If you take T shots does it hurt?
No more or less than a shot of anything else really.
Typically there is a quik stab pain, the shot itself isn't to bad and then the area that the injection was made can be a tad tender for a day or two.
(ok ok I haven't had a T shot, but I have given them plenty of times to Sevan and I have had E shots and the pain is the same.)
Ouch. So wherever the injection is it hurts for a couple of days?
sometimes yes sometimes no
it isn't a big deal ussually
sometimes you will get a good stick and not feel it at all a couple hours later and sometimes you get a stick that will hurt for a week
some guys bruise easy and others have no issues
dont worry about it, it really is a non issue
So, basicly like a flu shot or something.
Well I get T shots in the arm and I get a nurse to do it... I barely feel it at all. ;D I don't mind shots though, but I would not be able to stick myself. lol
My ex surprised me once by coming home right when I was injecting. (He was supposed to call first.) I clenched up just as the needle went in, and the muscle was sore for a while--can't remember now, but it may have been sore the next day. Early on, before I trained myself to fully relax, I had a couple of other injections that left me irritated for a couple of hours.
Those incidents were something like two years ago. I don't remember having any muscle pain since then.
As far as the "stick" is concerned, sometimes I barely feel it and sometimes I do feel a pinch. Once it hurt a lot, so I pulled out the needle, replaced it, and tried again.
I alternate sides. I'm pretty skilled at injecting right-handed, not so much left-handed. Most of the less successful punctures are on the left side. :P
It depends. The actual poke doesn't usually hurt, unless I happen to nick a nerve or vein. I've learned what areas to avoid. If I feel the needle touching one of those spots (the nerves are 'crunchy' and hard, the veins less so but they have their own sensation), I'll pull the needle out, re-swab the area, and try a different spot.
Occasionally I'll get 'sore spots' or lumps that can ache for a few days after a shot. Once it was especially painful and it took weeks to heal. I thought it was an abscess (went to the doctor), but it turned out that it was only bruising in the muscle, probably the result of piercing a vein. I inject in my upper thighs.
I haven't had painful lumps like that happen for a long time and tips for avoiding it are: rotate injection sites (I have 4 and inject weekly, so each spot gets a month to heal), relax the muscle before a shot (shower, massage the area, warm it up somehow), extend your leg straight out and make sure it is supported (avoid accidental muscle contractions while the needle is in, a tip from my nurse), inject very slowly, gently massage the injection site after the shot. I also massage some vitamin E oil on the injection site after a shot, a tip from a diabetic guy I knew who injected himself multiple times a day; his doctor said it could help with the eventual buildup of scar tissue and I figured it wouldn't hurt. It provides good lubrication for the massage.
It depends on a few things.
I've realized that shooting into my arms hurts less than my thighs when I push the needle in. Also the size of the needle determines how much you feel it. I could barely feel it when I used a 25g, now that I use a 22g, I feel it go in. Also. If you use a two separate needles, sometimes the injection itself hurts less - since the needle is less dull.
Also, because T is suspended in oil, pushing the plunger down can sting a little bit.
The first day, I usually don't feel anything, unless I've knicked a vein. Generally, my arms aren't sore, but because I work on my feet all day, the second and third day after the shot - my leg aches. But other than that, it's not bad.
The effects of T make the tiny amount of pain totally worth it.
My first testosterone injection i didn't feel a thing. I got in my right thigh, and the spot was bruised for about three weeks. After that, its just like a little poke.
Quote from: Kentrie on September 23, 2011, 09:08:09 PM
Ouch. So wherever the injection is it hurts for a couple of days?
Nah. It's a lot less painful than you'd think. Once you pierce through the skin, there is pretty much no feeling in the muscle, as there are no pain-receptors there. If you're completely relaxed you should feel nothing more than an initial prick.
The only time it hurts is when your muscle is tense or if you pierce through a vein.
Otherwise it shouldn't hurt at all; you should barely even feel it. That has been my experience having been on T for a year. I also sometimes feel it the next day but it's not pain - just a slight bruise feeling and I mean
slight.
No.
If a medical professional does it, you shouldn't have problems. If you do it, there might be a bit of a learning curve. The first few self-injections will probably be less comfortable than the ones that follow.
For me, the little twinge is NOTHING compared to the pain of not doing the shot. I look forward to shot day.
I inject into my thigh using a 21 gauge needle. The first time the nurse did it she used a 23 gauge and it hurt a lot. I was worried, I thought I'd never be able to do it myself. But when I started doing it myself with a 21 gauge it barely hurt, and I inject weekly. I've never bruised, it's never hurt after the shot except maybe for a couple of times it felt like a sore muscle the day after, and even then it barely hurt.
So Kentrie,
I think that you can gather from the following posts, that it depends on the person.
But it sounds like most of us would rather deal with the sting of a needle prick, other than not taking the shot at all :3
Quote from: GentlemanRDP on September 24, 2011, 05:10:46 PM
So Kentrie,
I think that you can gather from the following posts, that it depends on the person.
But it sounds like most of us would rather deal with the sting of a needle prick, other than not taking the shot at all :3
This!
Quote from: Jeh on September 24, 2011, 05:01:47 PM
I inject into my thigh using a 21 gauge needle. The first time the nurse did it she used a 23 gauge and it hurt a lot. I was worried, I thought I'd never be able to do it myself. But when I started doing it myself with a 21 gauge it barely hurt, and I inject weekly. I've never bruised, it's never hurt after the shot except maybe for a couple of times it felt like a sore muscle the day after, and even then it barely hurt.
That's odd because 21 is larger than 23. :-\
What the nurse said happened was that the oil my T is suspended in was thick and the 23 gauge needle was smaller and it was harder for the T to pass through so it took longer and since she had to push the plunger harder it meant the needle moved around a little in the muscle which made it hurt more.
When we switched to the larger needle it was much easier for the T to pass through the needle and it hurt less.
Sometimes feel it break the skin, once it hurt for maybe a half hour but it was just annoying and once I hit it wrong or something and it left a lump and bruise.
Quote from: Jeh on September 24, 2011, 08:03:10 PM
What the nurse said happened was that the oil my T is suspended in was thick and the 23 gauge needle was smaller and it was harder for the T to pass through so it took longer and since she had to push the plunger harder it meant the needle moved around a little in the muscle which made it hurt more.
When we switched to the larger needle it was much easier for the T to pass through the needle and it hurt less.
Oh... that would make sense.
Now, I have to find a way to get T since my mom plans on kicking me out and I have to move to Ohio with my dad who will never allow me to take T. *sigh* :/
Quote from: GentlemanRDP on September 24, 2011, 05:10:46 PM
So Kentrie,
I think that you can gather from the following posts, that it depends on the person.
But it sounds like most of us would rather deal with the sting of a needle prick, other than not taking the shot at all :3
This. And also once you start the injections, if you do them yourself you will get a rhythm down so really all you feel is a small prick or sometimes nothing, that's typical for me anyway. Your mind, or mine at least, trains itself to just not feel anything.
Quote from: Kentrie on September 24, 2011, 10:23:02 PM
Now, I have to find a way to get T since my mom plans on kicking me out and I have to move to Ohio with my dad who will never allow me to take T. *sigh* :/
I know it's hard, but you might have to just tough it out until you are of age and can move out. Get a job now, if you are old enough to work and start saving, get things in order (ie: T letter, look for endos etc) that way when you move out it will all be able to fall into place quickly.
I self-inject, subcutaneously and it can hurt. Mostly it depends on how well I do it (doing it well is doing it quickly.)
And as for your situation, good luck, man. ]:
Quote from: The Hawk on September 23, 2011, 09:26:56 PM
Well I get T shots in the arm and I get a nurse to do it... I barely feel it at all. ;D I don't mind shots though, but I would not be able to stick myself. lol
This is something I was curious about and actually had me worried. I'm not worried about pain, just trying to stick myself since I have a hard time just checking my glucose levels; if someone else does it it's fine, but me, IDK I just can't. I also thought that T shots were only given in the thigh, good to know I can get them in the arm.
Quote from: Hadrian on September 25, 2011, 12:51:16 AM
This is something I was curious about and actually had me worried. I'm not worried about pain, just trying to stick myself since I have a hard time just checking my glucose levels; if someone else does it it's fine, but me, IDK I just can't. I also thought that T shots were only given in the thigh, good to know I can get them in the arm.
It's an intramuscular injection, although some do take subcutaneous T. You can do it in the hip, buttock, thigh, deltoid (I think that's the name) and I think there is another spot some do it.
Quote from: Andy8715 on September 25, 2011, 12:54:18 AM
It's an intramuscular injection, although some do take subcutaneous T. You can do it in the hip, buttock, thigh, deltoid (I think that's the name) and I think there is another spot some do it.
Thanks Andy!
Quote from: Andy8715 on September 25, 2011, 12:09:16 AM
I know it's hard, but you might have to just tough it out until you are of age and can move out. Get a job now, if you are old enough to work and start saving, get things in order (ie: T letter, look for endos etc) that way when you move out it will all be able to fall into place quickly.
This is the most sound advice given on this thread.
This is a good plan for any trans kid who is aware of their birth defect and incapable of dealing with the issue at the time due to family.
Get your ducks in a row so when you are ready to leave hom you can just transition from your parents place as a girl to a man with his own place.
1 ml dose or more is given into larger muscles. thigh or glut usually, not the arm.
Is T more effective intramuscular than subcutaneous? Since, you can't use the same amount?
Quote from: Hadrian on September 25, 2011, 09:28:22 PM
Is T more effective intramuscular than subcutaneous? Since, you can't use the same amount?
Imo, it's all relative.
K, thanks Andy. :)
My masculinization doesn't seem slow but you can check my progress thread if you want to try to confirm it. It has been a year.
I self-inject subcutaneously in the abdomen (rotating the site every week) with a 25 gauge needle. It doesn't hurt that much, really. A whole lot less than the flu shot or allergy shots I've had before!