IM Injections Over Sub Q Shots/ or Pump Boluses

[Michel]

@cardamom

I wonder if it would be a good idea for FUD to get and post some guidelines from some MD/nurses re: best IM injection sites.

I think that is a GREAT idea!

I’ll see if I can contact someone about that. If anyone having an endo visit soon would also ask at the next visit, that would be great.

[Eric]

@Michel

If anyone having an endo visit soon would also ask at the next visit, that would be great.

Sadly, a lot of endos will just tell you not to do it. You need a cool and progressive endo to give you the green light on IM. Many will just worry and tell you to stick with subcu. But it’s a good thing to ask. Interesting to see how they respond!

[cardamom]

My endo will definitely have the convo with me (I plan to have a larger one about IM and Afrezza and options for more quickly correcting blood sugars), so I will definitely ask him when I do see him and report back. This is a good reminder to schedule an appt actually ha.

[CarolynA]

My old needle wimpishness… Well. Here is my little piddly insulin needle with my lantus vs the ones for one of my ivf meds (menopur). I have to keep reminding myself that I’m doing this because I want to.

[Chris]

Now that is a NEEDLE!

Where in the world do you inject with that lance? I thought Menopur was supposed to be injected subQ

[Sam]

I’m not even going to ask…

[Jen]

I use 12 mm needles for IM injections (I’m not skinny) and they seem to work more and more (I think because my technique is improving). My BG hit way north of HI today (a number of circumstances converged to cause this ridiculous level) and with a combined injection of 15u bolus and 10u IM, I came down from what was probably 40 mmol/L to 10 mmol/L in under three hours. I don’t think there’s any way a bolus or regular injection could have done that.

I have never asked my endocrinologist which sites are best. He’s pretty cool, but I’m not sure how he’d react to the question… I use my arms exclusively and haven’t tried any other sites yet.

[Michel]

@Jen

I use 12 mm needles for IM injections

That is pretty good. Our 8mm needles have been really hit and miss for IM in the calf. I am ordering 12.7mm needles just for that purpose. We’ll see if it works better for us.

[Millz]

Oh that doesn’t look fun at all

[daisymae]

@Jen

I have never asked my endocrinologist which sites are best. He’s pretty cool, but I’m not sure how he’d react to the question… I use my arms exclusively and haven’t tried any other sites yet.

i love doing my IM shots in my thigh. i am very lean there and the muscle is readily available. what i do is fold my legs under my tushy and sit on my feet. then i warm up the muscle with my hand massaging the area i am going to inject. this way the muscle is quite tight and prominant and a cant miss. i only need the 8mm needles. also, after injecting, i massage the area again for about 5 -10 minutes and walk around the house a bit.

i love that within only 1 hour, i can come down to near target range from a big BG high. if i take a subQ shot, it will take at least 2 hours to see that kind of effect.

[lh378]

@daisymae

when i discussed this with my endo last week, he recommended that i save the IM injections for higher BGs

I think it’s great that your endo is even supportive of IM injections! Many doctors, I would imagine would just be mortified, horrified that we would take matters into our own hands.

[lh378]

Me too. I think it would be a great idea - with pictures.

[daisymae]

@lh378

I think it’s great that your endo is even supportive of IM injections! Many doctors, I would imagine would just be mortified, horrified that we would take matters into our own hands.

my endo is supportive of experimenting with all of the craziest ideas. nothing is off limits, and he never judges me. wow, huh?

he even prescribed me a special novolog pen with cartridges that has 1/2 unit increments and 1/2 inch needles specifically for my IM injections!!!

[Nickyghaleb]

@TravelingOn

Yes, yes, I hear you @Eric, you don’t tell them anything and you forgot your testing kit at home.

I doubt @Eric’s endo knows he has diabetes.

[Nickyghaleb]

@Eric

Sadly, a lot of endos will just tell you not to do it. You need a cool and progressive endo to give you the green light on IM. Many will just worry and tell you to stick with subcu. But it’s a good thing to ask. Interesting to see how they respond!

Did anyone ever get around to this? Getting an endo’s perspective? I go tomorrow (maybe— if I actually make it this time), and I like to think of my endo as the most awesome endo on the planet. I’ll see what she has to say on the whole topic.

[Beacher]

@Nickyghaleb

Did anyone ever get around to this? Getting an endo’s perspective?

I’ve raised it with my CDE only in a “theoretically speaking” way. But when I was picking up some meds at my pharmacy recently and asked if they had 1/2-inch syringes, right away the clerk said, “For intramuscular insulin?” as if everyone was doing it now.

[Michel]

@Beacher

the clerk said, “For intramuscular insulin?”

That is hilarious!

[Nickyghaleb]

Yes, so my endo managed to dodge the question completely, gave me a Fiasp sample and a correction factor sliding scale, and said, “you don’t need anything other than this.”

As I don’t plan on giving up my IM shots so easily, looks like I’ll have to find another endo to ask.

[glitzabetes]

So I had an endo appointment today, and I didn’t specifically ask about this but my endo made some comment to the effect of

“You know, for the closed loop artificial pancreas thing to really work we would need to get past one hurdle… sub-q insulin is just too slow to act! Maybe I should start my own company, eh? Like some sort of intravenous catheter for the insulin pump?”

So I think he might be interested by the idea of IM if I really wanted to get into a discussion about it