Shot pain.

[Tripdistrans]

Hey all,

I get intramuscular shots in my thigh once a month, and from what I've heard, it shouldn't hurt anywhere near as much as it does.

I've had eleven injections thus far, and the Doc alternates leg each month. They didn't hurt anywhere near as much at first, but the last handful have left me limping up to two days later. When I'm just resting, at worst, I would compare the pain to menstrual pains, otherwise it's just mild and uncomfortable. Walking, squatting, or doing basically anything at all that includes my legs moving hurts, and if I try and cross my legs it feels like my leg is going to burst. A bruise comes up, but that's expected, and it hurts when the injection area is touched and stuff which is also normal (I'm a little person), but I can't help but feel as though I shouldn't have this mad limp going on.

I am first person my Doc has administered T to, so he's not got a track record of patients pain levels to look over. He keeps it in there for a nice 7-10 seconds too. Next month I'll ask him about getting the shot in my glute, but in case he says no, is there any ways I can stop it from hurting so much?

[Lady_Oracle]

I get bruises from my shots too. What I do to minimize it is I just massage the area periodically though out the day. If that still isn't enough I grab a heating pad and rest it on the area for a lil while. That usually does the trick.

[Tripdistrans]

I'm unable to massage it, that kind of attention makes for tear jerking pain, I may need invest in a heat pack however, thank you for that tip.

[Tysilio]

Something is not right about this --you shouldn't be having that much pain. I've been injecting myself in the thigh for just about a year now (shot #52 will be the day after tomorrow ), and I've only once had soreness and swelling that was anything but very minor, and I usually have no aftereffects at all.

Perhaps the needle is too big, or your doctor is doing it wrong; the main thing that seems to lead to soreness is if the needle moves at all while it's in the muscle.  Is there a nurse at your clinic who could do it instead? (I think nurses may be better at this stuff, because they do it more often and maybe care a bit more. )

[Rachel]

I have been doing my own shots for 6 months in my thigh. First every 14 days and now every 10 days.  I use to have bad pain for days after the shot then one of the girls here gave me some tips.

1) inject the medicine slowly ( 15 seconds or more).

2) do not stand on your leg for 15 minutes or more,

3) a few minutes after the shot massage the shot location for 5 or so minutes.

The above really helps. I inject early in the morning. I get up for work at 3:15 AM. On days of my injection I get up, wash my hands, inject in my bed and stay in bed for 15 minutes (this is a real treat). I shower, dress, make and pack my breakfast and lunch and drive to work, 40 minutes. The next two or 3 days I have mild discomfort but nothing like the past. Perhaps If I injected when I go to bed at night it may be better.

[Tripdistrans]

Something is not right about this --you shouldn't be having that much pain. I've been injecting myself in the thigh for just about a year now (shot #52 will be the day after tomorrow ), and I've only once had soreness and swelling that was anything but very minor, and I usually have no aftereffects at all.

Perhaps the needle is too big, or your doctor is doing it wrong; the main thing that seems to lead to soreness is if the needle moves at all while it's in the muscle.  Is there a nurse at your clinic who could do it instead? (I think nurses may be better at this stuff, because they do it more often and maybe care a bit more. )

I would honestly prefer a nurse doing it knowing how often they administer injections, however strictly my GP is the only person who is allowed to stick it in me.

I have been doing my own shots for 6 months in my thigh. First every 14 days and now every 10 days.  I use to have bad pain for days after the shot then one of the girls here gave me some tips.

1) inject the medicine slowly ( 15 seconds or more).

2) do not stand on your leg for 15 minutes or more,

3) a few minutes after the shot massage the shot location for 5 or so minutes.

The above really helps. I inject early in the morning. I get up for work at 3:15 AM. On days of my injection I get up, wash my hands, inject in my bed and stay in bed for 15 minutes (this is a real treat). I shower, dress, make and pack my breakfast and lunch and drive to work, 40 minutes. The next two or 3 days I have mild discomfort but nothing like the past. Perhaps If I injected when I go to bed at night it may be better.

Hmm, I might see how I go asking Mum to carry me back to the car after the appointment..

I really wish that I could self inject, I feel like having that little bit of extra flexibility would be nice. Doc already injects the actual oil pretty slowly, but I think having the needle in for much longer would knock me out. I've got no problems with needles, I actually watch when they draw blood from me. It's just such a crappy feeling.

I'll have to have another crack at massaging it next month. My right legs next, and last time my right leg hated me for days afterwards. I find that even in the times when it's not constantly  hurting, I still have trouble just in general with stability, and my leg buckles under me all the freakin' time.

[Tysilio]

I find that even in the times when it's not constantly  hurting, I still have trouble just in general with stability, and my leg buckles under me all the freakin' time.

That is seriously not right, and it makes me wonder just what your doc is doing. Where in the thigh does he inject?

[Tripdistrans]

That is seriously not right, and it makes me wonder just what your doc is doing. Where in the thigh does he inject?

I can't remember what them muscle is called, but he's definitely doing it in the right spot.

The needle itself is about 2 inches long, but dad reckons the doctor doesn't actually penetrate my leg with the whole thing.

Also, I considered it may be due to scar tissue on my thighs, but there really isn't a lot directly around the injection site.

[Sydney_NYC]

Normally it doesn't really hurt that much, but in the beginning, you would feel it for a day or so. After a few months there is very little pain if any. (I inject every two weeks.) One time I did hit a nerve and it was painful. I asked my HRT doctor about it and she said that sometimes you can hit a nerve just right and it can hurt a lot. I've never had any bruising though.

[Damara]

Normally it doesn't really hurt that much, but in the beginning, you would feel it for a day or so. After a few months there is very little pain if any. (I inject every two weeks.) One time I did hit a nerve and it was painful. I asked my HRT doctor about it and she said that sometimes you can hit a nerve just right and it can hurt a lot. I've never had any bruising though.

Hitting a nerve sounds scary! Is there any other risk from accidentally doing that? Besides pain, I mean. lol!

[Sydney_NYC]

Hitting a nerve sounds scary! Is there any other risk from accidentally doing that? Besides pain, I mean. lol!

Not according to my doctor. The only danger is hitting a blood vessel as you don't want to injecting into one, but it's pretty hard to do that since your injecting in the muscle. As a precaution, you pull the plunger after sticking the needle in the check for blood. If there is blood, then you hit a blood vessel and you simply inject into a different place. Also the whole thing on TV about air bubble is total BS. You would have to put an IV line length of air into the blood stream to cause any problems. Plus if you get any air bubble into the muscle, it's just in the muscle and not in the vein and will just dissipate. The reason you don't want air is to help ensure proper dosage and you don't want to minimize the already low chance of introducing airborne bacteria in your body.

[Tripdistrans]

Normally it doesn't really hurt that much, but in the beginning, you would feel it for a day or so. After a few months there is very little pain if any. (I inject every two weeks.) One time I did hit a nerve and it was painful. I asked my HRT doctor about it and she said that sometimes you can hit a nerve just right and it can hurt a lot. I've never had any bruising though.

I've been getting injections once a month, so hopefully they will stop hurting after a while. Do you do yours in the same spot each fortnight?

I'm wondering whether it could possibly be because there is so much time between the needles in the same leg.

It's just a pain in the neck as well, not physically, but because I work 8 hour shifts several times a week, and then night fill at Coles as well some days, so not being able to walk properly is a massive drag. As well as that, it's really hard to stay stealth in a work place when you limp three days a month due to a   mysterious needle..

[LordKAT]

I do mine every 2 weeks, opposite sides each time. I never get bruises, and a touch sore sometimes but usually it is nothing but the poke breaking skin.  Where are you that only the GP can give your shot? You are the first person I have heard say that.

[Tripdistrans]

I do mine every 2 weeks, opposite sides each time. I never get bruises, and a touch sore sometimes but usually it is nothing but the poke breaking skin.  Where are you that only the GP can give your shot? You are the first person I have heard say that.

(I'm happy to post exact whereabouts, but is that allowed?)

I'm on the border of NSW and VIC. I live in a twin city, so I was able to start young because my GP is in NSW. I did all of my psych work and everything through the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, and my doctor there contacted my GP with my treatment plan. My local GP and my Doc in Melbourne are the only two people who can administer my shots.

[LordKAT]

Have you ever considered going to the other doctor for at least one shot and tell him about the pain? I still never heard the limit on who can give the shot from anyone before. We have a number of Australian members.

[Tripdistrans]

Have you ever considered going to the other doctor for at least one shot and tell him about the pain? I still never heard the limit on who can give the shot from anyone before. We have a number of Australian members.

The local doctor knows about the pain, but as I mentioned, I feel he may be unaware (as I slightly was) that this kind of pain is odd. The other thing is that my Dad, as lovely as he is, likes to sit in the doctors office and call me a hypochondriac every time I try to mention the pain. Even after discussing it here he continues to just call me a sook, so no help there. As for my doctor in Melbourne, I won't be seeing her until May, and unfortunately when I visited her last week I forgot to take my shot with me and thus got completely sidetracked with surgery talk.

[Felix]

I hurt less when I self-inject than when others inject me. Even before I took T, I had that issue with depo-provera and other stuff. You should be able to be straight up with your healthcare providers about this without it being a big deal. Just tell them where is comfortable, how deep, what size needle, etc, and try to be confident and specific. If you can't get them to accommodate you then you could work on details in your control, like temperature and stress levels.

No matter how it goes, your experience is important and you might need to argue to make it clear that your comfort level has a lot to do with your ability to comply with treatment expectations.

[Tripdistrans]

I hurt less when I self-inject than when others inject me. Even before I took T, I had that issue with depo-provera and other stuff. You should be able to be straight up with your healthcare providers about this without it being a big deal. Just tell them where is comfortable, how deep, what size needle, etc, and try to be confident and specific. If you can't get them to accommodate you then you could work on details in your control, like temperature and stress levels.

No matter how it goes, your experience is important and you might need to argue to make it clear that your comfort level has a lot to do with your ability to comply with treatment expectations.

I've heard that's got something to do with the fact that our body knows exactly when to expect the pain, because we are the source of it. I guess I'm just worried that if I make it seem like there's even a slight transition-caused problem, they'll stop it.

[Felix]

I guess I'm just worried that if I make it seem like there's even a slight transition-caused problem, they'll stop it.

Yeah, I do the same thing and don't blame you. Most of us are teaching material for most of our healthcare providers. I know I often feel that people act like providing basic transition services is a huge favor, and I owe it to them to keep my head down and stay quiet. Asking for changes or stating preferences can feel like a big risk.

[Tripdistrans]

Yeah, I do the same thing and don't blame you. Most of us are teaching material for most of our healthcare providers. I know I often feel that people act like providing basic transition services is a huge favor, and I owe it to them to keep my head down and stay quiet. Asking for changes or stating preferences can feel like a big risk.

I think what I will do is place query about having my shot in my glute next month, and come May I will discuss with my Melbourne Doc about whether or not she has heard of other people having similar problems and what I can do. She works with a lot more trans people than my GP ever will, so fingers crossed she can explain the pain.