Hey guys,
Today I was going to get my prescription of T. Well I did get it but it sure was a hassle to get it. So, I gave the pharmacist the prescriptions (one for the T, the other for the syringes/needles), and he said it'd be ready in about half an hour. Well, an hour later, I finally got what I thought was my prescription. Paid for it, and was surprised at how cheap it was because I've heard T can be pretty expensive. I asked the cashier three times if she was sure that was the right price, and she said it was. Went home, opened the box, and the smaller box (which I had assumed contained the T), and guess what? I waited an hour, just to get needles and syringes! No T! Man, I was furious!! So I ran back to the store (literally; I don't have a car), and yelled at the cashier (shouldn't have, but, meh, I have a temper!), told her it was just ridiculous that I had to wait an hour and I didn't even get my medication. She got the pharmacist to fill the prescription, which he began to but then he said there was a problem. The problem was, my endo had had his nurse write out the script and use the stamp with his signature, instead of signing it himself, and because T is a "controlled substance", that wasn't going to fly. Well, I yelled at the pharmacist (me and my temper!) and said there's just no way, I won't accept that, I went all the way to *city far from where I live* just to get the f***ing script! He said, "Ma'am, calm down. Ma'am!--" and I said "It's not ma'am, it's sir! It's sir, ok? I'm a pre-op transsexual, and it's SIR!" and he immediately apologized, and used the word "sir" three times in one sentence as he said he'd make an exception and get approval from the doctor in the morning, I could have my T now (endo's office was already closed so he couldn't call today). I was shaking like a leaf, but I think I felt more like a man then than ever before. I'm generally a shy, don't-rock-the-boat type of person, so it felt good to stand up for myself for once (even if I did overdo it and use the F word). I got my T, and even got a small discount to compensate for having to wait so long and then come back just to get it. I was definitely impressed with the way the pharmacist behaved, during the whole thing he treated me more respectfully than pretty much anyone ever has.
So now I'm at my apartment, staring at my little bottle of T--and the 18-gauge needle--and daring myself to just hurry up and inject it, already. I used to be terrified of needles, I'm not anymore but I still flinch a little anytime I get an injection. Man, I'm nervous! I know I can't mess it up too badly, no matter what I do, and I have watched injections being done hundreds of times (used to work for a doctor). But I'm still nervous. I guess the main thing is, I don't want to get part-way done with it and then wimp out! Haha that would suck so much. I'll probably be fine, have nothing to worry about, but, ya know, it's my first-ever T injection and I'm so excited and so nervous all at the same time.
Anyway, just figured I'd share that story with you guys. And, I just noticed, it's the only time anyone's called me "sir," and I wasn't even binding lol. Pretty awesome eh? :D
Sorry for the bad morning but I'm glad it ended well! I couldn't self inject before cause I was a needlephobe too but eventually it'll be nothing to do it man. Good luck with your first injection! Congrats on starting T!
Thanks Andrew! :) Just barely did it, right as it barely pricked my skin I was like, "Ahh!! I can't do this!" But then I told myself, oh for god's sake be a man! Haha so after that it was easy, barely felt it. When the needle was about 3/4 the way in, I thought I hit a vein because it felt different at that point. Still not sure if I actually did or not. After I finished, there was a tiny drop of T that came out, then a few tiny drops of blood (smaller than a dot you can make with the tip of a pen). Is that normal? Did I do it right?
I've found they sometimes after I'm half in, it'll burn
But did you aspirate?
From what I understand you would have known within a minute if you'd injected into a vein.
Yeah it burns a little bit. I did forget to make sure there were no bubbles or whatever. But there hasn't been any more bleeding (if you can even call 2 or 3 tiny drops of blood "bleeding" lol) so I think it's probably fine.
That amount of blood is perfectly normal. You'll also sometimes get a tiny bit of T leaking out as well; I would suggest injecting slowly and letting it sit for a few seconds before you draw out the needle. You need to be sure to aspirate prior to injecting as well; if you are in a vein, you will know because blood will be very readily drawn into the syringe. Sometimes you'll go through a vein when you inject, but still inject in the muscle; in that case, there'll be no blood when you aspirate but there will be a significant amount after you pull out the needle. You'll know. I've done it before and it was a bit more than I expected but, nothing major. On another note, when it felt a little "different" you were likely entering into the muscle. You will sometimes feel a slight burn or coolness or pressure. I only inject with 23g needles and they feel like absolutely nothing, but there will sometimes be a slight coolness I find. Your leg might hurt a bit at first, but you quickly adapt and then there's no pain after a shot, at least for me. Needles are nothing to me now, and they soon will be for you as well. It's an empowering thing, being able to inject your own testosterone. Good luck with everything. :)
Hey misocainea, thanks for posting :)
Stupid question, but what is aspirating? I looked it up on Google but all I could find were articles where they assume you know what that is. I was supposed to go to my endocrinologist this week to learn exactly how to do my injections, but because of my work schedule I'm not able to go.
Also, is it better to inject at an angle (45 degrees), or should I be injecting just straight down (90 degrees)? Does it make a difference?
Aspirating is when you pull back on the plunger after the needle is in, to see if any blood comes up in the syringe. If you're in a vein, blood will come up in the syringe.
Are you injecting into the thigh? My nurse taught me to do it on a 90 degree angle.
Ah, ok. Yeah, into the outer part of my thigh, where there's more muscle.