so, my surgeon wants me to self-administer a syringe of lovenox (blood thinner) once a day for the next seven days after surgery. yesterday a lovely visiting nurse came to my home and taught me how to do it. she sat with me while i did and it was remarkably easy and painless!

not so today! it definitely hurt....not horribly, but still. im not sure what i did wrong....maybe i didnt pinch the area adequately or something? i dunno...nurse will be back tomorrow.

anyone else have this issue?

Did you rub the area after the shot? I've heard that can lead to pain when doing injected blood thinners. Are you doing them in the belly? Did you get a bruise. Some people get bruises even when administored by the nurse. I never got bruises personally.

the higher up on your stomach you go the more it might hurt. You should be at least one finger from your navel and then go lower than you navel. I did mine too high today and it hurt too. Lovenox is notorious for stinging, even minutes after it's been given. "Honk" is right, don't rub, you'll make the bruise to the site worse.

I used to have to give them to my hubby. He insisted he couldnt do it himself. He preferred me to insert the needle quick....said it wasnt painful that way. I can see where giving yourself a shot would hurt more than someone else doing it for you. GOOD LUCK!

I wonder why they didnt give you coumadin instead......

Lovenox thins in a different manner than coumadin. I am not a nurse but I think there is some kind of chemical difference. Getting to a theraputic level with coumadin can take about 5 days. I think somehow coumadin is stronger and there is a higher risk of hemeraging after a surgery. They give lovenox to prevent bloodclots post surgery and then move you onto coumadin after a few days.

I came off coumadin a few weeks prior to surgery, had lovenox at the hospital and then went back to Coumadin after surgery. Have to say it's a hassle going to the doctors office weekly until they get the coumadin to the perfect level. And the take one pill today and half a pill tomorrow.