Susan's Place Transgender Resources

I've only had two shots so far, I don't know if with time it'll change but

Both my shots so far, I've had a very sore thigh after. I feel like I squatted on that one leg for hours.
My mom is a nurse, we tried a different size needle the second time but it still ended up the same.
By the time the pain stops, it's time for another shot. She says it shouldn't be like that.

I inject on my outer thigh(not sure the correct term.)
We rotate leg every week obviously.

My mom is basically the best nurse where she works so it can't be because
she holds the needle wrong or something.

Is it because I just started that it hurts so much after?
Do your legs get used to it after a while and stop hurting?
What do you guys do to minimize the soreness?

I can't talking about the size of my needles here but if someone thinks that might be the problem
you can hit my up on facebook or something.

Sometimes my shots really hurt. The one I gave myself two weeks ago was so bad I could barely move without feeling the pain. If I squatted down or lifted that leg up or anything, it just hurt too much. Also, I probably have significant scar tissue built up now and I think that's why it hurt so much, because sometimes I really have to push hard to get the needle all the way in.

And then sometimes I don't feel it at all. I dunno dude, sinking a sizeable chunk of steel into your muscle is probably just going to hurt sometimes no matter what. I've found that when it moves inside me even just a bit, I'll be more likely to "feel it" the day(s) after.

I don't think needle gauge talk is a problem, I've seen it discussed here. I use 22g to inject.

Shots hurt sometimes, I'm pretty sure that it's normal.
Is there any swelling or redness at the site, or any other side-effects?
I find that if I rub the injection site for 20 seconds or so right after (Nice and firm)
that it really cuts down on soreness, because it helps spread the T so it doesn't settle in one spot.
I've heard of some people doing some exercise before injecting, cus it gets the muscle loose,
But I haven't tried that before.

I'm not sure about "T" shots, but I know on insulin shots they recommend Against rubbing the area right after the shot.

I inject in my thigh too and I used to be really sore for days after but now I'm not. I'm not sure if that's because my leg is getting used to it or if I'm getting better at it. After my first few shots I started rubbing the muscle after the shot and I found that that really helped. Granted I don't do that anymore and it's not sore afterwards. It could be now that I'm getting used to them I don't tense up while doing them anymore. The looser and more relaxed your muscle is the less it'll hurt. I heard someone say they would put a warm towel on the muscle before the shot. I've never tried it but it seems like it could help.

Quote from: tvc15 on January 18, 2013, 12:24:12 PM
I don't think needle gauge talk is a problem, I've seen it discussed here. I use 22g to inject.

Wow, I use a 25g.
Not willing to go bigger ._.

Quote from: GentlemanRDP on January 18, 2013, 12:30:10 PM
Shots hurt sometimes, I'm pretty sure that it's normal.
Is there any swelling or redness at the site, or any other side-effects?
I find that if I rub the injection site for 20 seconds or so right after (Nice and firm)
that it really cuts down on soreness, because it helps spread the T so it doesn't settle in one spot.
I've heard of some people doing some exercise before injecting, cus it gets the muscle loose,
But I haven't tried that before.

Quote from: Alex308 on January 18, 2013, 12:36:04 PM
The looser and more relaxed your muscle is the less it'll hurt. I heard someone say they would put a warm towel on the muscle before the shot. I've never tried it but it seems like it could help.

My shots actually don't hurt the day of the injection o:
It hurts the 6 days after. And no redness or swelling. (Thank God.)
Actually the injection site doesn't hurt at all, the soreness is maybe 2-3 inches beside it.
I'll do the massage, warm towel and working out thing see if it works.

Maybe over time it'll stop.
If it doesn't. I rather be sore forever than not be on t  :P

Sometimes my shots barely hurt and sometimes it's terrible. It definitely helps if I massage the area lightly. It's also the best when I'm not tense. If I anticipate pain (which I usually do with my fear of needles) it does exactly what I'm expecting. :(

I've had 5 injections so far. First time with the nurse and the rest on my own. None of the times have I felt the soreness or pain described. Not sure why, but wish I knew so I could explain it. I also don't experience soreness or pain from other shots or blood drawings. 18g to draw, 22g to inject with.

I find I have cramps for two or three days after the shot...just in the muscle. Sometimes it's hard to move around. But it usually goes away.

Maybe try changing how fast/slow you inject it? I found that my last one hurt the most because I injected way too fast.

I have yet to try the thigh. To me that just sounds like it would be more painful than the gluteal (butt) muscle. I use a 21g to inject (my gf is in school to be a Paramedic so she does it). I take my fourth shot in a couple of days. We just alternate what gluteal muscle I use and I kid you not, I have had one that stung a bit but the others I barely felt. Afterwards there is usually no pain. With the one that stung my butt cheek was barely sore when I sat on something hard but it wasn't bad. Try somewhere besides the thigh.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrpJibJGn_0 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrpJibJGn_0#)

Oh, I thought OP meant the same place that Simon described. I have yet to try the thigh because I was advised not to inject there. Since you have your mom's help, try a different region (gluteal muscles) altogether and see if that works out better?

The thigh is the best place for me because I can reach it easily and I like to be able to see where the needle is going in.  Does your mom jab the needle in or go in slowly?  I go in slowly with the needle.  I sit on the toiler (lid closed obviously) because it's a flat, hard surface where I can still rest my feet flat on the floor.  If it hurts it's only for that night and then I'm good.  I think the surface you are sitting on and the position you are sitting in make a big difference, because when I did it in a different chair (a plush desk chair with my feet on the floor) my leg would hurt for days.  I use a 25 gauge needle.

Quote from: Deven on January 18, 2013, 06:18:02 PM
I have yet to try the thigh because I was advised not to inject there.

why would they advise you to NOT do it there? :o its like so much easier to get to than your own ass lol

Reason I was given (loose paraphrasing): While the thigh is easier to access, the likeliness of striking a vein is higher versus no veins in your ass because it's pretty much all muscles. I can reach so I'm fine, hahaha. Perhaps they had enough people do it incorrectly.

I told my mom next time we should try in my glutes.
Only thing though is once I'm alone reaching back there might be hard  :P
She doesn't want me to depend on her so next time she's making me do it on my own with her supervising.
(I hate needles..not looking forward to that shift v_v)

She jabbed the needle pretty fast.
But next time I'll be doing it on my own, so I'll go slowly see if that helps.

It's still very sore today. A client actually noticed I had a limp.
Which made me part mad cause I hate complaining or looking hurt.
I wasn't even sure about making this thread cause I didn't want to seem like a baby ._.

I was sitting on a desk chair o:
Maybe because of that, the angle was bad.

I guess over time I'll learn what angle, way, etc. makes my injections not hurt.
Learning can be painful sometimes v_v

I wish my endo was as helpful as you guys x)
He basically threw the prescription at me and yelled ''Next!''
Never showed or told me anything concerning the injection.

Quote from: Jayr on January 19, 2013, 06:32:25 PM
She jabbed the needle pretty fast.
But next time I'll be doing it on my own, so I'll go slowly see if that helps.

If you go slowly you're going to regret it.

Quote from: Simon on January 19, 2013, 06:43:07 PM
If you go slowly you're going to regret it.

I'm so confused now xD
One says one thing and the other says another thing ._.

Quote from: Jayr on January 19, 2013, 06:49:42 PM
I'm so confused now xD
One says one thing and the other says another thing ._.

Your mother is a nurse. Ask her about it.

Quote from: Simon on January 19, 2013, 06:52:41 PM
Your mother is a nurse. Ask her about it.

That's what I was thinking :P

Quote from: Simon on January 19, 2013, 06:43:07 PM
If you go slowly you're going to regret it.

How so?  I go slowly every time and it's fine.

Also Jayr, another tip is to make sure you hold the needle as steady as possible while injecting.

Quote from: wheat thins are delicious on January 19, 2013, 08:20:57 PM
How so?  I go slowly every time and it's fine.

Every shot I have taken (for trans, due to my illness, or just a simple flu jab) have been administered in a fast deliberate motion. I just asked my gf (she is a CMA, EMT, and now in Paramedic training) if they deliberately teach them to go in a fast motion and she simply said, "yeah, why"?

Do what works for you but I won't take a slow jab. I hate even standing there waiting for the T to go in. I'm all "hurry up and push it in!", lol.

My doctor told me that the faster you jab the needle in the less it hurts. I didn't believe her but after doing it at various speeds she's definitely right. Going slowly is painful. However, even though I know this I still go slow a lot because it's hard for me to get up the guts to stab myself a lot of the time.

Quote from: Alex308 on January 20, 2013, 10:03:20 PM
My doctor told me that the faster you jab the needle in the less it hurts. I didn't believe her but after doing it at various speeds she's definitely right. Going slowly is painful. However, even though I know this I still go slow a lot because it's hard for me to get up the guts to stab myself a lot of the time.

I don't feel much, if any, pain going slowly.  Different people have a different threshold. 

I'm a total pain baby and recently switched to using Apple Cider Vinegar (WITH Mother) for a natural antiseptic rather than alcohol for my shots. Braggs brand specifically.

Anyways, maybe it's placebo maybe it's not, but I spread a lot of it all over the injection site and idk what it does, but it makes the shot less painful. I go slow too as I'm scared of just jabbing the needle in, but yep. I think it reduces the pain. I also usually get all bumpy and itchy in the shot area, but since I switched to ACV with mother, that doesn't happen anymore.

You should read up on the medicinal properties of it, it's great.

Jayr is just a baby, lol.
i'm kidding.

My mom injects me at a steady speed, not fast or slow. I don't have much muscle since i'm female so she gots to be careful not to hit bone :P

Hey all, Rhys the newbie here :)

I just started T a little over a week ago so I don't have many examples, but I haven't felt any pain other than the initial pierce. The first time was probably all adrenaline and I was very shaky, but besides a sting there was nothing. The second shot this weekend I actually had to do twice because I was unhappy with how much was left in the hollow of the 22g needle. :-P

My method: I go very slowly into my thigh while sitting on my bed with my whole leg up so i can totally relax the muscle.

I've been curious about trying a glute shot but it looks so hard to see what you're doing, and that sciatic nerve worries me!

Quote from: Rhys87 on January 21, 2013, 01:23:44 PM
I've been curious about trying a glute shot but it looks so hard to see what you're doing, and that sciatic nerve worries me!

Yeah I asked my mom about the glute shot and she said she wouldn't let me do it there unless we asked my doctor first.
She doesn't think it's safe to use that spot for self injections, too many nerves and vessels.