
Originally Posted by
forrest_and_trees
I'm kind of new to this stuff, I've only been pinning for about 4 months now but that even seemed a little slow to me. Not just inserting the needle but waiting to inject.
What I was taught was to flex the thigh to find the "meatiest" part on the top of the leg, [as opposed to inner or outer]. Once I find a spot I like, I relax the muscle and clean the spot with an alcohol swab. Next I stretch the skin out with one hand and place the needle with the other. [I'm using a 22g 1 inch needle so I don't necessarily "jab".] I push the needle until I feel it hit the muscle. I usually stop the needle about 1/4 of an inch from the top; but it sounds like that's not so good?
As for aspirating, do all you guys actually "draw" a little blood before you plunge? I was taught aspirating meant to make sure there are no bubbles in the syringe before I stick it in. In fact, there's usually a tiny drop of test on the end of the needle just before I insert it.
I have noticed a couple times, after I withdraw the needle, a little bit of the test comes out of the leg before any blood. Is this a sign I'm doing something wrong?