Hope everyone is well during these strange times, good health and making the bills. I've seen a good amount of posts regarding PIP, lumps, swelling, etc... and would like to share some experience and education to all here.

Even though we self administer quite a few injections, and sometimes may feel its routine? Just another thing we have to do that day, or more than once that day? Its not to be taken so lightly. There's going to be those that say those with blood sugar issues do it all day long. Well, they get infections also.

Aside from the quality of the drug you may be injecting, and when I say quality I'm referring to cleanliness of not only the product, but treatment of vials. The BA is there for a reason, and some PIP in relation to the solvent is better to deal with than an infection.

Ok, let's talk business now. Its time for your injection, I can not stress enough the word sterility. You are introducing not only a foreign substance into your body, you're doing so by an intramuscular or subcutaneous injection. You may do this in your bathroom, I'd highly recommend against this. My wife is OCD, and I have a bit of it myself, but as spotless as our bathroom is, bodily wastes will transfer. An injection results in an open wound, so use common sense, don't sit on your toilet seat after a glute injection.

Ok, so let's consider proper completion of the procedure, and yes it is a procedure, remember, sterility is the key component of this.

Have plenty of alcohol wipes
Wash your hands thoroughly, 15 seconds under hot water with soap. Including under the nails.
Clean the top of your vial well with the alcohol wipe. You should see the moisture from the alcohol on the stopper.
Draw your medication and inject. There's multiple reasons to not preload your syringes, it would be sensible to change the needle, but I do not recommend doing so as you've introduced airborne contaminants at this point in time.
Clean your skin at the injection site thoroughly, unless I'm showered and confident, I always use more than one wipe.
Find your proper needle length, another topic altogether, but if you inject 1ml of oil sub-q you're going to have issues.
Inject and be done. There's theory of leaving the needle in for certain medications that are suspended in a thin solution, but injecting oils there's absolutely no need. For a larger amount, say 2ml or more, remove the needle and press an alcohol wipe against the skin. You want to remove the foreign body (needle), from your body as soon as you're done the administration.
Post injection cleaning is important. Clean the site thoroughly with more wipes, alcohol spray with sterile gauze is perfectly fine for pre and post injection site treatment as well.
I typically don't cover the site with a band aid afterwards unless I nick a blood vessel or capillary, but you certainly won't be doing wrong by doing so.

Hopefully I helped a few of you, just remember sterility. Most of the issues I see on here are more than like a result of improper administration rather than less than quality product.

Best wishes to all.