i inject the back of my own arm and it is awkward but doable with a mirror, your mileage will differ
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#injection-technique 2026-05-01
Friday54 messages14 participantstimes are UTC
Highlights from this day
- u100_pat — i inject the back of my own arm and it is awkward but doable with a mirror, your mileage will differ 20:05
- thirty_one_g — whats your sharps disposal setup, mine is a jar and i know thats wrong 20:56
- spreadsheet_stu — update from 16 months ago: switched to a fixed rotation and the site reactions stopped, thats one data point 21:37
- unsolicited_dm — do not reuse pins. it is not about sterility so much as the tip being blunt after one pass 22:20
- unsolicited_dm — i keep the sharps bin next to the fridge so the whole thing happens in one place 22:49
if you are getting a lot of bruising, look at how fast you are pushing before you blame the needle
abdomen two inches out from the navel, avoiding anything that has been injected in the last month, ymmv
dont recap
do you pinch or stretch
i changed nothing except letting the swab dry and the stinging stopped completely
90 degrees works fine if you have the tissue for it. 45 if you do not
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does injecting a cold vial hurt more or am i imagining it
drawing up with the same pin you inject with is fine, it just dulls the tip slightly
slightly off topic but do you change the pin between drawing up and injecting
warming the vial in your hand for a minute is the cheapest comfort improvement there is
push slow
thigh or abdomen, does absorption actually differ
how far from the navel is actually far enough
never recap a used pin. that is how people stick themselves
thats normal
ok so do not aspirate for a subcutaneous injection, there is nothing to aspirate for
pinch, 45 degrees, count to five, withdraw slowly. two years and almost no bruising
i mark the rotation in a notes app because the marks fade and i lost track twice
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is bruising more about the needle or the aftercare
whats your sharps disposal setup, mine is a jar and i know thats wrong
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slightly off topic but let the alcohol dry. that is ninety percent of "my injections sting"
not a problem
how many sites are in your rotation
wk1 L abdo upper wk5 L thigh outer
wk2 R abdo upper wk6 R thigh outer
wk3 L abdo lower wk7 L arm back
wk4 R abdo lower wk8 R arm backwelts at the site are usually a mild local reaction and rotation sorts it
let it dry
the difference between 29G and 31G is real but small. the difference between wet and dry alcohol is not small
45 degrees
bleeding a little means you nicked a small vessel. it is not a technique failure, i could be wrong
small bubble is fine
update from 16 months ago: switched to a fixed rotation and the site reactions stopped, thats one data point
wk1 L abdo upper wk5 L thigh outer
wk2 R abdo upper wk6 R thigh outer
wk3 L abdo lower wk7 L arm back
wk4 R abdo lower wk8 R arm backdoes the injection site matter for how quickly it hits
warm it first
coming back to this is a small air bubble in the barrel a problem subcutaneously
a proper sharps bin costs almost nothing and pharmacies will take it back
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90 degrees or 45
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31G in 8mm or 12.7mm for abdomen
rotate
how do you avoid hitting the same spot twice when the marks fade
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thats a reaction
technique probably
do not reuse pins. it is not about sterility so much as the tip being blunt after one pass
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absorption differences between subcutaneous sites are small for a weekly compound
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do you use the insulin syringe for both drawing and injecting
try the thigh
mark it down
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i keep the sharps bin next to the fridge so the whole thing happens in one place
wk1 L abdo upper wk5 L thigh outer
wk2 R abdo upper wk6 R thigh outer
wk3 L abdo lower wk7 L arm back
wk4 R abdo lower wk8 R arm backpinch
the difference between 29G and 31G is real but small. the difference between wet and dry alcohol is not small
nobody here should be telling you where to inject. we can tell you what we do
pinch, 45 degrees, count to five, withdraw slowly. two years and almost no bruising
New independent result logged — FGP, lot KP-0925, purity 99% (VendorInvestigate).