Quote:Originally posted by Peg541:
[b]OK this is just my opinion.
I am not in favor of the swing and jab method of delivering an epi pen injection.
I think especially if you are going to do it thru clothes with a seam.
You are going to be anxious, I've seen that feeling of doom enought times to know that. Your aim could be off, you might only have one epi pen or need that second one while waiting for help to arrive. You don't want to miss with your first one and wonder if the dose will be delivered if you missed your mark.
My feeling is to do this in a calm manner, this will help you stay slow and steady getting things right the first time.
I taught my son to lay the epi pen exactly where he wants it injected, push, hear the click, count to 10 and remove the epi pen.
I hate the words "swing and jab" because they have a violent sound to them and you just don't know how much someone is going to swing.
I know someone here recently said she would rather swing because the wait for the needle to enter your skin seems awful to her.
This is not something you are hopefully going to get to do frequently (right?.) So I can't see anyone "getting better at it with practice."
I'd rather go for the more controlled calmer method and be sure every drop of the epi got delivered instead of wondering.
As a nurse I was able to train myself to get quieter and calmer in an emergency situation so I could react and get to work. That infuriates some people who would rather do the chicken running around thing but it certainly works for me.
I hope for my son as well.
And I think the swing and jab thing got started when soldiers were given some drug in an epi pen like apparatus to inject themselves in case of toxic gasses. I remember my brother had learned this while in the navy back in the 60's. If you are a soldier in a foxhole fighting for your life it seems more likely that swing and jab will work for you.
Us here injecting ourselves or our babies? I'd rather be controlled and calm.
Peg[/b]
When I think of 'swing & jab/hold' I'm *not* meaning to have your arm 3 feet away from your thigh muscle and swinging mack speed to jab it in.
When I learned/practiced, I was sitting in chair and held the pen about a foot away from my upper/outer thigh muscle. From there, I 'swing' down to where it needs to go and hold. I don't 'crank up the swing', it's a just a forceful downward motion.
For me, the holding and pressing hard doesn't work. I tried on an expired epi into an old fake-suede (throwing it away) pillow...couldn't get it to trigger.
So, just wanted to clarify what "swing and jab" means to me...it's not swinging away from 3 feet away.
Adrienne

Quote:Originally posted by Peg541:
[b]Adrienne I can certainly see your point. I just worry that in the heat of a reaction, watching your child get worse and worse, I worry some parents might do a BIG jab.
Maybe I wish they could come up with less violent terms than swing and jab. Silly of me really.
As a matter of fact I had my daughter practice on an orange so she could be prepared if her brother ever needed her help. She was really reluctant and ended up going right through the orange.
All that pen needs is a bit of pressure to trigger and I guess that's why I object to the word jab.
Peg[/b]
and I can see your point [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]
wow...right through the orange?
I guess most people think of scenes in movies/tv where they have the adrenaline shot going into someone's chest and they are straddling the person on the floor...holding the adrenaline shot in 2 hands above their head...then slamming it down into the person's chest!
Let's see ---- I guess I am more of a "swift shove" or "swift aimed forceful downward movement" --- like sticking a tack pin into a sheet rock wall...if you want it to go in one motion, you gotta be swift and forceful, but if you swing and jab too hard you'll push the tack too far into the wall and make a permanent mark.
A
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30-something survivor of severe peanut/tree nut allergy