Feel empowered and give them to yourself. That way, you can have some control and determine the best place to inject yourself.

My sister-in-law gave me mine so I know what you are talking about. My abdomen was one big shade of blue, black, green and yellow. You will make it through. I wish I had enough nerve to give them to myself but now I hope I never have to. Take care and be well.

I was on lovenox recently due to surgery, and after the surgery, a nurse gave me a shot. It was more painful than any shot I ever gave to myself. Seriously, I think it's worse when someone else gives it to you.

If you can survive a PE, you definitely have the nerve to give yourself a shot. That's how much mojo we now have.

I've done the shots myself, but I usually have my husband give them to me. He's pretty good and it makes him feel like he is helping, so makes us both feel good.

Lots of long-timers on the shots have strong feelings about how they should be given and what works best. I've had awesome shots and horrible shots from nurses and I've had awesome shots and horrible shots from my husband. I've never figured out a rhyme or reason to it.

I am very deliberate with the shots though, usually have a clear map of where I want them to go. Switch sides in the morning and night and run two parallel rows across my tummy. It's the only way I've really figured out to avoid stabbing one spot too many times.

Hang in there!

I just went through the shots and increasing the dosage of Warfarin. Everyone here was very helpful . After 20 shots I finally reached my theraputic range. I have to say the best thing I did was ice the area before and after. I did check with my doctor and he said I could go a little further to the side of my stomach. I just had to be careful with the scars from previous surgeries. If you can give them to yourself try this, my husband would not have been able to do these, he's too screamish - lol.

I found the nurses are far to rough when giving the shots, everytime I end up back in hospital, I ask to do it myself. It hurts a lot less...

Shots are never fun. I like to do them myself to get feedback. Also, I was told that I could use my thighs as well as my abdomen which keeps you from running out of real estate.

Underneath your thigh is an area of fat. Give the shots to your self there. The say give them in the stomach due to the fat vice muscle; so anywher on your body where there is a collection of fat is fine.

NO WAY IN HELL would I allow my husband near me with a needle!!!! OMG he would enjoy it way to much. Honestly it really isn't that bad giving the shots to yourself. U know, I know, It's that first shot that weirds you out. Heck I work in an ICU unit and was weirded out about giving myself a shot. Once I got the first shot done I was Ok to go. Here are a few tips. First if you use alcohol make sure you let it dry before injecting yourself. Stick the needle straight in and breathe normally (don't hold your breath because when you do you tend to tense up those stomach muscles). Once you stick the needle in inject at a rate by counting one- one thousand, two-one thousand, three-one thousand. It shouldn't take you much longer than 4 or 5 if it does it's to long and if it goes in to fast it can cause bruises too. Once the lovenox is injected then pull the needle straight out and then push the plunger the rest of the way to make the cover come out over the needle. As RMB says this will give you some control over your life and only you know where it doesn't hurt at the moment. The best places for the injections are the fattiest place on your stomach usually closest to the belly button.
Hope this helps
Hugs
Ferr

By the way my patients say I give awesome shots, and they don't hurt at all.

I'm with kaz on this one: The biggest, nastiest, ugliest bruise I had with Lovenox came from an injection done by my ER nurse when I was admitted. The nurse I had during my stay in the hospital said they shouldn't hurt as much as I had claimed, and proved it when she showed me how they should be done. The ER nurse certainly did not do it the same way.

I was really scared about doing my first injection, but they wouldn't release me from the hospital until I either learned to give them to myself, or until my INR was therapeutic. Since I had had a stroke 12 years ago, and they kept me in the hospital 11 days (yes!!! ELEVEN) hooked up to a heparin drip until my INR was "acceptable", I was not going to be cooped up again. I went back on lovenox recently because my INR dropped for no apparent reason, and I was shaking again giving myself that first shot, but I'm better now. Take the icing advice, since it helps. I was also told not to rub the injection site after the shot because it would "enhance" bruising. Hard to do when those times when it burns, but I noticed the difference.

I have NO idea why I wrote "icing" in that last post. I meant "advice." Maybe I need cake therapy. Oooh, that sounds good.