How many pokes before finding a vein?

[Frozen]

How many times on average do you need to prick yourself before hitting a good, useable vein?

[chemboy7]

Well, that would depend alot on where I am trying to hit. I have used and abused the veins on the lower side of my body so I would say about 5-6 times on the feet or leg and if I don't register by then I usually go for a different location but my arm veins are nice, real nice. I can usually hit one (the latest favorite spots have been the top of my wrist and right in the middle of my elbow and wrist on the top of my forearm) on the first tap, 2-3 times maybe on average. The thing I like about my arm veins is all it takes to make them pop (if they aren't already visible, almost always are) is a few reps with weights and a turniquite and I have fat ropes springing up all over the place.

[Woowoo]

My veins are really big and easy to access, but one problem: they are all rollers!! But it's not so bad, because I know how to hit up a roller: you come in from a steep angle.

[Diacetyl]

My veins are really big and pop right out of my arms and hands so I can hit one easily first try without needing to tie off. I think its because I used to lift weights and I'm pretty lean.

[flipside]

Too many times, after years of abuse too much scar tissue.. too much damage.

Nothing left in my arms, feet. ( not that it keeps me from trying..sometimes I manage to find one).occasionally get lucky with my legs. usually have to go somewhere I would not reccomend to anyone else

And yes I use heat, hydration and usually tie off. I also have really low BP all the time and I'm sure that is a big part of the problem. Also blood clotting disoreder..before it was treated blood would clot in the rig before i could get off.

Whenever I am in the hospiatal they don't even bother trying with an IV..always end up with a central line.

If you have good veins..continue to rotate your sites and use new needles..treat them with the respect they deseve.

I notice other people's veins and remember when mine used to be like that..and wish I had taken more precautions to protect them. Abuse those beautiful ropes and they won't stay that way for long.

[Somanax]

Heed flip's advice, I use to be able to hit myself in the dark,now I am at the point she is ie:central line or in E.R. venous cut down sound's awful and it is usually done by someone less proficient than yourself :(


SOMANAX

[Chipper]

Spare a thought for the tweakers because their veins don't come up much when they are loaded up on amphetamines. I have spent *hours* trying to find a vein in that state, yes - stuck in a loop, no less.

I call this fighting against yourself.

These days I give my veins a good rest between attempts.

[dirtdog]

My veins are weird. They are huge for a girl's.
I have a big ol one from my hand all the way up to my shoulder.
When I first started IVing, it was like shooting at the water from a boat and missing.
Now, it takes one or two tries for me to hit the vein.
Usually it needs to be hot, or I need to tie it off nice and tight. So tight that it feels like my arms gonna fall off from no circulation.
Christ...

[Seedy]

^^ Well whaddya know, dirtdog is a chick! :p

This thread is making me squirm.

[nick]

10 times and the rest....I have poor veins.


once you start,you won't stop.........till you find a vein.

[Woowoo]

If anybody ever tells you "It's like riding a bike" don't believe them, you have to be in practice to really be good at it.

However, just a little bit of practice and all the old techniques start come back to me. I remember now how I always used to miss this one vein by nicking it on the right side instead of in the middle, and how another one I'd be liable to go straight through if I don't have a light touch.

Part of the whole battle is knowing what lies under the surface--experience with your own physiology gives you a kind of x-ray vision, if you will.

But lately I've been dead on. Like an expert sniper: one shot, one kill. wooo WOOOOOOOO

[OpiBli$$1988]

ive only tried iv'ing twice and nvr w/ opiates..last time i ended up sticking myself 34 times trying to shoot up some meth w/ an insulin syringe before i finally gave up. i hate needles now

[kidding]

ive only tried iv'ing twice and nvr w/ opiates..last time i ended up sticking myself 34 times trying to shoot up some meth w/ an insulin syringe before i finally gave up. i hate needles now


34 times... jesus

[Opiyum]

Spare a thought for the tweakers because their veins don't come up much when they are loaded up on amphetamines. I have spent *hours* trying to find a vein in that state, yes - stuck in a loop, no less.

I call this fighting against yourself.

These days I give my veins a good rest between attempts.

I hate when I all revved up and trying to find a vein. I would really hate to see a picture of myself in that state. Sitting there wide-eyed poking myself over and over sweat rolling down my forehead from frustration mixing with the drool now running from my mouth down the long side of the tourniquet.
It's all very disturbing to look back on. Bottom line is I hate shooting meth or coke more than once at any point in time but apparently the drug requires much more of you.

[chemboy7]

34 times... jesus

Speed makes your hands shake.

[Frozen]

What can be done about veins hardening up (and staying that way for weeks) at an injection site?
Is that due to scarring? I know about using clean, new needles every time and rotating injection sites- but what else can be done? Thanx in advance for any helpful answers.

[chemboy7]

What can be done about veins hardening up (and staying that way for weeks) at an injection site?
Is that due to scarring? I know about using clean, new needles every time and rotating injection sites- but what else can be done? Thanx in advance for any helpful answers.

The crest of my arm has a vein doing that right now, I just figure that the vein is inflammed. I guess heat would work, that's what I would use. I was actually talking to someone the other night about it, as mine is going on a couple weeks old and is/was hard as a rock: they didn't think it was anything to worry about, and neither do I. I've had similiar hard spots, just never this hard or long lasting, and they eventually went away. I'm pretty sure that hardened veins close to the surface means that you've been hitting the same spot too frequently... I know that's what does it to me.

[Duckfeet]

I had that problem pretty bad with tar, worse than I had ever remembered it for anything else, even when I hit right on the money, seems like after a few hits, got harddened spot...really was hell on both arms. But the good thing was, once I stopped, after a few weeks they all seem to have gone away, and none of them turned into infections, which I thought might have been happening. Good luck with them....

[CIIORNOTHING]

Im new to the iv game. Mine are fresh and willing and easy and flash nice and quick. Im so fucked that I ever started this. Nothing else compares anymore.

[Duckfeet]

I hate to be a bore...but if u can hop off, you'll be glad u did...it doesn't get better w/time and experience...and those veins eventually aren't fresh and willing, and that feeling of being fucked will still be there....IMHO. I make the best of it, and try to keep a sense of humor alive about the whole thing, but never doubt that there are better ways to spend ur time on this planet...because, like u said, nothing else compares...and that can be sad, when "nothing else" actually means love, family, friends, freedom...all that boring other stuff....

Im new to the iv game. Mine are fresh and willing and easy and flash nice and quick. Im so fucked that I ever started this. Nothing else compares anymore.

[CIIORNOTHING]

I hear ya on all counts bro. But right now, because of a job situation my wife is in, we have pretty much unlimited access to amps of hydromorphone, morphine, fentanyl, and valium. Its not exactly easy to walk away right now. But like always happens in life, things change, security procedures change, etc and our free ride is gone with the wind and its back to reality.....

We both know it has to stop....but damn its fun while it lasts!!

[Somanax]

Just one now........finally

31 gauge needle's yes !!!!

[GOLD N DIEMONDS]

ONE, with eyes closed. I have great veins from years of weight trainig. It's been a bit for me, everything has healed nice

[Woowoo]

I have become a master of the "forearm shot" recently. Even thought these veins are as thick as boat rigging, the angle is what makes it hard to hit up there. I used to think I needed a "hit-up buddy" to get those veins. Now I got it under control, I can hit up my forearm veins without any help at all.

Gee aren't I skilled?

[Duckfeet]

Yep, I can remember when I was still doing the ditches, and thought no way on the forearms, but eventually they too, fell by the wayside...all the tattoos help, too, all these vikings and mexican princesses been stabbed bunches...but still, to me, the bummer of tar...besides it's so brutal, is that u can't see good that u r registering, cuz it's so dark...hell, on forearms, I used to be able to use an eyedropper instead of a plunger, because u could see blood...but they only works w/light powder...tar is too damn dark and is just a fucking curse and hell on veins

I have become a master of the "forearm shot" recently. Even thought these veins are as thick as boat rigging, the angle is what makes it hard to hit up there. I used to think I needed a "hit-up buddy" to get those veins. Now I got it under control, I can hit up my forearm veins without any help at all.

Gee aren't I skilled?

[Moonrock]

Veins? What veins?
They deserted me long time ago, arms and feet, all collapsed. But no regrets there cause i knew what i was doing at the time, and i sure did enjoy every fucking hit while they lasted.
Only neck ones left, and i try not to use them so as to stay alive.
Now i resort to smoking and snorting and remembering the days of the glorious veins.

[Saint]

I started IV-ing when I was 15 and only needed one try at the time. My veins were very good. I could take a shot just about anywhere, very fast. I also fixed in these so-called 'anti-junky toilets' with their blue light.. no sweat. But after 15 years of on-and-off addiction one poke became two pokes. Then two became four or five.
Countless moments I spent in the bathroom, swearing in absolute anger and frustration while I saw how my needle slowly filled up with more and more blood - without hitting the right spot once.
I remember being sick as a dog and then loosing my one and only shot 'cos my needle got stuck after numerous tries and 'blowed up'. Leaving a mix of heroine, blood and lemonjuice dripping on my arm.
All gone. These weren't my best moments.

Finally I just quit, it simply wasn't any fun anymore. I relapsed once but sniffed it.. shooting up H is great in the beginning (well, ok then.. the first 15 years...) but eventually it gets sort of difficult.. & don't even get me started on the scars. Hate it.

[Duckfeet]

Yep, there's a particular hell that u get to know, once yer veins are really gone. Or worse, u watch somebody u love, just bleed and bleed all over the place, and damn-all u can do about it. These last 2 or three posts touched on that. I know when I was young, and could hit myself with either arm in a bouncing car I thought I'd never get "that bad." Hahahah....

And when yer sick, and finally score, and know that then the *real* problems just begin. And this tar, boy that doesn't make things any better, since u can't see a register, and as yer rig slowly keeps filling with blood, and yet when u try to hit, u *know* it's a miss...there is no hell I know like it. Should be mandatory reading in the "should I try I.V.ing heroin?" threads....

Sigh...just came from the clinic, knocked it down from 100 to 80mg...now smoking a cuban puro...what a world...

[Saint]

Wow that's a lot, 20 mgs at once... well, as you know most won't notice any withdrawalsymptoms before the 2th to 4th day. Or most likely you will not even feel the difference too much since your dose is relatively high. But please don't go down too fast ey? And keep putting those duckfeet on!
I will make a post about the done-to-sub-thing later this week. Not feeling too good yet... (the pharmacy didn't have the subs in stock, FUCK! So I had to half my dose today, subs won't come in till thursday)

And yes: people should read those comments before they start IV-ing. Wish I had done something of the sorts back then. That would have saved a lot of pain and frustratiing moments.
Ah well, too late for that now :-)

[Duckfeet]

Hey Saint: Nah, actually I went 10mg today and ten tomorrow. And yer rite, at these high doses u don't notice it at much. My only goal is to get down to fifty...then maintain there for a while, see what I want to do. My biggest problem is always my brain. Once I realized I had no consistency of thought on anything to do with opiates, that's when I realized what a dilemma this crap can be...cuz what I think and want *today* won't be the same as what I think and want *tomorrow.* ...and that alone is enough to drive u bonkers. And that was actually the hardest lesson of all to learn, weirdly enough...

On one long bout of sobriety I took a bunch of philosophy classes, and this one philosopher I kind of liked, David Hume, said that reason was a slave to our passions. Now that may seem obvious, and I guess it is, but it's kind of dreary too...because it's basically telling me that when I"m kicking, my brain will come up with all this logical stuff on why I need to fix...and of course, when I'm loaded, and a little tired of it all, then me old brain will come up with all this reason and logic on how I gotta quit. What's a poor junky to do with the deck so stacked against us LOL...even the old brain, which I thought was on *my* side, is basically just there to follow and give thought to my damn sick ass urges :-(

And yes, the whole drugstore/sub supply deal is a bear over here too, IMO. Hang in there with that, I'm rooting for you...


Wow that's a lot, 20 mgs at once... well, as you know most won't notice any withdrawalsymptoms before the 2th to 4th day. Or most likely you will not even feel the difference too much since your dose is relatively high. But please don't go down too fast ey? And keep putting those duckfeet on!
I will make a post about the done-to-sub-thing later this week. Not feeling too good yet... (the pharmacy didn't have the subs in stock, FUCK! So I had to half my dose today, subs won't come in till thursday)

And yes: people should read those comments before they start IV-ing. Wish I had done something of the sorts back then. That would have saved a lot of pain and frustratiing moments.
Ah well, too late for that now :-)

[Narkotikon]

I have really small girly veins, so I said 2-3. I usually use the ones in my feet, on the underside of my left wrist, or on top of my hands. The most common ones, the crook of your arm, are just too deep to hit. It's just easier to use a small guauge and go for the ones that are closer to the skin, although they are usually small (wrist, hand, etc.).

[Duckfeet]

Right. And it's drugs *other* than opiates that made my veins disappear. With me it was coke, got rid of the good ones. All nighters with cocaine, doing shot after shot, was just too much abuse for the veins, and they never bounced back. And then, also, an endless supply of dilaudids at one time, helped destroy the other two good ones by my wrist. But a junky will always find a way, from ankles to backarms, to top of hands, I'll plug away until I find something. Oh no, I didn't mean to bring up *plugging* and that cursed thread again!

Speed makes your hands shake.

[vanilla_mlkshake2007]

I usually use 1 needle each injection time but sometimes its first try a hell of a great day if it goes like that but sometimes its 5-6 6-8 and even 10 before i just stop and eat the shit or plug it after all I don't wanna go through a bag of points a day right?

[Opiyum]

Gosh it really depends on the number of uses of the needle. I know what I said before but damn I just had more problems than I have ever had in my life just a few hours ago. Five gosh darn tries. Maddening.

[Frank Zito]

I'm like a FUCKIN' Marine sniper...ONE SHOT, ONE KILL.

[Jade Warrior]

I still have some decent veins on the bottom of my wrists, although small, are those ok to use? I've been having good luck with the veins in my feet recently, but I know those won't last long. And what about the viens in the legs I hear some people talking about? I've looked, but I cant find them.

I have really small girly veins, so I said 2-3. I usually use the ones in my feet, on the underside of my left wrist, or on top of my hands. The most common ones, the crook of your arm, are just too deep to hit. It's just easier to use a small guauge and go for the ones that are closer to the skin, although they are usually small (wrist, hand, etc.).

[nick]

I still have some decent veins on the bottom of my wrists, although small, are those ok to use? I've been having good luck with the veins in my feet recently, but I know those won't last long. And what about the viens in the legs I hear some people talking about? I've looked, but I cant find them.

Wrists are fine and look behind your knee.

Plus there's the themeral,but I'd save that for a rainy day if I were you.

[irish]

I'm another marine sniper: one shot........ I wish I wasn't though, if I had to dig around I would have quit a long time ago. The thing that bothers me the most is that my friends know I have a soft touch and ask me to fix them all the time. Once I fixed a friend with 4mg of dilaudid and everything seemed fine. Then he stood up and promptly collapsed. I thought I had killed him. He woke up took a couple more steps and passed out again. this happened about five times and scared the living shit out of me. I was sure that there was a manslaughter charge in my future. Now if you can't fix yourself then too bad, I'm not putting myself through that again.

[nick]

I'm another marine sniper: one shot........ I wish I wasn't though, if I had to dig around I would have quit a long time ago. The thing that bothers me the most is that my friends know I have a soft touch and ask me to fix them all the time. Once I fixed a friend with 4mg of dilaudid and everything seemed fine. Then he stood up and promptly collapsed. I thought I had killed him. He woke up took a couple more steps and passed out again. this happened about five times and scared the living shit out of me. I was sure that there was a manslaughter charge in my future. Now if you can't fix yourself then too bad, I'm not putting myself through that again.

Oh man,one day you won't be able to get your veins in one......or two,but guess what........you'll just keep trying till you get it.

[Jade Warrior]

Just want to make sure I'm being clear about the wrist veins I'm talking about. It's the ones on the bottom of the wrist, you know where some folks slice their wrists. After reading the discussions about arteries I'm a little paranoid about getting off the beaten path so to speak.

Themeral, huh? Looks like I need to get my dictionary out.

Behind the knee? Hmmm, I'll look again.

Thanks for the tips!


Wrists are fine and look behind your knee.

Plus there's the themeral,but I'd save that for a rainy day if I were you.

[SurfRat]

Wrists are fine and look behind your knee.

Plus there's the themeral,but I'd save that for a rainy day if I were you.


Did you mean to say Femoral?



(If so you would indeed want to save that for a rainy day.)

[irish]

If you are going to use the underside of your wrist be very careful. The radial artery is really close to the surface. If you can feel a pulse don't do it, it really sucks.:(

[underide]

Oh man,one day you won't be able to get your veins in one......or two,but guess what........you'll just keep trying till you get it.


Exactly!
Just pray that you never get that far in this 'game'.

And if you continue slamming, eventually you will (more than likely) run out of most of your usable veins - it's just a question of time really.
I used to think that i had it SO good, compared to some other iv users. I hardly ever needed to tie off - just pick a vein and shoot, so damn easy!
But the longer i was at it, the more veins i've blown.
Then i started shooting coke, and it was the proverbial nail in the coffin - now i hardly have any usable veins left.
And the ones that i do have left, you would probably never even want to slam into.

Be careful, and don't take your veins for granted - advice i wish i took long ago.

[nick]

Did you mean to say Femoral?



(If so you would indeed want to save that for a rainy day.)

Exactly and the wrist is fine.Just be careful-the veins are small and fiddly.

[nick]

Exactly and the wrist is fine.Just be careful-the veins are small and fiddly.

Oh and remember guys,anything I write after 9 is alcohol assisted.

[OneHundred80s]

I make sure my veins feel valued, I let them know I appreciate them. Talk to your veins. Good babies.

[blackdog]

as many as it takes!!!!
yeah just call me the human pin cushion!:o

[StrungOutAgain]

Now I don't IV anything unless its done in a hospital environment so since its done there I'm not sure this counts but it literally takes them fucking forever. Its like I think to myself hey these guys should be like pros at doing this but they can't do it for shit. I'm in so much pain after all of the stuff they put me through just get the damn IV in, the little bit of morphine they give me doesn't do shit. Thats just them though sometimes I seriously think I could do it better even though I've never even so much as tried. So its hard to say how many times it would actually take me, I certainly wouldn't mind trying if I had some D's right now.....

[bindegal]

Just one, but i am using my Femoral, and have been hitting there for years. I have no visible veins left, too much yola and water up methadone in my long gone youth.

[asplinteredfawn]

If I'm just using dope then usually 1 or 2 pokes if I have a sharp new rig. But if I only have a old dull dinger or I've been doing speed or coke a lot that week then sometimes up to 8-9 tries before I'll get one I'm happy with.

[Nate]

After taking a couple days for my hand to stop shaking when I first started, 1 poke everytime (rotating)

[blackdog]

A Dab'll do yah i always say?:rolleyes:

[Raine]

It depends, sometimes it's one try...there are a couple spots I KNOW i can get in one try but trying to rotate and preserve them makes for a few frustrating times and then having a barrel full of bloody goods and not being able to tell anymore if it's registering. That's so frustrating.
Already used up the easiest spots. My girly arms have NO visible veins, the only one in each arm I had is now covered in scar tissue. If i stick 'em, i can almost not get the needle out, it pulls the skin up with it so much but at least it doesn't hurt.

[devilsdrug]

one,even in the dark , even drivin down the road and prolly standin on my head