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Choosing the least painful humira injection site...

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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 4/20/2009 3:38 PM (GMT 0)
Hi, new to this board. 38 y/ o female with Crohn's with one resection. Doing well, on Humira, have only been giving pen shots in stomach, but wondering if the top of the leg hurts more or less. my legs are not as "fat" as my stomach! When people say thigh, they are talking "lap" right? thats what the instructions show.

migoal

Posted 4/20/2009 4:14 PM (GMT 0)
I had been only doing shots in the stomach until last month. Had to have a colostomy and still have drain tube in stomach. So yesterday when I started back on my shots I did one in my upper thigh. I pinched up an area that I had pre-iced. It stung like crazy for the 10 seconds it was going in but I left ice on for a while and I can't even tell I had a shot now. My thigh didn't hurt at all last night. I did it about 6 inches or so out from where my leg starts.
Posted 4/20/2009 4:59 PM (GMT 0)

I always inject in my upper thigh, it only hurts for about 5-10 seconds then its done.

I almost tried in my stomach, but I got scared, thought it would hurt worse, so I just alternate thighs...

good luck, Kelly

Posted 4/20/2009 5:51 PM (GMT 0)
For me, injecting it in my thigh hurts WAY worse than in my stomach.
Posted 4/20/2009 7:38 PM (GMT 0)
Hi all i've been on Humira now for 3 months going on 4 and have always injected in the top of my legs switching each one each week and it does sting for the 10 seconds but thats it then it goes away i don't use ice but i do get alot of itching and swelling after wards i can't inject my belly cause there is to much scare tissue,i also use the pen its so much easier than the methotraxate having to fill the needle and i could never see if i had enough or to much but i would only inject where i was taught to did you have a nurse in or a VON for your traning. Jenn

Post Edited By Moderator (Nanners) : 4/18/2011 12:38:21 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 4/20/2009 7:41 PM (GMT 0)
I have never tried the belly. Too chicken. I did the initial 4 shots in the thigh and I will never do it again. My husband gives me the shot in the fatty part of the back of my arm (GI said this is FINE). I don't think it hurts any less, but at least I don't have to see it and I don't have to stick myself.
Posted 4/20/2009 8:06 PM (GMT 0)
I've been on humira for a month now...due tonight as a matter of fact...I have only done the shots on my thigh and I have no problems with this...it sting for a few seconds and thats it...after a couple of hours I can't even tell where I did the shot...I don't ice either....
Posted 4/20/2009 9:05 PM (GMT 0)

I have been on Humira for about a year and a half.  For the first 8-10 months I gave shots (pen) in the thighs, but decided to try the stomach.  Have been giving them there since.  For me it is less painful in the stomach, plus it gave my thighs a rest!! :-)

Anne

Posted 4/20/2009 9:33 PM (GMT 0)
I do my shots in the thigh (lap), but I don't notice much difference between there and my stomach. Just a little sting and then it's over, which surprises me because I don't have an ounce of fat on me.
Posted 4/21/2009 12:24 AM (GMT 0)
I've been on humira since September of last year, and I have always injected in the the thighs. It hurt pretty badly at first, but I gradually became accustomed to it so that the only part I dislike about it now is steeling myself before the shot goes in. I can't do it on my stomach...
Posted 4/21/2009 2:23 AM (GMT 0)
I ice before my shots too and I can tell you that ice pack feels wayyyy better on the thigh than the stomach for me! I've done both sites and prefer the thigh best.
Posted 4/21/2009 6:33 PM (GMT 0)
I do the inside of my thighs, there's more fat there. My doc said that anywhere into fat is basically fine. The instructions suggest your thigh and belly so you can see the "meter" as it goes in. I need my boyfriend's help with mine, so he can stick me wherever he likes... (It's a good running joke between us, sorry for being crude.) :)
Posted 4/21/2009 7:24 PM (GMT 0)
For me the stomach hurts far less than the leg. Sometimes I wonder if the

pins are filled different. Some I don't feel at all and some hurt bad.

Posted 4/21/2009 8:43 PM (GMT 0)
I alternate every shot. I do not use ice. Ice numbs you to the coldness it doesnt numb you to the needle imo.  But I do think that the belly is better to use than the thighs. Neither place really hurts  but I do prefer the belly.
Posted 4/21/2009 8:55 PM (GMT 0)
For me, the shots hurt far more in the thigh. Maybe because I have less fat on my legs than stomach? Either way, I'll never stick myself in the leg again!
Posted 4/21/2009 10:51 PM (GMT 0)
I prefer the back of my arm (via husbands help). The nurse said I could also get the shot on my butt. If I have to give the shot to myself, I choose the stomach. I do not use ice.
Posted 4/18/2011 3:02 AM (GMT 0)
Has anyone else been told by their Dr. that they could inject Humira into the Buttocks?  I'm getting too saturated with needle sticks in two recommended places.
Posted 4/18/2011 3:23 AM (GMT 0)
I tried the upper leg once and will never again, hurt like heck and left a bruise. I use the stomach and still hurts but not as bad as the leg.
Posted 4/18/2011 3:53 AM (GMT 0)
Yes, I had the same bruising and pain when I tried the upper thigh. Still thinking about trying the butt cheek!
Posted 4/18/2011 7:26 AM (GMT 0)
ive been doing mine in the legs, hurts but only for 5 seconds or so. How long has it taken everyone here for the humira to really work well. ive been on it since January, noticing some improvement, but still get days of pain. I just started altering my diet to see if that helps too.
Posted 4/18/2011 2:14 PM (GMT 0)
I started out on the top of my thigh and it would bruise and hurt. After getting GI approval, I started injecting on the inner and outer thigh (the fatest parts). This seems to hurt the least. I often get toward my hip area. Try different areas and find one that works for you.
Posted 4/18/2011 5:44 PM (GMT 0)
Too scared to try the stomach, for some reason I feel that it would hurt more in that area. I take two shot per week, one each in each thigh. I don't ice the area and it doesn't hurt that much. It usually hurt a couple of mins before, but I find it best it I sit in the same spot, the air doesn't hit the injected area while I'm walking.
Hope that helps,
Kim
Posted 4/18/2011 6:37 PM (GMT 0)
For justcallmeD-I have ulcerative colitis but have had my colon removed and have an illiostomy.  I take Humira for RA.  It never gave me alot of relief until I went from every 2 weeks to weekly.  That made all the difference in the world.  Still sore in the mornings and take Vicoden and tramadol to get going.  Most people still need some pain meds as well as the Humira but I can definately say it works!  My Rheumatologist says my joints look much improved on x-ray.  My problem now is the constant fatigue!  Still work full time as a Mental Health counselor but sometimes I do not know if I can keep it up.  Don't know what I would do if I worked manuel labor.
Posted 4/18/2011 8:53 PM (GMT 0)
I put mine on my stomach and it doesn't hurt that much anymore. I haven't tried my thighs since they don't hurt on my stomach I figure if ain't broke don't fix it. I don't use ice because if anything hurts it's the actual medicine not the needle.
Posted 6/16/2014 3:32 PM (GMT 0)
Actually, I got off the pens entirely. It was agony for me, cause the pain increases as the pressure on the site does and the pen... increasing pressure. I got onto the manual syringes and now administer my own (no longer needing S/O assistance. You can administer it as slowly as you need to and it hurts way less. (Pen pain scale starts at 8 and shoots to 12 for me. Syringe starts at 3 and ends at 0 if I manage it right and choose the right site. Some days are better than others) I never minded the needle hit of the pen, but the rest you can keep. There's just something less painful about being in control of it yourself. The key is to slow the injection down so pressure doesn't build up under the skin which is what hurts so much.

The first year the shots would take like 2 minutes or so. now I can get them done in under a minute with 0-1 pain. If it hurts, slow down, pause and let some of the medicine absorb. It does so quickly.

I am interested in alternate sites, though
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