From: (I Xol) Newsgroups: alt.drugs.hard Subject: First time IV story Date: Thu, 29 Oct 1998 18:15:42 GMT "First I.V. (or "Booting for Dummies")" By I Xol My favorite hooker Nancy just copped me a nice bundle. Decent shit, not cut too bad. I've been snorting dope for a while, and made up my mind to take the leap into serious I.V. using. First things first... I don't want to look like some kind of amatuer to her the next time we party, so I decide to learn on my own. Where to start? Of course, research on the Internet...your best source for bomb-making instructions, bondage and discipline photos, and illicit drug information! Took me about two hours of searching to get enough info to classify me as an apprentice phlebotomist. Next, gotta have the right equipment. I'm lucky there...about two years ago I was in a doctor's office, and noticed a big carton of 1/2 cc insulin syringes sitting in the corner of the examination office. When the nurse exited the room I snagged a 10-pack and threw it into my backpack. Even though I didn't know if I'd ever need them, I figured it's better to be prepared. Cut back to the present...I reached under the dresser and sure enough, my wife's total lack of cleaning skills ensured they're still there, among the dust and bits of assorted paper and several rancid Tic-Tacs. I retrieved them, and look them over. Taking one out of the package, I uncap the plunger, take off the needle cover, and hold it to my arm, trying to imagine what it would feel like poking through my skin. Now, I'll be the first to admit that I'm a major wuss when it comes to needles. I once almost fainted when a doctor drew blood for a test. I thought I was gonna be a tough guy and watch, but when the blood filled the vial, all of a sudden my head started spinning and I had to look away and take several deep breaths. Another two seconds and I'm sure I would have slumped over like Al Roker, had he just finished the New York Marathon! After playing with the needle for a bit, I recapped it and put it down. Then I mixed up a shot (won't go into details here, just know that there's one right way to do it and shitload of wrong ways...do your homework or you can fuck yourself good!) and soon had a needle filled with a conservative dose. Tied off my bicep with an Ace bandage (works better than a surgical tournequet IMO), then opened a fresh alcohol wipe and swabbed the injection area thoroughly. By now I had a couple of good veins rising on my inner forearm. I decided to skip the inner crook of the elbow because that would be too easy. I chose one about halfway up my forearm. I take a deep breath, then gently ease the needle into my arm. There is a little bite as it depresses the skin for a moment, then pops through. Little woozy at this point! OK, so far, so good! Then, with my hand shaking slightly, I insert it a little farther, trying to hit the vein. I stop when I think I'm in, then I adjust my hand on the syringe so I can pull the plunger back a little bit. You need to do that to see if you're in the vein. Unfortunately, no blood appeared, and even a little air bubble showed up. Fuck! Missed it...gotta try again. I withdraw the needle, and immediately a dot of blood appears. I take a sterile cotton ball, and press it directly on the wound, then tape it down with a band-aid. I pick up the needle, and wipe the end gently with a new alcohol wipette. Fuck it, I'm going for Route 1...the elbow. I swab the bulging vein, then position the needle over it, almost laying it flat along my forearm. You have to do that, or you take the chance of it going right through the vein. Another deep breath, and again I gently push the needle through the skin. Again, a little pinch, but not as bad as I'd been imagining. A little farther in...OK, now there's no way I can't be in the fucker. Gently, I pull the plunger back, and a little gush of dark red liquid "blooms" into the syringe. Fuck, YES! I change my hand position to go from "pull" to "push", then I carefully inject the contents into my body. Takes about five seconds, then I pull out the syringe. Quickly, before it hits, I tape another cotton ball over the dot of blood that appeared. As I set the needle down, I feel it coming on. Less than 15 seconds after pulling out the needle. I won't even attempt to describe the rush...either you've been there, or you haven't. It's like trying to describe a sunset to a blind man. Suffice it to say that it hit ten times quicker and at least twice as hard as sniffing the shit. The next time I met up with Nancy at our favorite hotel, we fucked, then fixed together, then fucked again. Now, is that romantic or what? (The Usual Disclaimers: names changed; places omitted; don't try this at home; blah, blah, blah) I Xol