Hello,

I was wondering if any of you others around here have experienced this before, and if so, how you dealt with it :
I have been injecting T myself without any kind of problems for over 6 months now. But yesterday I spent around 5 minutes staring at the needle in "fear" before I actually managed to stab my thigh. I got nausea and felt extremely dizzy to the point where I thought I was going to faint while injecting... I also found pushing the needle in much harder than usual when I did my last injection a month ago, which is weird because I did my first few injections without even thinking/worrying about anything. But yesterday really scared me and I wonder if I should ask someone else to do the injections for me for a while (?).
Do you know why this is ? Do we get more sensitive over time because our bodies "know" what to "expect" in terms of pain ?  I don't think I was particularly nervous either as I always chose moments when my flatmates aren't at home to do this and I had plenty of time ahead.
Help ! 

Hope you might be able to provide me with some kind of insight,
Have a nice day!

I don't know about T injections, but I got the same type of feeling when I did my industrial piercing. Just take a few deep breaths and try to relax first. Even if you don't press harder, when your muscles are tense it'll hurt more. That goes for if you have someone else do it as well. You need to force your muscles to relax.

I jab myself 3 times a day for diabetes, you get used to it.

Sometimes I will get a "dull" needle, some places it hurts more than others.  Make sure you move the shots around, never in the same place twice in a row.

But, yes, the more you think about it the more likely it is to hurt.

Oh, a needle topic.... <passes out on floor>

Hey, thank you so much for your very quick replies !

@Soren I've got an industrial piercing too but I didn't get this nausea/blackout/near passing out feeling so I guess I am getting more and more sensitive with time ?^^
But this is very interesting, it's true I was probably tensing my muscles a bit too much/more than usual... I'll give this some thought...thank you for your kind advice !

@Sarah Louise wow 3 times a day ! I admire you for that makes your input even more valuable, thanks ! I alternate between my two thighs for each injection so that each site gets 2 months to recover instead of one, but it is true I always chose the same area on the thigh, without really thinking about it because it never hurt so I thought I had found the right spot and should stick to it.

I'll definitely give those two parameters some thought before my next injection as I don't want it to become a real, chronic problem. Hopefully this wasn't the last one I was able to give myself 

oh, and @Devlyn Marie : <picks Devlyn Marie up from the floor and offers some coffee> sorry you passed out because of my topic^^ but I don't think I said anything shocking and I really need help with dealing with this :S I hope you were just using irony... in case, I put a warning for the sensitive ones

That happened to me the first couple of times. When I do mine I sit on the edge of the couch with my leg relaxed and straight out on a foot stool, I put on a song (the goal is to get it done by the end of the song), I use the alcohol, place the tip of the needle where I want to push it, Lightly "bounce" the syringe up and down until I feel that little "pop" when it breaks the skin, then slowly slide the needle in, aspirate, and push in the T.

I do it painlessly. I have noticed the more tense and nervous I am before the more it hurts. I have found it helpful to get in a routine with it to the point where it's a thoughtless process almost. With the "bounce" method of pushing it in I don't even have to look until it's in if I don't want to.

Hope that helps. 

Quote from: Transguy on July 22, 2013, 04:10:22 PM
Hey, thank you so much for your very quick replies !

@Soren I've got an industrial piercing too but I didn't get this nausea/blackout/near passing out feeling so I guess I am getting more and more sensitive with time ?^^
But this is very interesting, it's true I was probably tensing my muscles a bit too much/more than usual... I'll give this some thought...thank you for your kind advice !

@Sarah Louise wow 3 times a day ! I admire you for that makes your input even more valuable, thanks ! I alternate between my two thighs for each injection so that each site gets 2 months to recover instead of one, but it is true I always chose the same area on the thigh, without really thinking about it because it never hurt so I thought I had found the right spot and should stick to it.

I'll definitely give those two parameters some thought before my next injection as I don't want it to become a real, chronic problem. Hopefully this wasn't the last one I was able to give myself 

oh, and @Devlyn Marie : <picks Devlyn Marie up from the floor and offers some coffee> sorry you passed out because of my topic^^ but I don't think I said anything shocking and I really need help with dealing with this :S I hope you were just using irony... in case, I put a warning for the sensitive ones

I can't resist rolling out the fainting shtick! It's my standard joke, and, hey, the extra post bumps your thread! Hugs, Devlyn

I did them for over a year and a half with 0 incidences and then found I had a several hesitations (I do them every other week) I had a therapist say that it was completely natural for you mind to say "what stab myself?" so I just keep doing it knowing that it is what I need. I got over it after doing it again for a while.

I also switch legs.

Quote from: Transguy on July 22, 2013, 04:10:22 PM

@Soren I've got an industrial piercing too but I didn't get this nausea/blackout/near passing out feeling so I guess I am getting more and more sensitive with time ?^^

I only mentioned mine because I did it myself. I don't recommend doing that, by the way (self-piercing, I mean).

@Soren : I hadn't understood you pierced it yourself, now your reply makes sense to me sorry.

@Simon : your technique sounds great ! I hope it's still sterile (?) but I can't wait to try next month <looks for a very long song> 

Thank you all for the reassuring advice, I hope I won't be fainting the next time.

Quote from: Transguy on July 23, 2013, 08:16:01 AM
@Simon : your technique sounds great ! I hope it's still sterile (?) but I can't wait to try next month <looks for a very long song> 

Yep, it is. The needle is still only touching that one spot where you're pushing it. Here is the video I learned how to do it from. This lady was a godsend for me because I couldn't mentally get over just jabbing it in really quick. This to me is a more controlled method.

Thanks a lot for this very useful video ! It does help to see exactly how it is done.
I'll definitely try this technique next month as it looks easier and less "brutal" than jabbing it in one single hand motion !
Thank you very much
I wish you all a very nice evening !

At first shots did not bother me. But after a while I've been at that same point where you just stare at the needle in your hand and your thigh trying to work yourself up to it. One painfull experience is all it takes to get psyched out.

It takes a while for the bod to loose that memory. I found it best not to think about it. If you freeze up, stop move on to something else for a bit, then go back to it.

One quick deep jab!

Interesting!

I've been using injectables since day one.  Twice a month for the last 6 years.  I have had nausea on many occasions.  The trigger for me was the acrid smell of the rubbing alcohol swabs I use to clean the vial and my thigh.  The only way I can control it at all is to breathe through my mouth so I don't smell it.

After my shot, I can feel slightly nauseated for upwards an hour.

Even now any whiff of rubbing alcohol can really give me the a problem.

I thought it was just me.  I can't see a reason for it, I'm not squeamish about getting a shot or anything.

Odd.

-Sandy

Mmh, I don't think the alcohol swabs trigger the nausea because I don't feel dizzy until I actually have the syringe in my hands. But this is an interesting remark.
@Sandy : Have you ever tried 90% alcohol on a normal cotton ball or gauze pad instead of the pre-packaged alcohol swabs ? Don't know if this would make a difference, but maybe your reaction wouldn't be as bad as with the swabs (I find they have a different smell from the regular 90% alcohol) ? And thank you for sharing your experience

@JoanneB : I like your explanation about the body's memories and doing the injection as quickly as possible or doing something else for a while before going back to it... Thanks for your useful answer

Haha I'm glad I'm not the only one who gets squirmish about needles.

Can't you get an implant? I hear they're better.

Take a deep breath, and try not to jab, but ease the needle in at a steady pace, like in sewing.  Breathe out.  Press the plunger in slowly and steadily.

Always keep your motivation in mind, why am I doing this injection?  It will help your conviction.

Or at least that's what works for me when I do my injections.

Quote from: Transguy on July 24, 2013, 04:28:10 PM
Thanks a lot for this very useful video ! It does help to see exactly how it is done.
I'll definitely try this technique next month as it looks easier and less "brutal" than jabbing it in one single hand motion !
Thank you very much
I wish you all a very nice evening !

I used this method friday, it is TONS better than the jab method I was originally taught  a whole lot faster and it hurts less. I did not hesitate at all, I think my needle was even slightly dull and I had no problem.

@Dreams2014 : unfortunately testosterone implants are not currently sold in my country (didn't even know they were elsewhere, as I've only heard of transgender females using them, but it's good information to know!). In addition, my endocrinologist said he might advise me to increase my dose soon (I'm still waiting for blood test results), so it would probably be too early for an implant.
Thanks for the idea, I'll keep it in the back of my mind for later...

Quote from: Transguy on July 30, 2013, 02:12:42 PM
@Dreams2014 : unfortunately testosterone implants are not currently sold in my country (didn't even know they were elsewhere, as I've only heard of transgender females using them, but it's good information to know!). In addition, my endocrinologist said he might advise me to increase my dose soon, I'm waiting for my blood test results, so it would probably be too early for an implant.
Thanks for the idea, I'll keep it in the back of my mind for later...

I think it was my mistake. I assumed because females could get implants the same service would be available for the men. If it's not then it's a shame.