People injecting vaccines into arms badly trained, with occasional bad results

[SUPERX-M1]

Nine months ago, a nurse at an md office injected flu vaccine into my upper arm. She injected too high , into the shoulder joint bursa instead of into the deltoid muscle.

My result is chronic pain-mild, a 1 out of 10 unremitting ache. For 9 months, not worse, not better.

Others have experienced severe and debilitating pain, Locked shoulders, can't move arm.

There are you tube vid ,but only a few that are actually good, on proper technique. Spoke to a pharmacist; He had never heard of problem. It is actually common. Spoke to an rn, knew about it , how to do it correctly, and had seen people afraid to get additional injections. I am now one of them.

Have been getting flu inj for 30 years w no probs. I don't think any used proper technique to find the right spot. They guessed and were right.

You do not read about this. A secret. Might deter folks from getting a flu shot.

[togor]

bursitis can take awhile, but the needle probably didn't do you any favors.

thanks for pointing that out, something to keep an eye on.

[fguffey]

badly trained, with occasional bad results

I was going in for some heart repairs, they did not want a lag with blood thinners and the operation so they changed the blood thinner prescription; seems there was something wrong with residual and accumulative effects with the one I was using.

Problem: The new thinner was an injection done 4 times a day so I decided I would do the injections. After the first attempt I called the doctors office to correct a problem with the instructions. I explained to them the instructions said I was to make the injections into the stomach. I asked them "what am I to do if the needle is too short?".

It was about that time they explained to me the injections should not be deeper than 1/2" to 1" deep; in the instructions there was a big difference in 'in' as an area and 'into' as a depth. When I finished with the injections I was black and blue over a 2' square area around my navel, they did not ask.

F. Guffey

[SUPERX-M1]

In regard to flu injections in the arm: The needle length used should be adjusted to the size of the individual's arm and deltoid muscle mass. The bone and muscle attachment point should be located and then the injection site should be determined.

I don't think any of my many flu injections were done with this care.