterilze saline water, I used hydrogen peroxide, and I dressed it.

I am sending you the video by private message.

Don't want that all over the internet.

lol

Melody

Well it seems that I have not been doing the injections correctly. I just watched the following video on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PX4R14N68Y

I know to push the plunger in the bottle first but I didn't know I had to use the same amount of units.

For example if I take 10 units of Lantus I was supposed to take the syringe, pull back to 10 units, put the needle in the bottle and PUSH, to maintain the pressure (or something like that).

I have NEVER measured how much I was doing in that first step. So that is going to change.

I've been doing this for so many years I hope I can change my ways.

Oh, and Mrs. D. you indicated I should pull back the plunger (forget the reason). She doesn't do this in the video.

She gives the shot exactly like I do.

Well, almost exactly. When I pinch the piece of my stomach and I insert the needle, I kept it pinched. I didn't release it after the needle went in.

In the lady's instructions she says 'you pinch the skin, insert the needle and let go".

Haven't been doing that either.

Oh well, after 7 or so years of daily injections, I'm going to have to learn the correct way.

Oh, the best was, they show you the various parts of the body that you can inject yourself.

I've usually done both sides of my stomach. Only once or twice have I done my thigh and I have NEVER done the back near the hip. Never occured to me.

Oh well, better late than never.

thanks much.

Melody

That was an interesting video.

Promise me if you have another reaction, you will seek medical help.

Once you are sensitized to something (react to it) you can have other reactions. It can be unpredictable.

Well, this particular hematoma site was about 7 or 8 days ago (can't remember), I've given my self 7 injections since. No reaction. Last night, gave myself a shot (of course, not in that area). No reaction.

And when I first saw the black and blue (which I get from time to time because sometimes when I inject myself, and right before I depress the plunger, the needle comes out and I have to put it back in (that happens sometimes), I really think I did it twice in the same area (that's why I got the black and blue) But what REALLY did me in was that I kept banging the area when I leaned against the kitchen sink (which I sometimes do all day long especially if I'm rinsing and draining my sprouts, I'm washing dishes, I'm washing pots and pans, I'M LEANING AGAINST THE SINK!!!!

Since I noticed it I have STOPPED LEANING AGAINST THE SINK.

This morning I took off the bandage. Some more of that current jelly like substance came out. Last night when I was pressing out the stuff inside the blister I actually was afraid to press too hard. It looked good enough for me but I could have squeezed harder (like when I have a cyst and my doctor Fred takes his fingers and SQUEEZES out what is inside the cyst. I didn't do it like that. I was too afraid so I was gentle. So this morning when I saw a little bit of that stuff on my band aid I said "oh there's a bit left, so I got busy. I pressed and I think I got it all out and then I poured the sterile saline solution and then put some neo on it. Then I put a clean bandage.

Then I went out for breakfast because I felt just fine. Took my tub of sprouts and imagined all that good stuff going into my body. Really works on my brain when I think like that.

I'm still doing the ice pack (actually it's a headache gel pack) 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off.

Seems to be working nicely.

Just checked it. No more deep bright pink around the wound. It's like fading.

When I looked up hematomas and most of the info says "it takes weeks) for the body to reabsorb the blood, does this mean people have to keep it bandaged for weeks?

I thought we have to let the air get at it.

When Alan once fell on his elbow, his IVIG nurse who used to come to the house said: "Melody, it's time to take off the bandage and let the air get at it"

so we did and he was fine in a few days.

How long do I need to keep this bandaged?

And what is the ice doing? Making the blood go back into my body?? (there's no more blood so maybe it's done?)

I gather this thing will start to change colors and sometimes the skin itches and I have heard "oh it itches, that means it's healing"

But I just checked to make sure I can touch it, touch the surrounding area. No pain, no nothing, it's not tender, it's not throbbing, and where the pink was, well it's getting smaller, and not so pink and there are no lines going anywhere (like one has if it was cellulitis)

I heard that one can get cellulitis from an injection. This has happened to my sister in law MANY times.

Why do some people often get cellulitis whenever they give themselves an injection.

I have never experienced this.

And I'm diabetic. One would think I'd be prone to getting various infections of any kind, like bladder, kidney, etc.

Not in 15 years.

maybe it's because I use Silverbiotics? I take one teaspoon every day. It's an immune system booster. Whatever it is, it seems to be good for my body.

And all those sprouts!!!!!

lol

Melody

I still think you should see a doctor. Fat areas react to infection slightly differently than other places.

I would keep it covered, and clean, and use the Neosporin. The old "let it dry out" is no longer valid. All wounds now in hospitals and long term care settings are carefully dressed. Keeping the area covered, encourages the healing cells to grow faster. Studies have shown this.

http://hyamin.blogspot.com/2008/05/w...er-or-not.html