I totally forgot to ask the scheduling lady about the filter my doctor was going to put into to safeguard against blood clots.. So I called her and found out he'd changed his mind and instead I would be taking lovenox for 2 weeks post-op.

I thought, oh ok. That doesn't sound too bad.. Til my wife informs me that it is an injection into my stomach! WTF.

I can handle arm injections, but just get queazy thinking about it lol..

Anyone else have to do this? Is it painful?

This is now the one thing I'm dreading most about surgery!

I have one more injection to go, had a total of 10 to do at home. Definitely do them in your stomach, the medicine stings when it goes in, so if you pinch your skin up where you are injecting you don't feel it as much. The nurses gave me one in my arm and I requested they do them in my stomach because the arm hurt more to me anyway. Make sure you have the needle in all the way before you push the plunger to avoid really nasty looking huge bruises! I have 2 that are just awful, but they were from the nursing staff, I haven't given myself any visible bruises.

Actually while Lovenox is a sub-q shot, it needs to be injected into a fatty area, not a muscle (like arm, thigh, etc.). This is why it is done in the stomach.

I've been on Lovenox since 2005 and I'll tell you it really isn't bad. It's nothing like flu or tetanus shots that go into the muscle (and hurt like a b***h afterwards). The best thing to do is pinch part of your belly fat and give the shot there. This way it is only going into the fat and will not hurt as much. Yes, you'll get some bruising but that's par for the course with blood thinners. As I have to take two shots a day, I joke that I hope nobody will see my stomach because they may think my husband beats me. LOL.

Here's a good link on how to give yourself the shot:

http://blood.emedtv.com/lovenox/how-to-give-lovenox-injections-p2.html

Boy did I need this!! I just returned from my (last) day of info. and classes and this was the thing that freaked me out the most.

Is this normal for after surgery? Does everyone that has WLS have to have blood thinners after surgery?

I can handle arm injections, but just get queazy thinking about it lol..

Anyone else have to do this? Is it painful?

I have to do this on any long car trips. I start the day before, every day and then the day after we get home. It really isn't a big deal.

The stomach is definitely the best place for these. Pinch up a bit of fat, and swiftly puncture, making sure the needle is all of the way in (until you can't see any part of the needle out of the skin). Going slow hurts! Then depress the med into the skin. The needle will most likely be a teeny, tiny 27 gauge...piece of cake

Doesn't hurt as bad as I thought it would.

Doesn't hurt as bad as I thought it would.

Nah, it's not bad.

It's a week after I finished my shots, though, and now I have huge circular itchy rashes around each of my shot sites. Grrrrr. I would have thought if I was going to have a reaction, I would have had it when I was giving myself the shots...not a week after I stop.

Lovenox is normal after many surgeries, like joint replacements. It comes with a very small, thin diabetic needle attached. Does not hurt bad, worth it. Make sure u know your copay for it ahead of time, can be costly.

Thanks for writing back about this Patrick. I am glad to hear- it's one of my worries. Did you do it or your wife. My husband's a big guy very tough about pain etc. but needles literally make him go white and momentarily pass out.

So I think I'll be doing it myself.

By the way, about the cost, I was told when I called pharmacy (who called my prescription carrier) that I wasn't covered and it would be $600 or so and generic was around $500.

I then called the administrators of my health stuff and found out it WAS covered under regular insurance, i.e. Blue Cross. So it's a $9.00 co-pay basically...shwew!! that was scary.

Every time this happens though I can't help but feel so sorry for everyone who can't afford it (whatever it is) or doesn't have health insurance. Makes me so sad.

No, not all doctors use the injections post op, and those that do don't always use them on every patient. My doctor has already told me that I will not be required to take them based on my pre op activity level. I will get on injection of heparin pre op.

I've never has an injection of lovenox, but my patients tell me they do sting a bit.

I had to do it for 10 days and every shot were painful. I have phobia of needles and every time I did it I never got use to the pain. The blood thinner stung like hell also.

Thanks for writing back about this Patrick. I am glad to hear- it's one of my worries. Did you do it or your wife. My husband's a big guy very tough about pain etc. but needles literally make him go white and momentarily pass out.

So I think I'll be doing it myself.

By the way' date=' about the cost, I was told when I called pharmacy (who called my prescription carrier) that I wasn't covered and it would be 600 or so and generic was around 500.

I then called the administrators of my health stuff and found out it WAS covered under regular insurance, i.e. Blue Cross. So it's a 9.00 co-pay basically...shwew!! that was scary.

Every time this happens though I can't help but feel so sorry for everyone who can't afford it (whatever it is) or doesn't have health insurance. Makes me so sad.[/quote']

Damn that's HIGH! I'll be paying that if I have to be on it BUT if their is a generic ill get a good discount since I use my SAMS card and u get a 70% discount on all generic meds since I have a PLUS membership($100/yr).

Thanks for the info!

Mine was 15 copay. I have the high risk pool insurance in ohio they dont cover the surgery, but a lot of the tests and stuff they do.

Every state has a high risk pool insurance thorough the new healthcare plan. Basically it is a guaranteed coverage for people with pre existing conditions, or who can't get insured now.

Before getting it we had to go to er and couldn't pay our bill need to use tax payer dollars.

Now.we can visit our pcp, urgent care, or specialists, and we only pay 160 per month per person. My wife has already hit her max out of pocket, she has a lot more medical issues.

Mine was 15 copay. I have the high risk pool insurance in ohio they dont cover the surgery' date=' but a lot of the tests and stuff they do.

Every state has a high risk pool insurance thorough the new healthcare plan. Basically it is a guaranteed coverage for people with pre existing conditions, or who can't get insured now.

Before getting it we had to go to er and couldn't pay our bill need to use tax payer dollars.

Now.we can visit our pcp, urgent care, or specialists, and we only pay 160 per month per person. My wife has already hit her max out of pocket, she has a lot more medical issues.[/quote']

I was going to get that after I was denied last year for preexisting BUT after my brother passed and haven't had steady income I can't pay it lol

Hopefully by 2014 I'll have insurance through an employer but If for some awful reason I don't then at least I'll be able to get it from somewhere.