27 Comments
Before giving an insulin injection or inserting a needle for a pump/CGM site, do you pinch the skin before injecting?
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Other, between sometimes and rarely
( ͡❛ ‿●‿ ͡❛) Never. Needles are so microscopically thin and short nowadays, that even us slimmer people have plenty of room for them. In the good ol’ days? Not so much so, so you had to pinch the skin. ( ͡❛ ︹ ͡❛)
Yes. I’m very thin and always hit muscle tissue if I don’t pinch first, and sometimes even when I do. That is extremely painful.
I’ll pinch for the rare syringe injection, mostly out of habit. For CGM/Pump insertion I never pinch.
No- pump with catheter, pinching increases the chance it will not insert properly because the skin can dimple more easily when pinched.
I do, but only for my Dexcom G6 insertion, not for insulin injections.
Interesting. I always pinch for my cannula insertion, but never for my G6 sensor. Just the opposite of Meghan. I cannot imagine inserting my cannula without pinching. I’m thin and would otherwise be inserting directly into muscle tissue.
I’m thin too, so I don’t get much of a pinch. But I do the same as you.
I don’t pinch but I do feel if there is a bump indicating lot of scar tissue.
Scar tissue might be overuse of that area. Think if you should shift over a tiny bit.
I only pinch the skin if using a syringe. Otherwise, I think it would affect the adhesive.
If I can depending where I place the Omnipod. Insures that the canula inserts properly.
I always pinch up the core skin for injecting insulin, I do not pinch up the arm skin for the Freestyle Libre sensor insertion.
Often, I am injected insulin in my arm, using the other hand. I would have to pinch with my toes!
When I used to inject, always pinched skin. Now with infusion site or Dexcon sensor, never. Would need to grab an enormous amount of skin!
When I was on MDI, yes, I would pinch the skin. Now that I am on a pump, no, I don’t pinch. I also do not pinch the skin for CGM insertion.
why would i do that
?
For an injection yes always. For pump/cgm never.
Interesting comments. I never thought about hitting muscle if I didn’t pinch. I just do it because I was told to pinch. I also didn’t know why it sometimes hurts a lot and other times not at all.
Needles are so tiny and short now and I’m chubby so no need! : )
When giving an injection, I ALWAYS pinch. When inserting for the pump/CGM, I NEVER pinch.
I chose sometimes although I never pinch or hold tissue up WHILE inserting my pump or CGM.
It depends on where I am inserting, but the answer is 50% as even the 3mm cannula’s can hurt or the CGM not work as well , when inserted into the wrong tissue.
Two of my four pump sites are less fatty and need pinching. When my CGM is inserted on my arms it needs pinching but not when inserted on my abdomen.
Rarely. Don’t pinch for pump or CGM insertion sites, and no need to pinch with short pen or syringe needle tips. I just inject straight-on into the chosen site. In the old days of longer, thicker needle tips – yes. But that was decades ago.
Yes, I always pinch my skin, and over a period 14 years that I have being using Omnipod and other insulin pumps I noticed that this practices is helping a lot with the absorption of insulin over the period of the 3 days.
I chose “Yes, sometimes” because I always pinch my skin when giving myself a shot and when inserting my CGM. Unfortunately, the insertion device for my pump infusion sets is too big for me to pinch the skin around it. Wish they’d make them smaller!
Injection, yes. Pump/cgm site, no.
I do a lot of intramuscular insulin injections, definitely no pinching for those! I usually don’t pinch the fat either.