need advice on convincing DD to take shots in other places

[suphillips]

Hi all,
Gracie has decided that there are only a very few small areas of her body where she will take her shots. There's about a 2 inch diameter area on the back of each arm, and again on the top of each leg, that she always chooses. If I try to talk her into other places, she gets hysterical. I've tried everything I can to convince her to move further up her arm, or to try one in her bottom or belly, and she just freaks out. Funny thing is that the first month or so after diagnosis, she preferred shots in her bottom, and I have no idea what changed. Any advice on getting her to relax about other places? And what's worse, the hysterical fear of shots, or the repeated use of so few places?
thanks!!

[Kirsten]

Bribery works really well at this age. Griffin will do a lot for one chocolate chip.

GL!

Kirsten

[Christopher]

I would agree, positive reinforcement goes a long way. For every time she tries a new area she could get a sticker and when she gets a certain amount of stickers she can trade them in for a toy or book or something she really wants.

If you always inject in the same place the sites may become red, sore and lumpy. This is called lipodystrophy or "lipo". Lipos can develop anywhere on your body where you inject. Insulin injected into a lipo may not work properly and it may affect the blood sugar level.

[Sarah Maddie's Mom]

Do you let her give you "shots"? Maddie loved to do this when she was younger. If you want her to try using her backside how about letting her try yours first? ;) (Just don't forget to pull out the plunger before she sticks you)
Good luck!

[tandjjt]

When Tyler was first dx'd, he was like that too. The best thing we did was buy an "inject ease" device that the syringe loads into and the needle is hidden. You just place the device on the skin, push a button for the insert and press the plunger down. It seemed like once he didn't see the needle, the locations of injection became less of an issue.

In fact, after a very short time in using this device, Tyler began using it himself and giving his own injections with it:cool:

[frizzyrazzy]

we also had to do stickers with a reward for trying belly shots (or was it butt? I forget)

it also works well if tell him "Nancy (our cde) says you need to try X place"
(and then I have the cde reinforce that at the next appt) He's much more willing to do something new if comes from the doctor or cde rather than me.

[Sarah Maddie's Mom]

Inject-ease was a big help to us as well. (I forgot to mention that:o)

[sammysmom]

I kid you not, at Sam's last endo appt, his endo had him sign a contract that said he will use his tummy for pump sites and any shots that were needed! It worked!

shannon

[Tori's Mom]

What helped with Tori is to start warning her a week ahead of time. I would say, "We need to try a new site next Saturday. Let's try the leg(or wherever I wanted to rotate)." Then, each day I would remind her..."Remember, Saturday we are going to use the leg.", "In two days we're using the leg.", "Tomorrow we're using the leg.", and finally "Today we're doing the leg."
There was no fuss because she had all week to get accustomed to the fact that the time was coming and there was not any negotiating but she got LOTS of praise for being a big girl and of course a treat(small piece of candy, small toy or such).

[ilesha]

I'm so glad you asked this. Josh will only let us use his bum. His nurse at school is allowed to use his legs. Never used tummy cause there's no fat to pinch yet, but I'm thinking he's not going to let us.

[hawkeyegirl]

At the very beginning we would ask Jack where he wanted his shots. That stopped working quickly, as he would always choose his thigh. So we just came up with a rotation schedule and stuck with it: Breakfast, right thigh; Lunch, arms (odd days right arm, even days left arm); Supper, left thigh, Bedtime, bootie. It gave him two shots a day where he preferred them, and no shots where he hated them (stomach). It also ensured that no matter who was caring for him, the sites got rotated consistently. Maybe you could tell her that she can choose two spots a day, you can choose the other two, and she gets to declare one site off limits?

[hold48398]

Mia would only let us use the arms for shots for a long time! For us, the trick was that the ENDO told her that she needed to use different sites. It worked like a charm! The CDE actually "wrote" out a perscription that stated:

Breakfeast: Arms
Lunch: Belly
Dinner: Bottom


Mia would get the freedom to chose a snack site. I highly recommend keeping the general site rotation the same as each site "area" absorbs slightly differently. On our first day (of the new rotation schedule) when Mia complained, I told her it is what the doctor ordered and that I would be the one in trouble if I didn't keep to the orders. She soon relaxed about different sites all together.

Funny enough, we are approaching a similar situation now with the pump: We have been doing bum sites for 2 years. Although it looks really "good" as per our endo, I think it is time to start rotation again. I doubt the same methods work for her now that she is almost 7 than they did when she was 3 LOL!!!

Good luck!

[Heather(CA)]

Hi all,
Gracie has decided that there are only a very few small areas of her body where she will take her shots. There's about a 2 inch diameter area on the back of each arm, and again on the top of each leg, that she always chooses. If I try to talk her into other places, she gets hysterical. I've tried everything I can to convince her to move further up her arm, or to try one in her bottom or belly, and she just freaks out. Funny thing is that the first month or so after diagnosis, she preferred shots in her bottom, and I have no idea what changed. Any advice on getting her to relax about other places? And what's worse, the hysterical fear of shots, or the repeated use of so few places?
thanks!!

Have the Endo tell her, or bribery:D

[samheis]

Hi!
Sam is Gracie's age. I found a video on You Tube of a little girl giving herself a shot in the stomach, and first of all he loved seeing another diabetic child, and then he let us give him his shot there just to prove he was as brave as she was, when normally he would almost panic if we tried anywhere but arms/legs. Now it's part of our rotation.

[jwk's mom]

At first my son would only take injections in the belly and arm. His endo basically told him you have to choose another site. I had been trying to tell him that for weeks. He chose thighs, haven't had any problems since then. Although if he has a chose when I give them to him he will choose the arm. When he gives it's in his belly always. He has yet to ever have an injection in his bum. It may be the age, doesn't want mom to see his bum??

[Boo]

I agree with the others that it seems to work best when then directive to use other sites comes from the endo. But you make sure to follow through with the new rules immediately and consistently. Once you start making exceptions, the kids are smart enough to pick up on the fact that they don't HAVE to do what the do tells them.

It took my son a good 6 months before he would put a pump site anywhere but in his belly.

[Breanne]

Hi, I was diagnosed at 4, twenty years ago.
I did shots for 10 years. I was also very very stubborn. Nothing my parents did convinced me to rotate my injections, nothing my doctor said did either. I was a ROYAL pain to my parents!!! I dont know what would have convinced me (bribery didn't...that's for sure). Now, as an adult, I work for the Diabetic Youth Foundation's Bearskin Meadow Camp. Whenever I have a camper who refuses to rotate, I make sure that the child knows that he/she is not alone. I show the kids that I too, hated rotating. I show them my "flags": I have not done an injection in my arm in 10 years, and I still have the scar tissue from refusing to rotate. And we make a deal: Child can give me a shot in the tummy (or wherever child wants) if child rotates. Then its a big party! We also have a "firsts" list at camp, which I think helps.