Can't get the needle in — advice?

[RicFlair]

Pinning myself has become a problem lately, and I can't tell whether the needles or my skin is to blame. For context: I recently switched from my usual 31 g to 30 g 1/2 in. needles, and for the past few days nothing will go into my glutes. Two needles have already bent in the attempt. Why I can't separate needle from skin: tesa has gone into my glutes daily for a while now, so maybe the tissue there has toughened up. Every attempt hurts like hell, which never used to happen back on the 31g — yet the same needle slides in smoothly when I use my stomach. Any thoughts?

 

[Pupsikas]

Bent needles plus that level of pain points to an irritated site, not simply the wrong gauge.

 

[DrPEPr]

Is this occurring on both sides of your glutes?

Naturally it depends on your injection frequency, but alternating sides each time ought to keep issues to a minimum.

When I inject into my glutes, I find I have to push the needle in with more force than I do for my abdomen. So if the needles have gotten a bit dull, I can see how that would lead to more pain.

 

[RicFlair]

DrPEPr said:

Is this occurring on both sides of your glutes?

Naturally it depends on your injection frequency, but alternating sides each time ought to keep issues to a minimum.

When I inject into my glutes, I find I have to push the needle in with more force than I do for my abdomen. So if the needles have gotten a bit dull, I can see how that would lead to more pain.

Yeah, it happens on both sides of my glutes, and I already switch spots when injecting there. Anyway, I figure I'll let them rest for a while and come back to them in about a week lol

 

[WLBLD]

Thicker ones ought to go in more smoothly, though the pain could be worse. Could be a bad batch. Are they from the same maker as your other needles?

Icing the spot beforehand might help, or you could try lidocaine.

 

[FartfulCodger]

Reaching the glutes is difficult, and since you can't see the entry angle clearly, I steer clear of that spot. My preference is the hip: I grab a chunk of skin there and squeeze it tight, then insert at a 90-degree angle directly into the center of the pinched tissue.

 

[JourneyToPerfection]

How many punctures do you make with that same needle prior to actually injecting? Suppose you pull your testosterone dose and then add a bit of extra bac water (just as an example)—by the time you stick yourself, that needle has essentially been torn up and gone completely dull, which makes pushing it through a whole lot tougher.

 

[RicFlair]

JourneyToPerfection said:

How many punctures do you make with that same needle prior to actually injecting? Suppose you pull your testosterone dose and then add a bit of extra bac water (just as an example)—by the time you stick yourself, that needle has essentially been torn up and gone completely dull, which makes pushing it through a whole lot tougher.

My aim is to limit it to a single poke into the vial, then a second one when I stick myself and push the plunger. A dulled needle is exactly what worries me too.

 

[Smiter]

RicFlair said:

DrPEPr said:

Is this occurring on both sides of your glutes?

Naturally it depends on your injection frequency, but alternating sides each time ought to keep issues to a minimum.

When I inject into my glutes, I find I have to push the needle in with more force than I do for my abdomen. So if the needles have gotten a bit dull, I can see how that would lead to more pain.

Yeah, it happens on both sides of my glutes, and I already switch spots when injecting there. Anyway, I figure I'll let them rest for a while and come back to them in about a week lol

when using a needle of that gauge, inject into the deltoids.

 

[BNLFL]

RicFlair said:

JourneyToPerfection said:

How many punctures do you make with that same needle prior to actually injecting? Suppose you pull your testosterone dose and then add a bit of extra bac water (just as an example)—by the time you stick yourself, that needle has essentially been torn up and gone completely dull, which makes pushing it through a whole lot tougher.

My aim is to limit it to a single poke into the vial, then a second one when I stick myself and push the plunger. A dulled needle is exactly what worries me too.

That has never been a problem for me. Every Friday I give 2 injections — 1 to my wife and 1 to myself — and it has never happened. Which brand of syringes do you have?

 

[RicFlair]

BNLFL said:

RicFlair said:

JourneyToPerfection said:

How many punctures do you make with that same needle prior to actually injecting? Suppose you pull your testosterone dose and then add a bit of extra bac water (just as an example)—by the time you stick yourself, that needle has essentially been torn up and gone completely dull, which makes pushing it through a whole lot tougher.

My aim is to limit it to a single poke into the vial, then a second one when I stick myself and push the plunger. A dulled needle is exactly what worries me too.

That has never been a problem for me. Every Friday I give 2 injections — 1 to my wife and 1 to myself — and it has never happened. Which brand of syringes do you have?

I picked up a 100-count box of 1 ml 30G 1/2 in. insulin needles from some no-name Amazon seller called “SUDYHTD”. Before this, I was using 31G needles from a different Amazon brand and never ran into a problem. Maybe it's just a bad batch, but if that's the case, I'm stuck with them until I buy from a more trusted brand such as trueplus or easytouch. I went with this one only because it cost less and arrived quicker.

 

[Smiter]

RicFlair said:

Pinning myself has become a problem lately, and I can't tell whether the needles or my skin is to blame. For context: I recently switched from my usual 31 g to 30 g 1/2 in. needles, and for the past few days nothing will go into my glutes. Two needles have already bent in the attempt. Why I can't separate needle from skin: tesa has gone into my glutes daily for a while now, so maybe the tissue there has toughened up. Every attempt hurts like hell, which never used to happen back on the 31g — yet the same needle slides in smoothly when I use my stomach. Any thoughts?

For BpC injections into my left deltoid and biceps, I've used needles in both 31 and 32 gauge. My past experiences with gear made IM shots something I really dislike. Still, these injections turned out to be quite simple and far easier to manage than glute shots. The 32 gauge needle I have measures 8 mm in length.

 

[BNLFL]

RicFlair said:

BNLFL said:

RicFlair said:

JourneyToPerfection said:

How many punctures do you make with that same needle prior to actually injecting? Suppose you pull your testosterone dose and then add a bit of extra bac water (just as an example)—by the time you stick yourself, that needle has essentially been torn up and gone completely dull, which makes pushing it through a whole lot tougher.

My aim is to limit it to a single poke into the vial, then a second one when I stick myself and push the plunger. A dulled needle is exactly what worries me too.

That has never been a problem for me. Every Friday I give 2 injections — 1 to my wife and 1 to myself — and it has never happened. Which brand of syringes do you have?

I picked up a 100-count box of 1 ml 30G 1/2 in. insulin needles from some no-name Amazon seller called “SUDYHTD”. Before this, I was using 31G needles from a different Amazon brand and never ran into a problem. Maybe it's just a bad batch, but if that's the case, I'm stuck with them until I buy from a more trusted brand such as trueplus or easytouch. I went with this one only because it cost less and arrived quicker.

When I first began, I picked up some inexpensive options on Amazon. Since then, I've switched to Easy Touch and BD's 31g 8mm. The change has been significant, particularly in my wife's case.