Lovenox... just how scary is it? :)

shop deals on amazon
Shop deals on ebay
Advertise with us
Valve Replacement Forums

Help Support Valve Replacement Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
kerri73

kerri73

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 11, 2005
Messages
179
Location
Omaha, Nebraska
So they're talking about me giving myself Lovenox injections the few days prior to surgery... stopping coumadin Saturday and starting Lovenox either Fri or Sat, then taking my last Lovenox shot Monday morning, surgery Tuesday morning.

Just how scary is giving yourself a shot in the belly?!? It terrifies me, as much as I'm not afraid of shots... I'm just not sure how I feel about giving *myself* a shot... I may bribe a good friend who's a nurse assistant to come give them to me for those few days. :)

Also, am I at risk for showing up the of surgery and having my blood out of whack and not be able to have it day done that day? That worries me a little, vs just being in the hospital and having a heparin IV in that they can monitor and adjust quickly... But I guess that's what I'm used to and I should trust my docs. :confused:

Oh dear... this throws a whole new dose of terror into the mix. :)
Kerri
 
Keri,
I have given myself many Lovenox shots before & I have no fear of them anymore!

When I injected myself the first time, I anticipated the stick & kind of stiffened up & that was probably the worse thing to do, so I just started relaxing more & more each time & it became easier & easier everytime. The secret is to pinch or grab a portion of your stomach on either side of your belly button & then just be fast about it. Try to stick yourself on a different side of your belly each time so that one area doesn't get more sore than the other.

I have given myself shots in the airport bathrooms & in parking lots, places I wouldn't recommend because if someone happens to see you, they may get the wrong idea, if you know what I mean. :eek:

You'll be just fine --- the first time will be scary but the needle is really very small so just do it!
 
It's not a big deal. The needles are very small and if you follow the injecting directions, doesn't even hurt. It's just an adrenaline rush expecting to feel something unpleasant before injecting, but the unpleasant part isn't there. I actually like giving them to myself.
 
Hi,
when i have had to have them my hubby has given them to me infact hes more gentle than the nurses are.
 
tex said:
Hi,
when i have had to have them my hubby has given them to me infact hes more gentle than the nurses are.
Click to expand...

You're lucky! When my hubby started giving them to me, he'd point at my stomach like it was some kind of dart target! :D That's when I decided I was going to give them to myself!:)
 
Thanks for the input, guys... makes me feel a little better, at least! I may still want to bribe either hubby or a friend to give the injection... the first one, at least! I have a co-worker who's dying to do it... yikes :)

Kerri
 
SOMEONE (prescribing Physician, his nurse, your Coumadin Clinic Nurse) should TEACH you about Lovenox and how to do the injections.

They should NOT just give you a prescription, have you pick up the injectors, and go 'poke yourself' without some instruction and guidance. Some even provide a Video Tutorial.

(If I can do it to myself, anybody should be able to :)

'AL Capshaw'
 
SOMEONE (prescribing Physician, his nurse, your Coumadin Clinic Nurse) should TEACH you about Lovenox and how to do the injections.

Amen to that!! Thats what happened to me! Lucky for me at the time I was nanny to a doctors family. I did find out ,the further to the side of the stomach,the less it bothered me. The shot itself does not hurt but it does sting afterwards. I still rather have someone else do it and spare the stress.
 
While I 've never done Lovenox, I did have to give myself shots in the stomach for infertility treatments. As someone else mentioned, doing it on the side of the belly and pinching some of the extra skin (fat) and injecting into that worked best for me. The hardest part was getting my nerve up to do it.......initially I'd sit there for 10 minutes psyching myself up for it. Hopefully a nurse will instruct you on the correct method. Good Luck!
 
ok... I HATE NEEDLES!!!!!!!!!!!! I had 2 blood clots back in 2003 and had to give myself the Lovonex shots in the belly. The first few times was kind of wierd and then it just is kinda like taken your blood sugar. I never had a problem with it.
 
ALCapshaw2 said:
SOMEONE (prescribing Physician, his nurse, your Coumadin Clinic Nurse) should TEACH you about Lovenox and how to do the injections.

They should NOT just give you a prescription, have you pick up the injectors, and go 'poke yourself' without some instruction and guidance. Some even provide a Video Tutorial.

(If I can do it to myself, anybody should be able to :)

'AL Capshaw'
Click to expand...

Al you'd think so, but that's not how they do it. Lovenox includes specific instructions in the box on exactly how to do it. Really, it's better to read those instructions then to let someone else try to teach.
 
I just had to do it myself last night for the first time--piece of cake! i have to do it all weekend to get the inr up. im still low but they took pity on me and let me out despite it.
 
Kerri i had it when my surgeon cancelled my ohs my inr was 1.2 something but i'd never given myself shots and it was fun and painless;)
before i knew it i had to stop it ,my inr hit the over 2 range.:(cus i enjoyed it
But it was fun my hubby thought i was nuts cus i looked forward to it while
he ran away cus he couldn't watch:D

REALLY YOU"LL DO FINE HONEST!!!!!!

zipper2 (DEB)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top