#injection-technique 2025-12-07

never recap a used pin. that is how people stick themselves

31G 8mm

drawing up with the same pin you inject with is fine, it just dulls the tip slightly

i changed nothing except letting the swab dry and the stinging stopped completely

slightly off topic but update from 26 months ago: switched to a fixed rotation and the site reactions stopped
a proper sharps bin costs almost nothing and pharmacies will take it back

do you pinch or stretch

thats normal

thigh or abdomen, does absorption actually differ

does injecting a cold vial hurt more or am i imagining it

the difference between 29G and 31G is real but small. the difference between wet and dry alcohol is not small

bleeding a little means you nicked a small vessel. it is not a technique failure

do not reuse pins. it is not about sterility so much as the tip being blunt after one pass, i have it written down somewhere

thats a reaction

unrelated but do you use the insulin syringe for both drawing and injecting

whats your sharps disposal setup, mine is a jar and i know thats wrong

i have eight sites and an eight week rotation. it is written on the fridge

do not aspirate for a subcutaneous injection, there is nothing to aspirate for

warming the vial in your hand for a minute is the cheapest comfort improvement there is

is 31G noticeably better than 29G or is it marginal

sharps bin

dont recap

absorption differences between subcutaneous sites are small for a weekly compound, ymmv

31G 8mm for everything. i tried the 12.7mm once and never went back

sorry to jump in how do you avoid hitting the same spot twice when the marks fade

*sorry, ERP

pinch, 45 degrees, count to five, withdraw slowly. two years and almost no bruising, someone check my working

rotate

how slowly should you actually push

i mark the rotation in a notes app because the marks fade and i lost track twice

a fresh pin for the injection hurts less. whether thats worth the extra dead space is your call

i inject the back of my own arm and it is awkward but doable with a mirror

let it dry

if you are getting a lot of bruising, look at how fast you are pushing before you blame the needle