Heparin Injection bruises - how bad is bad?

lax15bsu

Did your MFM/RE/OB mention anything about severe bruising?  Or whether to give a new injection a certain space away from a bruise?  I mean, obviously I don't give a shot right into a bruise, I always use clean skin.  But should there be a certain space around that clean skin?

I just showed a coworker my bruises, and she about flipped out.  She gives herself injections of Humira - totally different injection and for a totally different reason - but she said that she has to go to a completely different site away from her bruises, otherwise the medicine just gets stuck in the broken capillaries. 

Just looking for whether I should call and ask about these bruises.....

Gummybear

How long have you been injecting yourself? My belly looked like that the first month but has faded considerably.

lax15bsu

Gummybear:

How long have you been injecting yourself? My belly looked like that the first month but has faded considerably.

Just a week and a half.

delphinus12

I just started Heparin injections yesterday and was told to expect pretty bad bruising like this- I guess it is common at first. They did tell me, however, to try alternating sides of my stomach for each injection. My coworkers suggested trying to make a happy face in bruises on my stomach in time for delivery

Gummybear

It may be because your body is just adjusting. I had huge, dark bruises like that for a while, now I just get a pinprick purple mark from each shot. It is frightening to look at, my poor SIL almost had a heart attack when she saw my belly. I just find to find a new spot each time I give the shot. At your next appt. I'd mention it but in my experience, it's totally normal. Do you bruise easily normally? I do.

lax15bsu

delphinus12:

I just started Heparin injections yesterday and was told to expect pretty bad bruising like this- I guess it is common at first. They did tell me, however, to try alternating sides of my stomach for each injection. My coworkers suggested trying to make a happy face in bruises on my stomach in time for delivery

The side in the pic is my night-time side. I alternate sides between morning and night. I was going to try a heart pattern, at first, but the bruises were kinda hit or miss and I couldn't get the shape to take place, lol!

Mrs.Butter

Yep, mine looked like that at first, too.  It's gone down considerably now though.  I'm also alternating between the front fat and side fat which helps spread it around. 

Everyone freaks out when I show them my bruises, too.  It's kind of funny   I guess they're not used to seeing pregnant bellies like that.