I Can't Do My Shot

[Guest Cal]

So today is the day for my 8th T shot, it's been 7 weeks. I do intermuscular on my thighs. I've always done my own shot, even the first time. The doctor just showed me how and I did it. It didn't hurt at all. She was impressed by how quickly I did it, and without any hesitation. I don't have any fear of needles, or blood.

The next 7 shots were varying degrees of painful, from hardly-could-feel-it to wouldn't-want-to-do-that-again-stinging. But nothing I couldn't handle.

Then today I went to do my shot, on my left leg, and found I couldn't push the needle in. I couldn't even break the skin. It HURT. Bad. But I forced it in, and then when it was about a centimeter deep, it HURT. Again. BAD. I tried to push it in, but I couldn't physically bring myself to put it in any deeper than it already was. So I tried another spot. Same thing. And another spot. Same thing.

By that point I was already too freaked out and frustrated to switch legs, almost on the verge of tears, so I just put all my stuff away and decided to try again tomorrow.

I'm really freaked out by this What if it always hurts that much from now on?

[Guest Evan_J]

Is there something physically different about this shot like the guage of the needle?

And have you been alternating thighs? Cuz you're supposed to to let the first one heal.

[Guest Cal]

Is there something physically different about this shot like the guage of the needle?

And have you been alternating thighs? Cuz you're supposed to to let the first one heal.

Nope same size needle, 22

And yeah I have been alternating

[Guest Evan_J]

Hmmm. See I was thinking maybe the tissue scarred? Or (though you didn't mention a lump or hard area) maybe a vessel got hit last time? However, if none of that sounds like it might have happened then we're stuck with psychosomatic? I dunno, but I'll ask with ya (other places) and see if anyone else has ever had anything like that.

[Guest StrandedOutThere]

Hey, I'm a total newb, but I think I have a suggestion. In addition to switching legs, maybe try a smaller gauge needle, say a 25 or 27 even. The 27 is really tiny and takes a long time to inject with, but it doesn't hurt. I did my first shot with a 27 and I literally didn't even feel it.

[Guest raydub]

fact about taking T? makes your skin tougher. i know a guy that had to start "stabbing" (for lack of a better word) harder to get the needle in because his skin simply got rougher. another thing is to make sure your leg is in a position where its completely relaxed... im sure the growing angst from "not getting it the first time" made you tense up, so i can understand the subsequent times not working.

you experience stinging sometimes.. are you making sure the spot where you rubbed your alcohol is dry before the puncture? if you dont you may get a tiny bit of alcohol (from the tip of the needle) inside your muscle - that stings a bit. Or..if you hit a vein (youll see blood when you aspirate the needle) itll sting like crap too. Just some sidenotes.

class dismissed...

Raymond

[Guest Jack Solomon]

If you tense the muscle up badly before/during the injection, it will hurt more going in while injecting, and may require more effort/pain to get the needle in there. Also, if your muscle is tense for a reason you are unaware of (this happened to me a few times) that can make the injection more painful. However, even if that was the case and the muscle was tense it shouldn't usually be as bad as you're describing, but this could possibly explain how it hurt to push it further when the needle was a centimeter deep and then was next to impossible to get it in there during your second and third tries.

Even if part of the issue was tension though, I'm still not sure how to guess at what else could cause not being able to get the needle in on the first try. Is it possible for you to do this injection just this once on your bum instead of your thigh, just to lessen potential anxiety leftover from the failed first attempt? I hope you have better luck the second time around.

Solomon

[Guest Cal]

Hmmm well I can't think of any reason why my muscle would be tense, but that might be a factor.

This morning I did my shot, but I think I wasted it because I didn't put the needle in deep enough. Like, I broke the skin and it hurt more than usual (usually I don't really feel it), but it was bearable. Then about 1" into my leg it hurt really really bad. It was like there was a layer or something that I couldn't push the needle through without considerable pain. So I just did the shot right there with the needle still sticking out like half an inch. When I aspirated it (or whatever that's called) no blood came up, but I was probably in fat and not muscle, so it was probably a waste.

Hopefully next week will be better.

[Guest Evan_J]

If you were in fat it would have sort of oozed/leaked out. Your skin would have had serum on the surface. And (just to consider) along with all the good info about toughenin of skin and such, remember, each time you "retried" the needle was duller and duller. Between that and the skin plus possible tension....yeah, I could see where you might have problems gettin it in

and yeah....I'm writtin all this down in case I ever need to know it lol

[Guest StrandedOutThere]

If you were in fat it would have sort of oozed/leaked out. Your skin would have had serum on the surface. And (just to consider) along with all the good info about toughenin of skin and such, remember, each time you "retried" the needle was duller and duller. Between that and the skin plus possible tension....yeah, I could see where you might have problems gettin it in

and yeah....I'm writtin all this down in case I ever need to know it lol

See, when you guys were all talking about it being in fat, I was all like "Oh no! What if my shot was in fat?". I used a 1.25 inch needle. Nothing leaked out except a tiny bit o' blood, so I guess I'm all good.

Cal, Evan's right. Retrying dulls the needle a lot. I think you are supposed to get a new needle every time you try. After you use it once, it is contaminated. That's what I'm told anyway.

Ray, I totally made sure the alcohol was dry before I jabbed. That's good advice too.

If we all pool what we know, then we'll all know a lot more. Good stuff. : )

[Guest Evan_J]

If we all pool what we know, then we'll all know a lot more. Good stuff. : )

Exaaaactly. Thats why I pay attention to what everybody says. Even stuff you "know" -like that T thickens your skin- I never applied the dang fact to this. If Ray hadn't have said it, I never would have thought of it. And when you see "all the knowledge in one place" its like "dang, we know a lot of stuff"

[Guest Huff]

Remember to put the needle into your leg quickly... like a dart, almost. In order for it to go in smoothly and with the least amount of pain as it tears through various membranes, it's got to be quick and hard to get it in. There's several times when I freaked out and ended up putting it in slower and the result was painful. Also, there are nerves to consider as well... as try I different spots of the vastus lateralis (outer leg muscle), I'm learning the geography of where nerves and nerve endings are and if I stay away from those, there's no pain at all.... just my annoying nervousness that causes my hands to shake a bit.

MK

[Guest mj2008]

man am now almost 9 months on T and i dont inject my self i cant do it in the right way its ok if you to the clink if you are not sure that you can do it alone .

[Guest Evan_J]

man am now almost 9 months on T and i dont inject my self i cant do it in the right way its ok if you to the clink if you are not sure that you can do it alone .

Good point that needed to be pointed out. There's nothing "more manly" about giving yourself your shot. I know for some people the reason they do is just cuz their doc may charge extra to do it for you (mine does) or maybe its inconvenient to go all the way to his office that constantly (cuz I don't wanna drive there either) but just "for the heck of it and cuz its cool?" Heck no. lol Ain't nothin cool about havin to stick yourself with a needle into infinity. It's something we "have" to do not enjoy doing.

[Guest Sergei]

Did you try a different needle? Sometimes you can just get a bad needle, therefore blunt. Also cold you try and o it in your backside. In the UK I have to go to the doctor, and she does it for me everytime. She always does it there because there is more fat.

[Guest Alex1952]

Hi there. I'm new, and figure I may as well jump in on this topic. I have been on "T" for nine years now. I do my own shots, and also had the problems mentioned in this thread...painful injections just made me "needle shy" after awhile. I finally hit on something that works for me. There is an ice pack available at Walgreens drug stores called the Cryomax. It contains rows of blue spheres (no jokes, please!!).

I put the pack on my thigh and leave it there for at least a couple of minutes. This numbs not only the surface of the skin but well into the thigh. Move it around a little at first to make sure the entire area is numb. Yes, the initial sensation is startling, but it goes away quickly.

Once the thigh is very cold, I wipe it down with alcohol, blow to make sure the alcohol is dry, then inject. Believe me, there is a *big* difference.

Hope this helps!

Alex

[Guest Evan_J]

blue spheres

Jokes? What jokes?

<--wants to crack it so badly he can't stand it.

If anything you should feel like a big brother; voice of much experience and all.

...its normal for big brothers to give advice about......oh come on lol ......let me say it LOL

Ok Cal, just go buy the thing.

[Guest Alex1952]

Jokes? What jokes?

<--wants to crack it so badly he can't stand it.

If anything you should feel like a big brother; voice of much experience and all.

...its normal for big brothers to give advice about......oh come on lol ......let me say it LOL

Ok Cal, just go buy the thing.

*chuckling* Well, the blue spheres do seem somehow appropriate. I wouldn't recommend applying them any *lower* than the thighs, though!!

Alex