Ask The Expert
Insulin

Although some people just happen to be more prone to bruising as well as pain, generally this should not be the case. It is impossible to determine what the problem is without having someone check your sites and your injection technique. So here are some suggestions:

• See your healthcare team: Most important of all, please contact your diabetes educator or doctor and ask for a visit to have your sites and technique examined.
• Intramuscular injections: If you are extra thin, it is possible that you are injecting too deeply, and going into muscle-this would cause possible bleeding, and/or bruising, and generally an intramuscular injection such as this would hurt more than the recommended subcutaneous route of an insulin injection. Also, if you are thin, it is important to pinch the skin and inject at a 45-degree angle.
• Intradermal injections (just under the skin): On the other hand, it is possible that you are injecting too superficially-and injecting just under the skin, rather than deeper into the subcutaneous tissue. Some people have this problem due to using the very short insulin needles that are now available-these needles work fine for many people-- while others using short needles experience lumps, pain, or bruising. Or, if you are injecting into an area that has fat, you may find that you don't need to pinch up the skin, and that you should inject at a 90-degree angle.
• Cold insulin (taken right from the refrigerator): Cold insulin can be more painful, although cold insulin would not cause bruising.
• Bruising: Some people bruise because they take Coumadin (a blood thinner) or aspirin. Others are just prone to bruising.

You can tell that the most important recommendation I can give you is to have your healthcare provider examine you to help determine the cause.