General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsIn case you are worried about getting a shot in the proper location
As a nurse, I've given thousands of shots. The deltoid is often chosen for intramuscular injections because it is a large enough muscle that is easily accessed. Dropping your pants and bending over gives access to the dorsogluteal muscle (buttocks) may not work well in some situations. Same as dropping your pants to access the vastus lateralus muscle in your thigh. Some medicines need a larger muscle, but the small amount of liquid in vaccines allows the use of the deltoid in most adults.
Lifting the sleeve of your shirt is fast and easy, exposes only your arm and shoulder and it is a safe place to give an IM injection in most people. If you have a very small deltoid, or are small or quite thin, this locaton may not have adequate muscle mass.
BUT you NEED to be able to see the area. Simply lifting your shirt to part way up your upper arm is NOT adequate to fully visualize the site for safe administration.
Not exposing the entire area, not being trained properly, not taking time to avoid the top of the triangle at the shoulder, these can lead to injection errors and injuries. These are rare happenings, but being aware of proper procedure is a good thing and can help counter fears from the recent publications about injection injuries.
If you are very concerned, or are one of those for whom deltoid injections are contraindicated (thin, small muscle), you can get vaccines in your dorsalgluteal or vastus lateralus muscles. You will probably need to get this done in a clinic situation but it is very possible to do this.
Here is info on how to give an IM injection.
https://www.drugs.com/cg/how-to-give-an-intramuscular-injection.html
CaliforniaPeggy
(149,620 posts)Thank you for posting it.
I hope that it will diminish any concerns of DU's membership.
uppityperson
(115,677 posts)CaliforniaPeggy
(149,620 posts)japple
(9,825 posts)more than some doctors. My mother was a nurse, several relatives are nurses, and I have always gotten good advice from them. They are overworked, underpaid, and sometimes underappreciated. Thank you for your post--I am bookmarking it for future reference.
etherealtruth
(22,165 posts)irisblue
(32,975 posts)And DU nurses best of all.
progressoid
(49,990 posts)SCantiGOP
(13,870 posts)That hurt to read.
Actually, whether it is my annual flu shot, or the needle used to draw a lab sample or to donate blood, I am always amazed that I can barely feel it. Some may be better training for the nurses, but I know the needles are now much smaller than they used to be.
murielm99
(30,741 posts)the phlebotomists. There are nurses who leave me with big bruises. Phlebotomists never do.
alfredo
(60,071 posts)The sting of this slap covered the needle.
When she entered the ward she'd yell "sunny side up." My butt was swollen from all that penicillin, and on discharge I had a twelve hour bus ride to my next post. I stood or kneeled most of the way.
TNNurse
(6,926 posts)alfredo
(60,071 posts)The smack might have been to make us relax our muscles.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)The cap was still on, so no problem...she thought.
But when she jabbed my butt, the needle wouldn't go in. Not the first time, or the second, or the third.
It turned out that the needle had corkscrewed from being dropped. It could open a bottle of wine, but couldn't penetrate my ass.
SusanCalvin
(6,592 posts)I knock on wood when I say that I haven't been hurt in over a decade, even when they injected stuff in my nipple.
But hubby has been - SUPER incompetent person in hospital.
TNNurse
(6,926 posts)I often got compliments.
Drawing blood and starting IVs are very different procedures from an injection. Some of them hurt like hell.
SusanCalvin
(6,592 posts)It was something they were doing involving a vein in the back of the hand.
But it took her at least three tries. And she didn't listen when he said how bad it hurt.
(Well, neither did I at first, because I know he's a big baby. But I caught on before she did.)
Hand veins can be pretty painful and especially with multiple attempts. Sorry she was not receptive to his pain.she should have been and gotten someone else. Many nurses will only try twice before getting another person.
alfredo
(60,071 posts)TNNurse
(6,926 posts)of course it got a blood clot and had to be removed but fortunately chemo was done. The original plan was to leave it for a year, I had it about 7 months. I used to never care about IVs and blood draws but now just using one arm makes me anxious the will have trouble in the future so I understand the worry.
SusanCalvin
(6,592 posts)They inserted the (large) needle twice. Second time, they didn't take it out, even though they were getting nothing. They wiggled it and tapped on it. I wanted to pull it out and flee.
They got a pint eventually, but due to that experience I have never tried again. I feel guilty, but I almost threw up and felt quite ill for quite a while.