View Full Version : Insulin leaking out after injection
akrickard
04-27-2006, 01:27 PM
My husband and I keep having some insulin leak out of the site after we give my daughter an injection. We don't pinch her skin, don't press too hard on the shot blocker, and leave the syringe in for a moment after pushing the plunger down.
What are we doing wrong? :confused:
wendyc
04-27-2006, 03:54 PM
Are you using a pen or syringe? If it's a pen, this is very common. We were told to push the pen down, count to 8 and then twist upon removal. The amount of insulin that is usually left behind is minute and will not have an impact on BS.
allisa
04-27-2006, 04:08 PM
Not sure what is going wrong ...but I noticed you said you DON'T pinch her skin...I was always told to pinch it up, do the injuection, let the skin come back down and take out the syringe.
Once in awhile wwe will still have a teeny drop left behind...but not too often and doesn't seem to have affected anything.
Good luck !
PS....Just re-read and noticed you use shot blocker....I have never used one before, so not sure if that is somehow affecting it...sorry I can't be of more help !
akrickard
04-27-2006, 04:59 PM
We use a syringe, and I read that you don't pinch up the skin when you use a short needle. Is that wrong? Should we be pinching the skin?
ann-lolly
04-28-2006, 09:57 AM
We pinch up the skin and still sometimes have a drop leak out. I am not sure why either.
I'm a Medic who is also an Allergy/Immunotherapy Tech, and I have LOTS of experience with giving shots. We are taught to pinch when giving shots, as this not only helps the injection stay in place, but the pressure on the skin can reduce the pain. There is a technique called "Z-tracking" where you pinch-and-twist *slightly*. This causes a less straight injection 'hole' for the medication to leak through.
That being said, I still get a little leak sometimes when I give Gabriel, or my patients, their shots. It happens.:o
akrickard
04-28-2006, 02:55 PM
Thank you so much for the advice, everybody!
pookas
05-02-2006, 09:15 PM
I was having that problem. We do pich up a little, hold the needle in for 5 seconds then pull out. I found that when I pull out slower, I'm more prone to get leakback and when I pull out quicker, it usually doesn't happen. HTH
Linda-[NEPA]-Mom to:
Hunter, 5 yrs, dx'd 11/14/05 type I
Colby, 7 yrs, migraines