I kinda feel like a dork posting about this, but I'm feeling pretty darn good about it. For a good while now I've been determined to give myself a shot. To me it's kinda like a right of passage for a transguy to be able to take care of himself in that manner. Yes, I know it's not that way for everyone but I have a thing about being self reliant.
Anyways, it took a long time this morning. I told myself before I started that I was not going to put the syringe down until I had completed what I set out to do. Three hours later I had held it so long a lot of the lines and numbers had rubbed off, lol. I also used plenty of alcohol swabs where I'd sanitize, start my music, get ready to do it, and chicken out.
I decided to do it slow and steady. The thigh actually hurts A LOT less than the glutes (where my gf usually does it for me). The only time it did hurt was when my hands started to shake. I had to take a deep breath and continue.
Here's what was left, lol. I can admit I was a weenie. Now I'm a proud and accomplished weenie. :laugh:
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1117.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fk599%2FSimonSez81%2F001_zpsf840a3af.jpg&hash=239aed5558c4109ff6f0e995d338b312ea291d1a)
cool bro! I don't know if I'll ever be able to inject myself :laugh:
<Interns bustling in with unconscious Devlyn on a stretcher>
"She said congratulations, then passed out in the hallway."
Quote from: Devlyn Marie on June 04, 2013, 09:25:06 AM
<Interns bustling in with unconscious Devlyn on a stretcher>
"She said congratulations, then passed out in the hallway."
Better wake her up and get some IV fluids in her. lol ;)
Devlyn, I'm sure it could be arranged that you could get injectable E, muahaha. >:-)
Quote from: CursedFireDean on June 04, 2013, 09:22:37 AM
cool bro! I don't know if I'll ever be able to inject myself :laugh:
I swear it's all mental. Once you get in the skin it slides in like buttah.
Well done on the milestone :p
Id imagine that it is a mind over matter type of thing.
Ive been nagging for almost 4 years now to be taught to self inject :p I just think itd make life easier than to have to traipse back to my nurse every 10 weeks. One day Ill be allowed to do it....one day... :p
Great job Simon!
My injection is this morning as well. I have been doing them for 9 months now and my hands always shake. Lol. I just go slow and it goes in pretty easy. Its the initial puncturing my thigh that screws with my head. Hahaha..
Good luck it gets easier...
Congrats! I swore that when I started T that I was going to do it myself ... and I did ...now I can't have anyone else inject me b/c I always jerk .....my son has been on T for three years and still hasn't given himself a shot yet.
Thanks guys, I'm still kinda surprised I did it. Out of all the needles I've had in my life I've never watched one pierce the skin. Now the true test will be to put on a song and get it on the first try before the music ends.
Quote from: Robert Scott on June 04, 2013, 10:57:22 AM
my son has been on T for three years and still hasn't given himself a shot yet.
It's certainly not something everybody can do or would even want to do. I gave myself 6 months when I started T to be able to give myself a shot. On the 18th I'll be 6 months so I met the deadline. He'll probably do it one day when he's ready. I don't care who it is...sticking a needle in yourself is hard for most people.
Congrats man! Yesterday I was thinking to do it myself cause my roommate (who is a nurse) wasn't here...then I thaught today she will be here and one day won't hurt :'D
Congrats! Never tried in the thigh. Where in the thigh did you do it?
Quote from: Not-so Fat Admin on June 04, 2013, 12:07:53 PM
Congrats! Never tried in the thigh. Where in the thigh did you do it?
Basically what I did was divide my upper leg from knee to top in 3rds and picked a spot on the outside of my leg in the middle 3rd, if that makes sense.
Ok, I doubt that really makes sense...so I got a pic. Around the area of the black circle is where I hit.
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1117.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fk599%2FSimonSez81%2FThighAnatomyMuscleAnterior_zps5b8466e3.jpg&hash=ce6b581cd4056c5d7f89a84777b21e0e837907fe)
I have only given myself the shot in my thigh ... My doctor said lots of trans folks can't give themselves the shot ... my wife has a co-worker whose been on T for six years and hasn't given himself a shot yet and he is a nurse.
Minneapolis offers a free shot clinic b/c folks need help with shots...you go in there and someone will give you a shot ... congrats to those who can give themselves shots
Congrats dude ;D
And I felt the same way, it was a must to be able to do it on my own cos there's no guarantee there will always be someone around to do it. My second week I did it myself and I've realized I actually like needles... much easier for me than swallowing a pill. (I have a severe pill swallowing phobia though lol)
Congratulations :D I've given myself my shots from the start. However, I get nervous every time and actually hope to be switching to patches or gel/cream for a variety of reasons. You're right, the needle does go in very smoothly. You would think putting an inch long needle in your thigh would hurt but it doesn't because the needle is so very sharp and slender. You should feel a little more comfortable each time you inject yourself. ~hope
Quote from: desperate believer on June 04, 2013, 09:34:46 PM
You would think putting an inch long needle in your thigh would hurt but it doesn't because the needle is so very sharp and slender.
Just curious, what gauge do you use for your injections? Right now I have 21G 1.5 inch needles and I'm thinking I might be able to go smaller.
21G sounds pretty big to me, you can definitely go smaller. But it depends on what you care about more, to some extent - if you use, say, a 25G needle, you're going to be spending more time with the needle in you. Also depends on what concentration your t is. For mine I find 25G pretty good, sometimes use 23G. I started with 21G and would never go back to it, it tended to make the muscle hurt afterwards and the smaller sizes don't.
If you go smaller make sure you still have some bigger ones for drawing up. Drawing up with a 25G needle is the most annoying thing in the world.
I use 25g to inject the T and 20g to extract it from the vile. ~hope
Congratulations ;D I did my first one 2 weeks ago and while I didnt really have a problem putting the needle in, I will admit that I was still a lot more nervous about it then I thought I was going to be, so good job!
21g is pretty big? I inject with 18g... (not me yet) I was told not to inject with smaller. Every doc is different.
I drawl with a drawl syringes ... and inject with a 25 x 1in gauge
I've been giving myself my own shots since the start (9 weeks on thrusday). However my third shot I did way too much over thinking and couldn't do it and ended up having to have my fiancee do it (she has a needle phobia so that was interesting). The next week I decided I had to do it and ended up listening to meditation music and sitting on my bed (instead of in the bathroom) where I could relax. I ended up going slow (initially I was jabbing it in and it actually kind of hurt that way) and just like you said, after the skin it was like butter. I'm doing pretty good now, last week I did the injection without it even phasing me. I use a 22G 1.5" to drawl and inject.
Quote from: Jared on June 05, 2013, 06:35:43 AM
21g is pretty big? I inject with 18g... (not me yet) I was told not to inject with smaller. Every doc is different.
There is no way I'd inject with a 18G needle. That's what I draw up with and those things are huge. Maybe your doc is trying to avoid the possibility of you breaking one off in your leg or something. I just can't think of any logical reason they would want you using something so large. Maybe they're a sadist, lol.
I don't do it in the leg, my roommate does it in the butt. And it doesn't hurt at all. When I first got it, she told me it's over, I can pull my pants up and I was like what? The last 2 times it hurt a bit more and even my roommate said that it hurt for sure, right? Can our skin thicken on T? I could hear the needle breaking my skin and wasn't easy to push.
Quote from: Jared on June 05, 2013, 03:24:25 PM
Can our skin thicken on T? I could hear the needle breaking my skin and wasn't easy to push.
We get scar tissue after repeated injections. That's why they want us to rotate spots with each injection. That is one reason I wanted to start doing my thighs. Now I have four spots to rotate with. My right thigh is a little sore today. Just noticed that when I was in the kitchen. I'm sure that's normal though.
My gf will continue to give me my shot when I want it in the glutes (still with the 21G needle) because I'm afraid to hit my sciatic nerve. So far I've only had one truly painful injection and it was in the glute. I guess she hit a nerve or something because I about came off the floor, lol.
I would advise you asking for smaller needles. The smaller the needle the less trauma and scar tissue. Personally I wouldn't go below a 23G at the smallest. 25's are tiny and while that is nice I'd be afraid to break one off inside me accidentally.
I rotate too, with 2 spots in every 3 weeks. I don't want to hijack the thread but how long needle do you inject with? Here's a pic of the one I use:
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2Fjl1xjEY.jpg&hash=aa672c0052b2090db6d318bc71e3afbec2ede97a)
My doc gave me originally the double of this length, now that was something really huge. Then I saw at the pharmacy this one and thought it should be enough to do IM shots. Do these reaching the muscle too? I would be satisfied with this length in 21 or 23g.
Quote from: Jared on June 06, 2013, 04:42:13 AM
how long needle do you inject with?
Do these reaching the muscle too?
What length is that? It should tell you on the wrapper.
When I first started taking injections the hospital gave me 1 inch needles but they weren't long enough for my glutes. Basically that led me to doing SubQ shots in my butt. I'm almost positive that is why my levels came up low. I now use a 1.5 inch needle and there is no difference in the pain. I like that I know it is getting in there.
I was looking for it for a while to find it, but on the pic it's 2,5 cm and the longer what my doc gave me, 5 cm. I'm not sure about inches but I guess I'm doing subq too :/
I found this about needle sizes, according to this I should be good as I don't even weigh 55 kg.: I'll ask my doc again...
Intramuscular Injections Intramuscular injections go into the muscle below the subcutaneous layer, so the needle must be thicker and longer to ensure that the medicine is being injected into the proper tissue. Twenty (20) or 22 G needles that are an inch or an inch and a half long are usually appropriate for this type of injection. A person who is thin, with very little fatty tissue can use the inch long needle; a heavier person may need to use the inch and a half long needle.
I weigh 115 pounds and am 4 feet 10 inches short. I use an inch long needle to inject. Longer needles freak me out. I can feel that the inch long needle is deep enough because once it is all the way in my thigh it feels a little weird. I've been on T less than three months and my periods have stopped, I've gained 15 pounds, my voice is deepening, I have an increased sex drive, and I even have a few whiskers on my chin. The T is definitely in my system. ~hope
Quote from: desperate believer on June 06, 2013, 04:13:39 PM
I weigh 115 pounds and am 4 feet 10 inches short.
I forget how small some of you guys are. I'm 5'8" and 240 so I'm a big guy.
So the short needles might be all you need.
Thanks for helping me to figure this out :)
Simon, this thread is yours to moderate. I am never looking at it again. I feel faint.
Congrats on the self inject! I've been having my husband do it ever since I had my meltdown. I'm currently 5 hours away from him and have failed to find a clinic around me that would support me/do my injection. When I start telling them it's for T they say 'oh we don't do that' even if I try to explain things.
So now I'm going for 2-3 weeks without. I tried so hard but ended up breaking down in tears last Wednesday and then the rest of the day I was moody and depressed because I felt so miserable. I'm going to talk to my doc about getting a cream or patch, even though my husband is doing really well with injecting for me.
Quote from: randomroads on June 08, 2013, 02:42:20 PM
I'm currently 5 hours away from him and have failed to find a clinic around me that would support me/do my injection.
So now I'm going for 2-3 weeks without.
Did you call your Endo's office? There should be a nurse who would do it or the doc might do it themselves. Sorry you're going through the stress of this.
On another note it has now been 4 days since my self injection and my right thigh has just now stopped being sore. It was bad for the first couple days. Felt like somebody had kicked me really good.
I had a lot of pain with my very first injection. In fact that's why I joined this forum. I was limping badly for several days and worried that something was wrong. However, my other injections haven't hurt nearly as much. When I had my first injection the T was probably cold and I didn't shake the T as it says to do in the directions. I suppose that's why it caused me so much pain the first time. ~hope
My endo is 3 hours away. I actually feel 'at peace' with my decision to just wait. It's a lot healthier, mentally, then doing what I did Wednesday!
The second time I stuck my right thigh it hurt like heck for about a week a day after the injection. I couldn't even touch the skin without feeling discomfort like I was pushing a bruise. It did eventually fade from a tearing pain to dull burn and then nothing at all.
QuoteI had a lot of pain with my very first injection. In fact that's why I joined this forum. I was limping badly for several days and worried that something was wrong
Oy vey, freaking me out with all this. I was never afraid of needles until it came to reading about guys hitting nerves and things. I've only had one shot (in my butt by a friend) and I really don't know if I'll ever want to do it any other way. :/
Quote from: rightocaito on June 12, 2013, 08:45:22 PM
Oy vey, freaking me out with all this. I was never afraid of needles until it came to reading about guys hitting nerves and things. I've only had one shot (in my butt by a friend) and I really don't know if I'll ever want to do it any other way. :/
Not trying to scare you but make sure your friend or whoever else is going to give you the shot back there knows what they're doing. If you hit the sciatic nerve it's going to let you know it.
OMG I can't wait for T. I think I'd have to get my missus to do it. I will puke and faint if I have to watch. You guys are soooo brave :D
Quote from: Simon on June 13, 2013, 02:14:46 AM
Not trying to scare you but make sure your friend or whoever else is going to give you the shot back there knows what they're doing. If you hit the sciatic nerve it's going to let you know it.
Thanks for the info. He has been doing all of the trans kids' shot for a few years now and was first taught to do so by a doctor, so I'm not too too worried about it. :)