Hi

Have you tried injecting in different areas? Do you change the needle every time? Maybe you could try shorter needles? Speak to your diabetes nurse/doctor about this. I think you are right, a pump isn't something to rush into. Personally, I would try other things, then consider it after your exams. It might be great for your friend, doesn't necessarily mean it would work for you, everyone is different. Good luck with your exams.

I agree with Lizzie, maybe switch brands of needles too, who knows maybe your body doesn't like what they use to lubricate the needles. Are you getting bubbles out before you inject yourself? I notice that my injections hurt more if my insulin is cold straight out of the fridge, maybe warm it up to room temp in your hands before you give yourself a shot? There are so many factors to why injection sites hurt.

I'm on a pump,I love it for lots of reasons like better control, eating what I want and no more injections, but I hate having it attached to me all the time - it makes me feel a bit rubbish about myself and I get a bit paranoid about what other people think about it! How long did you spend on injections before you went on a pump? Why did you decide to go on a pump? Needleless injections are available on the nhs but I wouldn't go for them personally - they are a bit terrifying - they use high pressure to force insulin into your skin between your cells - it sounds like a gun going off and leaves bruses! But I guess if you hate needles they might be worth a try. There's also a thing called insiflon which is a bit like a pump canula that you put insulin into instead of injecting - it needs to be changed every couple of days like your pump does. Personally even though I kinda hate my pump there's no way I'd go back to injections - think of having to inject every time you eat or need a correction, and having to eat before exercise etc., but my control was really bad on injections and some people don't have a problem - you need to weigh up all the pros and cons - guess in the end only you can decide.

I would change the site I give the injections, could possibly be the needles, could possibly be where you giving the shots. I have been on pump for 14 years now and getting the hang of things is a challenge but diabetes is a challenge also. If considering I would wait until you had the time to learn the A to Z of the pump but overall I can say it does make like easier.

I inject in a different spot everyday and have never had that pain problem....I am 56 years old so have been dealing with this for awhile. There are many reasons to change the injection site, go to the arm and leg, try to keep it out of the muscle but changing sites everyday is important.

I've tried injections and find it really hard to get good control. Well i did finally switch to the pump it was like this relief came over me. It was SO much easier to take care of myself. I was kicking myself for not starting the pump sooner. I've been on 3 different brands the past 5 years. Accu check was the first. I don't recommend that one is not very user friendly and not a lot of drs use it. The 2nd was omnipod which was amazing it's just a pod no tubes it's awesome if you're active but it only holds 200 units of insulin vs 300. Now I'm on medtronic 530g. I love it and it works great and i use the continuous glucose monitor that sync up with it too so i know what my blood sugars are every 5 min. It really does change your life. I'm no longer in pain from needles. And by the way you can inject in your thighs, the backs of your arms and stomach.

I personally like the pump, it gives me more freedom. I don't have to eat on a daily schedule and I get less lows.

Hello-

I also have pain with injections occasionally. I do change sites each time, use room temp insulin and a nano (smallest) needle. I've noticed if I inject very slowly at a slant, I usually feel nothing. Good luck and sure understand your frustration.

Ali

I think it's best to go on pump after exams as you must dedicate time to learning how to use. I have only used needles and they offer me pump twice but I don't like idea of being connected to machine all the time. I don't think needles hurt at all. I think I'm beginning it used to hurt and it was more in my head. I was very scared and nervous to start using injection but now it's just routine like brushing teeth. A couple things to help hurt less is breath in and out deep breath to distract yourself from the actual injection at time you inject. Also keep your hand as steady as you can when injecting. I go very slowly when I inject compared to how they teach me in hospital years ago because I could never get used to the fast jab dart motion that they teach you. I go slowly which is supposed to be more painful but I have found as long as I keep hand very steady it doesn't hurt

Once you have time to learn pump though I have heard its big time saver but also must get used to it