Quote:
Originally Posted by ~lostgurl~
|
Thank you for pointing that out lostgurl; that is good to know. I suppose one would have to weigh the risk of possible damage from flushing of the needle vs. possible damage from a miss. It seems it would make sense that if one is shooting up regularly, the vein damage from flushing would be more significant and a more frequent occurrence than possible tissue damage or infection from an occasional miss.
Swim has not been a regular IV user for a few years but this is good to know for harm reduction for those who are, swim was not aware of this and likely damaged her veins without knowing it via this method. She does wonder if perhaps it might depend on the circumstances though.. ie. if one is using very irregularly, and one is using a more caustic substance or something with more potential to eat away at tissue, one might have more an incentive to avoid a miss and less risk of habitual use damaging veins. That said, I think the reason this practice is so common is not well reasoned harm reduction, but rather because of not wanting to miss the hit (ie. if one is dependent and does not get their hit, they may go into withdrawal or waste the dose, which to an IV user is something they are very aware of) and because of habit/seeing this done by others.
Swim also read a study recently on injecting behaviors and noted that the behaviors of the users who first inject someone or who show them how to do it are likely to be continued on by that user. The study was mostly in regard to whether one uses/ reuses needles and whether one will share needles, but I think it applies to a lot of injecting behaviors- one learns from others who have been doing it, and since it is not accepted behavior and one cannot openly seek advice (although this is changing with harm reduction efforts and needle exchange programs) one learns these patterns and they tend to stick. She'll put it in the archive if she hasn't already.
Thank you for bringing that up, it is important information for anyone who has, is, or may be injecting, or anyone who may be advising someone who is doing so.. good to know. No need to be sorry, these things are important to know and I appreciate you correcting me
So the consensus is, the above explanation is possible, but the advice about multiple checks for blood is not the best way to approach it as lg pointed out, with the risk of vein damage? Once swiyou have ensured s/he is in the vein, keep one's hand as steady as possible and go at a moderate pace, not too fast (risk of bursting the vein or not detecting a miss) or too slow, but watch for signs of pain or swelling and pull out if a miss is suspected before emptying the syringe barrel. Then one could re-cook, get a clean needle, and start over at another injection site. Also injecting in a safe, sturdy, and well lit environment can help- if one is in a hurry, stressed about being caught, or in a cramped place, one may not have the best injecting technique, resulting in possible damage either from flushing of the tip and/or a missed shot.
If one does have either of the above happen, the damaged area can be treated as said with compresses and kept clean with antibacterial soap. In addition, many exchanges will give out Bacitracin/Neosporin ointment and vitamin E, the former which can prevent infection and scarring, and the latter to help things heal faster- but of course damage to the veins is internal, and cannot be undone, it must be prevented through safe injecting practice before things get damaged.
15-05-2008, 04:11
Similar Threads
Hybrid Mode
