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I started T about a month ago and after my last 2 shots I have noticed a lump under my skin at the injection site. The one has been there for almost 2 weeks! Does anyone know what this is? I am scared of having an allergic reaction because my skin is sensitive but it doesn't hurt, burn, or itch. Is it supposed to be like this? I do the shots myself every week in my belly and I'm on . Any input would be great!



Mod Edit- No dosages Please TOS 8

Hi and Welcome to Susan's. It is possible, but the guys who are more familiar with T shots will be able to help you more. I look forward to seeing you around the forums. Good Luck and Hugs
Mariah

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Hi, and welcome! :)

It's probably nothing major (after all, you've been living with it for two weeks) but it'd be a good idea to get your doctor to check this out, just to be on the safe side. If you look at the patient information leaflet that comes with your shot (it's either in the box, or available online) you'll probably find that a reaction at the injection site is one of the most commonly reported side-effects. You should always report any side-effects to your GP.

Most T injections are oil-based, and many of them contain ingredients that can cause an allergic reaction. For example, Sustanon contains peanut oil, and Nebido contains castor oil. Some guys take antihistamines to help with this, but as allergies can be dangerous it's sensible to speak to your GP first.

Also, if the injection site feels hot it's possible that you might have an infection there. It's also entirely possible that this particular shot wasn't injected correctly, especially if you're new to doing this. And I presume you're alternating your injection site every time, and not just putting it in the same place?

I used to get swollen lumps around injection sites, my t was being packed in sesame oil and it was causing a reaction, nothing serious I just continued to used it then I switched to one that has a cotton oil base.

You could have a look here:

https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,199138.msg1770642.html#msg1770642

http://www.slideshare.net/VicNSD/hormone-self-injection


All at your own risk ..
and it may also be possible for a nurse to show you ...


hugs

I'm not sure your injection technique is necessarily the cause of your issue, although I would caution you that I've never heard of IM injections done in the belly area. These are commonly done in one of three places: the gluteus medius (muscle in your butt area), vastus lateralis (outer thigh), or deltoid (top of arm before shoulder joint). I'm not a medical professional so I can't advise you, of course, but I watched a bunch of YouTube videos that were for nurses in training, showing them how to find injection sites on actual patients, how to administer, etc.

This is just my experience. I started out giving my own shots in my thigh, because this was the easiest for me to reach, and I got a noticeable allergic reaction my first couple of times. I was allergic to the cottonseed oil. My body adjusted, and I'm better now, still using the cottonseed based T about four months on.

I don't know if this is possible for you, but I've been getting my shots in my glutes for about a month now, and I notice a substantial difference in the effects. I haven't had my levels tested, so I can't say whether it's psychosomatic or not, but I definitely do perceive a difference. I've also been having my mom inject me. I'm gonna be 27 next month, and I stay with my parents, because #poverty, and it was hard for me to ask for help, but she was cool with it. A nurse at your GP's office or even at a free clinic may be able to help you do your injections if you're more comfortable that way.

Like, I'm not consciously afraid of needles or any other medical procedure. I've got a lot of experience with them, mainly because I've had a lot of blood work done over the years and also because I donated plasma to help get through school. (I don't recommend it, but u gotta do what u gotta do sometimes, u know?) I also had a tongue and septum piercing done in my late teens, and those needles were a bit larger and more in-your-face (pardon the pun).

And I'm never afraid... until it's time to get stuck with the needle. Then it's like this instinctual, hindbrain sort of thing grabs hold of me and just wants to nope the heck out of there. That tension is still there when someone else is sticking me, but it's over before I can overthink it, which helps. Less of a chance that I'll mess up the technique because I'm feeling jittery.

Anyway, yeah, this is just what helped me. Hope you're doing okay.

Massage the injection site after you inject. That should help.

I have tried warming the testosterone bottle & massaging injection site. 2 of the lumps are still there under my skin, one is bigger than the other. They dont seem to be changing size. My last injection was yesterday & I noticed a small lump under my skin within about 15 hours.  I tried contacting my doctor but they haven't got back and are a 2 hour drive away! I really can't figure out what is wrong!

if its 1ml subcutaneously I don't think the lump is a problem. I inject intramuscularly so I've never experienced this. the one time I had a subcutaneous injection I had a lump, freaked me out. I'd still call your doctor as non of us are medical professionals.

According to other places your body might have encapsulated it, and it may have become a little cyst ... which may go away over time.

Some people say rubbing from time to time may help.

If in doubt as a doctor.


hugs

An update - Called my doctor & they said I probably do not have enough fat in my belly so the T is just going under the skin and not into my fat!!! They told my to switch to my behind for the shots but I also am skinny there haha, does anyone know if you are able to do subq shots in the hip/"love handle" area? I have to do my shot today and I am nervous now!!!!

Quote from: brandit on May 19, 2016, 03:55:39 PM
An update - Called my doctor & they said I probably do not have enough fat in my belly so the T is just going under the skin and not into my fat!!! They told my to switch to my behind for the shots but I also am skinny there haha, does anyone know if you are able to do subq shots in the hip/"love handle" area? I have to do my shot today and I am nervous now!!!!

Well, I don't do my shots subcutaneously, so I can't speak to this with certainty. Just to be safe, I would probably ask the nurse/doctor you're seeing, or perhaps a pharmacist. Find the number for a pharmacy -- doesn't have to be the one you use -- and ask to speak to the pharmacist. They should be able to give you a definitive answer.

This is just my thought, but it would seem to me that, if you need to inject into fatty tissue, any fatty tissue would do. I would actually suggest checking out YouTube for some nursing training videos for suggestions about this type of injection. Watching other people do IM injections on YouTube, etc, helped me to better understand how to do mine, so that's why I suggest it. And the nurse training videos were super helpful to me because they went through it step by step. So that's what I would suggest as well as calling a doctor/nurse/pharmacist.

I mention the pharmacist in particular because I feel like people don't really think of that. I didn't, anyway, for a long time. Once when I was at university I thought I had taken an extra dose of medication by mistake and like, panicked, thinking I might OD. I didn't, by any stretch, but it was very late, and I called the pharmacy because I was panicking, like I said. They were just like yeah you're good, you'd have to take 20 doses at once to really do any damage.

I forget what medication it was. Point is, pharmacists can be useful resources.