injections!!

[xACEx]

hey guys....i was just wondering who all does injections? and if you inject yourself?

im terrified of needles and have been on T for 3 months...and still cant do it myself...has anyone overcome this? how long did it take for you to self inject??  tips tricks advice!!

i need to learn to do this MYSELF...i have to do this every week for the duration of my life and i hate being dependent on others!!

THANKS!

[Jeatyn]

just think, which is scarier...injection or estrogen? =D

[Alex_C]

Yeah I agree. Come on a needle is nothing compared to the alternative.

[FolkFanatic]

just think, which is scarier...injection or estrogen? =D

True, very true.

I'm also a bit nervous about doing my own injections. I've always had a huge fear of needles (to the point of locking myself in a bathroom at the docs office come shot time.) They used to have to physically pin me down for blood draws. Anything remotely needle-like or invasive (strep tests) and watch out - i kneed a doc in the groin once when i was like, eight. 

Lately i've forced myself to get over it because i've needed blood draws every few months for thyroid problems and face it, 21 is too old to need to be restrained (that way) lol. Now i can take regular injections no problem but still get nervous with blood draws (doesn't help that they can never find a vein and it isn't uncommon to need two to three pricks to hit one...)

I'm hoping for a good endo who can show me easiest way to inject, though i may have them do it the first few times so i get used to the shot itself.

[myles]

I have been doing it for a bit, 9 months, but have no problem with needles. Some weeks it does seem to hurt more than others not sure why. Compared to the alternative I would definitely go for the needle.

[DamagedChris]

I've been doing my own for the 2 months I've been on it...I insisted on doing all my shots, even the very first, because I honestly can't afford the travel/doc trip every week. I have always been phobic of needles, and I actually do get sick to my stomach after nearly every shot, especially if it bleeds. And I do still sit there for a good half hour, scolding myself for being such a wuss while being unable to just push the damn needle in.

I've developed a minor coping mechanism to the actual injection...I just have to make sure it goes in right and check I didn't hit a vein, but the queasiness usually comes as I'm pushing down the plunger and my brain finally realizes there's a needle in my skin. So I close my eyes and think of something else...currently thoughts of my girlfriend (as sappy as it sounds) push back the nausea enough for me to push down the plunger, pull out the needle and bandaid it before sprawling onto my bed and waiting for the sickness to come and go, total downtime of about 5-10 mins.

I've made this sound much worse than it actually is I'm sure.

[Radar]

I inject every week and have done it myself from day one. I wanted to do it because I'll have to do this the rest of my life and I can't be dependent on someone who can always do it for me.

While I didn't have a fear of needles per say I was afraid of syringe needles. Something that helped me before I started T was watching videos of guys demonstrating injecting on YouTube. Seeing that they could do it made me feel more confident. I'd also imagine myself giving me a shot and work the steps out in my head. When it was time for my first injection I was nervous but wasn't as hesitant as I thought I'd be. It worked out well.

I think I'd be uncomfortable someone else giving me my injection. If it starts hurting, by the time you tell the person than it probably really hurts. Doing it myself is helpful when I may have it at a bad angle, the muscle is too tight, I've nicked a nerve, etc.

[jmaxley]

I'm really really hoping I'll be able to get the cream...I hate needles.

[Ender]

just think, which is scarier...injection or estrogen? =D

Bingo.

I started out self-injecting (due to my doctor being 7 hours away).  My technique has gotten a lot better, but to be honest, stabbing myself with things doesn't really bother me.  (I was nervous at first, though--afraid I would inject directly into a vein or otherwise do it wrong.)

I guess my only advice would be to take a few deep breaths, think about why you're doing this, and stick it in.  From other experiences, I've found that the panic response is something I can calm myself out of.  Mind over matter sort of stuff.  Unfortunately, I've no idea how to tell you how to do this, apart from just sticking it in, doing it successfully, and slowly allowing yourself to learn that it is no big deal.

[Luc]

Yeah, I do my own injections, and have since I started T back in December '07. It was scary as heck at first, and it really hasn't gotten a ton better, but I do it because I know what will happen if I don't. I don't have the option of having someone else inject for me... I'm too poor to do that, and have enough trouble getting the T itself. I've been off T twice, for 4 months at a time, and trust me... being on it is ABSOLUTELY better than the alternative.

Of course, if you try injecting yourself and find you just can't handle it, there's always cream or gel. Good thing we have options.

SD

[LordKAT]

I gave myself the first shot. My sister does it now. Helps to have an RN in the family. I'm lucky that she is the one family member who accepts me and uses male pronouns and calls me brother while correcting others who don't. For never being close I'm glad she is who she is.

Back to shots, I only ever felt one poke, the rest hasn't hurt at all, no muscle cramp or 'ball' in a muscle or stiffness or anything.

[xACEx]

thanks for all th advice guys....all i can do is try...i will keep you posted

[Arch]

I don't know if this will help...

I don't mind shots at all, so I wasn't scared of needles as long as someone else was doing the stabbing. I was worried about doing IM injections on myself, though, so I let the nurse do the first seven. Let's see, that's the first few months of shots.

On the eighth, I told the nurse that I wanted to do it myself and asked her to help me through it. She drew the T into the syringe for me, so I didn't have to worry about that. She told me to take the weight off my right side and relax as much as possible. She swabbed the area, handed me the syringe, and showed me where to poke in the needle.

After that, it was up to me. I knew that it didn't have to hurt; it never hurt when she did it. So I just poked in the needle without hesitation, slowly injected the contents, and was done. I barely felt anything. It helped to have the nurse there as a guide, and it really helped to let her do everything but the actual injection.

But you know why I didn't hesitate? I was afraid of losing face.

The ninth time I got a different nurse and decided to let her do it. Then I took the vial home, with the knowledge that I would do the tenth shot myself at home. I printed out the twenty-five steps to injecting* and used the step-following ritual to stay calm. I was pretty freaked the first time, but the second time was fine.

I just had to get through the first one on my own, and I was fine after that.

* Google "Self-Inject in 25 Easy Steps." I don't remember who puts this out--some transman group.

[Aussie Jay]

I'm a medic. We practised on oranges and like pieces of foam-y stuff... Grab some resources and practise with normal saline or just water - I know T is thick just remember it will be harder to push in than the water.
Recommendation - stab fast and at a right angle to the skin, maybe an ever so slight angle to aid tamponaiding the hole (unless sub cut injection - that's a whole other kettle-o-fish!). The slower you go the more you feel it. Get it in quick and all the way - don't go trying to adjust the position of the needle or the depth too much once you get through the skin (it is that bit that hurts the most usually). Inject the serum slowly too - that is the stingy part. The slower the less sting.
These are how I do mine and how I treat my patients - and I'm yet to have a complaint from one. Well, one where I wasn't trying to make it hurt  New recruits were always fun!! Intra-occular injections... So gullible! Silly buggers
I know what I have said here won't work for everyone - but give it a try. Just my two cents, from my experience.
Cheers
Jay

[Quicksand]

I did my first shot myself, as well.  I went to have a nurse at my unversity's health center do it, but when she asked me what a subcutaneous injection entailed, I got out of there fast and did it myself.  Hit a vein, pulled it out, injected in a new spot, and I've been doing it myself ever since.

It does still make me a bit nervous.  It starts when I use the alcohol rubbing pads, because that smell instantly sends me into "doctor's-office" mode, wherein I'm clawing at the door and liable to attack anyone who comes near me wearing a stitch of white.  Okay, maybe not that severe, but the smell does make me nervous.

I found it helped that I had no other options though--once you remove your alternatives and it comes down to you or no T, then you'd be surprised at how fast that needle will end up in your leg.

[Arch]

It starts when I use the alcohol rubbing pads, because that smell instantly sends me into "doctor's-office" mode, wherein I'm clawing at the door and liable to attack anyone who comes near me wearing a stitch of white. 

I think a lot of people make this association. I don't know what you can do about it. When I was a kid, I liked doctors but hated nurses and hospitals. So when I smelled alcohol, I could literally keel over from anxiety. (As a little kid, I had one really really bad experience with a nurse and a hypo when I was being prepared for surgery in the hospital.)

It took many years of work to get over that phobia, and I could only really make progress when I saw a doctor, which was infrequently. Now it occurs to me that I should have worked on it at home with a bottle of rubbing alcohol. Open the bottle, let the alcohol smell waft around, and then do something pleasant, like watch a movie or eat ice cream. Or nowadays we have the wipes.

Now the odor of alcohol is starting to take on a new and positive association: I'm taking control of my own life. My injection is a moment of agency for me, and the alcohol is a part of that.