Injecting - Forearm numb after cocaine IV... leaky vein?

[suninmy_MOUTH]

So SWIMs abstinence efforts were compromised this afternoon after work. SWIM had the idea just to avoid scences and people where coke would be around. However, seems SWIMs pals had trouble scoring, and needed to hit up SWIM for his contact. Contact was a nice guy, and gave SWIM a big line on delivery and also a little bag... about .5g. Obivously not completely altruistic.... just wants his no hassle customer back...

SWIM tried to put it away and not think about it. SWIM almost flushed it too. SWIM went out for a walk... happened to stroll past the pharmacy, and gave into temptation... and got some synringes. The line earlier did not please his sinuses, so he thought he would rail it. Three shots. First was fine, no problems. Second, with the veins constricted, made it hard to find another spot. SWIMs veins just are not the protruding kind anyway. 3 or 4 failed pokes on different spots got annoying, and went back the roughly the same spot as before. Was OK... seemed to swell a little for about 20 min after the shot. The final shot... just could not find another place. Tried doing push-ups, heated towel on the other arm... tapped the area... no luck, and poked about 5 holes this time. Then decided to fuck it, and went back to the same spot. Blood seemed a little lighter than the dark heavy bein blood, but was fairly sure it wasn't an artery. No pressure for the plunger to go back up, no unusual pain on hitting the site. Pulling out though... there was more blood than usual.. dripped down the arm, but stopped after a wipe with a towel. An artery would not stop bleeding so easily... correct? Perhaps a small one would, but the one that would be near the vein in the elbow crook SWIM thinks is a big one. SWIM did go a little deep for this vein, 1/4 inch or so.

After the shot though... SWIMs arm, from the elbow down, became totally numb on the surface... to the touch. Lasted about 1/2 hour. SWIM thought the needle might have bumped a nerve. But there wasn't any pain in the arm. So SWIM thinks that his vein, still healing from about a month ago from IV activity, wasn't strong yet. Repeated injections, caused the shot to "leak" back out into the tissue and got absorbed... causing the numbness? SWIM is just guessing here. if SWIY has a better idea of what happened.. it would be appreciated!

Lastly, SWIM did notice the vein that hits, offered a little resistance when putting the needle in.. SWIM thinks that was scar tissue? SWIM is kind of worried it might be a deep abscess or might have caused one today. SWIM knows that that would take a few days to show up but...

Well.. that's it.

[old hippie 56]

Better keep a eye on it, does sound like leakage. Swim had that happen before. But, to be safe, watch for infection and unusual numbness, pain.
The resistance does sound like scar tissue, or a dull needle.

[suninmy_MOUTH]

Originally Posted by old hippie 56

or a dull needle.

nope... only used new 1x each.

thanks though. SWIM was pretty worried about it being an artery... reading a few medical sites, seems that can cause tissue death and gangrene.

today's experience just re-affirms the desire to quit C alltogether. have to be a little more pro-active if SWIM does see it around, rather than just avoiding people and places.

did SWIY ever get an infection from shooting coke though? what happened? how did SWIY tell... SWIM asks b/c this vein is down in there... might not surface to a visible infection. SWIM guesses that the pain will be the clue...

[jajajazz]

swim doesn't hve any help for dis problem. swim and swim's buddy were tinking bout shooting up. wastin too much monie lately. prob a bad idea reading swiy's problems. prob not gonna be cheaper after a few times too.

anyway, swim searched for IV guides but mostof da info is for heroin people. swim found out from posts here and other places how to prepare the coke, wat not to do, but is there a swiy out there that knows of a really detailed medical guide for just coke shootin? somethin tht covers swiy's prob and other ones after you shot up? swim read the rules, can't talk about other sites here, but maybe a copy & paste here??

maybe there isn't one.

[suninmy_MOUTH]

Originally Posted by jajajazz

swim doesn't hve any help for dis problem. swim and swim's buddy were tinking bout shooting up. wastin too much monie lately. prob a bad idea reading swiy's problems. prob not gonna be cheaper after a few times too.

SWIM begs SWIY not to try it. It's not cheaper, it's harder on the body, and has a lot of possible complications. SWIM wishes he never tried it.

SWIM did get an idea from SWIYs response... why not try to make a comprehensive guide with experienced IV coke users here? maybe as a sticky. SWIM agrees there is not a lot of good info on just IV'ing cocaine out there.

[old hippie 56]

Doing drugs by IV is a bad deal to start. Swim wished he never started, but that phase has passed. IMHO doing coke is the same as any IV drug, except for heroin, swim might be wrong. The person that taught swim years ago, told him there are veins you can hit and veins that you don't. He found good info in a nursing manual.

[Jatelka]

Here's some reading material for SWIY:

http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9650
http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17515
http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18214
http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18698
http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19041

Hope this helps.