2. If so where do you see the blood, if you do. Does it come up into the tube the meds are in?
3. Heating pad before ?
4. Ice after ??
Posted by fflutterby (Member # 28081) on :
OOOOUch
Posted by David95928 (Member # 3521) on :
1. Definitely aspirate. 2. You would see the blood in the tube.
You can generally avoid hitting a blood vessel by inject high and to the outside. Bicillin in the blood stream is very bad news. Don't do it.
Posted by David95928 (Member # 3521) on :
1. Definitely aspirate. 2. You would see the blood in the tube.
You can generally avoid hitting a blood vessel by inject high and to the outside. Bicillin in the blood stream is very bad news. Don't do it.
Posted by sixgoofykids (Member # 11141) on :
Sorry, I have no idea. I had a nurse friend do one, then told my LLMD, what other ideas do you have? Whatever the PA wrote down, cracked him up .... and I rarely saw him laugh, LOL.
Posted by sammy (Member # 13952) on :
Yes, you MUST aspirate!!!
If you look at the prescribing information that comes with the syringes you will see the big boxed warning at the top. "Accidental IV injection has caused cardiorespiratory arrest and death". Clearly an indication to aspirate.
Get the Bicillin out of the fridge to warm up a few minutes before administering it. Put the needle on it but don't "prime" it. This is per the manufacturer's instructions. The small air bubble in the syringe is left there so that when you aspirate you will be able to see if you have hit a blood vessel. Bicillin is so thick that if you prime the needle (push the medicine up to the tip) that it can clog the needle and prevent aspiration.
To give yourself the injection, look in the mirror and mark the spot you want to use (google ventrogluteal and dorsogluteal IM injection sites). Print out some pictures to help you locate the proper injection sites. Bicillin should not be given in the thigh or arm because these muscles are too small to accommodate the medicine.
Find a comfortable position (sitting or standing/leaning) that allows you to relax your muscle and reach the injection site. Clean the injection site with alcohol.
Brace the skin with one hand, insert the needle with the other hand. Keep holding the syringe with the same hand, with other hand gently tug back on the plunger. If you pull back and see nothing, then go ahead and slowly inject the medicine. If you pull back the plunger and see a flash of blood then pull out the needle and start over (with new syringe, needle, and site).
Inject the medication slowly, over a couple minutes. It will allow the muscle to accept the medicine and be less painful. It also helps to ice the site 20min before injection.
After the injection, get up and walk around for a few minutes. This will help prevent muscle spasm and pain. Then apply heat and massage the area. This will help with pain also and prevent lumps.
Good luck!
Posted by fflutterby (Member # 28081) on :
Thanks so much, I didn't aspirate this time. I put the needle in and asked hubby to aspirate and he injected instead !!
These shots are expensive, if i see blood I would just take the needle off right? I wouldn't throw away the whole syringe ??!!
Posted by Carol in PA (Member # 5338) on :
When I worked in the hospital, I almost never got a flash of blood into the syringe when I pulled back the plunger.
If you do, withdraw the needle and dart it into the skin again, in the same area. You've already scrubbed the site with the alcohol sponge, and the needle is sterile. A tiny bit of blood into the syringe is not going to negate the effects of the antibiotic.
You can do the aspiration with one hand if you grasp the barrel by curling your four fingers around it, and then use your thumb to pull up a bit on the plunger. As if you were holding a soda bottle by the neck in one hand, and trying to push off the cap with your thumb.
Most of the time you cannot pull the plunger back, as the needle tip is deep in the muscle, and it creates a vacuum by trying to pull the plunger back. As soon as you realize you have that vacuum, you know it's all right, and you can inject.
p.s. A tip for prepping the area is to scrub the skin vigorously with the alcohol swab for a minute.
This does two things. The mechanical action of the swab on the skin scrubs away any dirt or bacteria. Stimulating the nerves in the skin by rubbing hard with the swab means you won't feel pain when you "dart" the needle into the skin.
Also, when you dart the needle into the injection site, you must follow through, straight in...do not "pull back" like when you "pull a punch."
Posted by jalama (Member # 14600) on :
I never aspirated. I found that icing the area for a few minutes before injection made the injection relatively painless. I also set a timer so that I would go slowly and take 5 minutes to empty the syringe. Then I would massage the area.
Posted by scorpiogirl (Member # 31907) on :
Yes ALWAYS aspirate!! We got blood once. Just pull out and try again. Injecting in an artery or vein can cause serious side effects, including death!! This is not something you should take lightly!
Posted by Laura_W (Member # 31491) on :
ALWAYS ASPIRATE!!! its not likely that you will get blood. but, you have to make sure. Don't throw away the syringe, I agree just reinject right next to where you were.
As far as for comfort... if you ice the area, I used one ice cube on the area, not rubbing, just kept it at the same spot for 3-5 minutes. (covered ice with a washcloth) Then used the alcohol. It left me a nice mark on my skin so I knew exactly where I was injecting, and the needle prick was painless.