I've always been quite afraid of getting shots and needles. But as long as I don't have to look at it I'm fine. But now, I think it's getting in the way of my injections. Or it's just me.

Basically I just took my fourth one and this took an hour. The first three went perfectly fine, even the "trial shot" in the office. But this time, as I felt the tip and pain, I pulled back. This went one for the next 50 minutes until I FINALLY got the dang thing in.

Like I was fine the second time except I bled. A lot. The third time around but I got halfway in and felt a lot of resistance and a sharp pain, causing me to pull out. I just waited around and finally, the last time, I went in, felt resistance halfway through, worked through the pain, had to look at it because I would think I was pushing it down and I wouldn't be, and finally had it in.

I don't know what it is but I get terrified as it goes it. Especially when I feel the pain right after the thick part. It doesn't hurt after I get through the pain, but that stops me quite a bit. I just freak out.

Also, am I supposed to feel that? I feel it's actual muscle I'm hitting but it still worries me. I hit myself in the thigh, since I do have quite a bit of muscle there (ran in school), so should I try different spots or a different routine? I pull the skin tight like my doctor advised, which helps, but still...

From my experience if it hurts too much don't force it in move to another area. You could be hitting a nerve and that's no bueno. What I do is I feel the area with the plastic cap of the needle and kind of push. If there is a weird tingle sensation I move to another area where I don't feel it. I use to be so afraid of needles and never ever wanted to go to a doctor. I got so use to it now and it doesn't really bother me but, I still get that anxiety. Most people push it in really fast but for me I have to do it really really slow. After I pull the needle out I get a gauze or a tissue and apply pressure as well as massage it. Been doing it for 2 years and no major problems so I guess i'm doing it right

I went through a phase about a year on T where I started having really bad injection anxiety. I don't really know what helped me snap out of it. It would take me hours to get it done.

My advice would be to make sure your process is fairly concrete so you know what to expect each time. Try to be a little swifter with the needle insertion to minimize the surface pain. You're not going to have pain once it's in, it's just that initial skin breakage that hurts.

Then find some way to reduce the time. Whether that's putting a song on and giving yourself to the end of it, or a movie if you know it's going to take a while. And get yourself some kind of treat for after the fact. You're more likely to get it all over and done with if there's something good waiting until afterwards.

My first few attempts at injecting on my own--especially the first one--took quite a bit of time. Not as much as some guys report, but more time than I would have liked, mostly because of nerves. But I desperately wanted the T, so I pulled myself together pretty quickly. I guess I got by on bravado; I didn't want to embarrass myself!

Once you have done it for long enough to have a routine, the process should get easier. But if you have problems with needles, maybe not. We have some old threads around here that help out with needle phobia. You might hunt around for that phrase (needle phobia).

I have a few tricks that helped me. For one thing, while I do inject in a standing position, I take all of my weight off the side I'm injecting on. And I do inject in the butt. If you inject in the thigh, do NOT do it in a typical sitting position with the leg bent. You don't want the muscle contracted.

I do pull the skin tight but mostly because I'm trying to do a z-track injection (it never seems to stop the blood from coming, but I keep trying).

I use two needles, one to draw and one to inject. Also, I drive in the needle decisively; some guys have to do it slowly because they say it hurts less that way. All I can say is, slowly = ow ow OW! While I was reading your post, I got the impression that you inject slowly. That might not be the way to go. But you have to figure out which way works for you.

Every once in a while (a few times in seven years), I do hit a nerve, and that makes me very nervous the next couple of times. Perhaps you are going through something similar now. I rationalize the next couple of injections, telling myself that delaying only makes things worse and that I really need this injection and WANT it. I have found that positive self-talk can be a great help.

Your avatar looks great, by the way.

Quote from: Arch on June 15, 2016, 01:07:04 AM
I have a few tricks that helped me. For one thing, while I do inject in a standing position, I take all of my weight off the side I'm injecting on. And I do inject in the butt. If you inject in the thigh, do NOT do it in a typical sitting position with the leg bent. You don't want the muscle contracted.

I do pull the skin tight but mostly because I'm trying to do a z-track injection (it never seems to stop the blood from coming, but I keep trying).

I use two needles, one to draw and one to inject. Also, I drive in the needle decisively; some guys have to do it slowly because they say it hurts less that way. All I can say is, slowly = ow ow OW! While I was reading your post, I got the impression that you inject slowly. That might not be the way to go. But you have to figure out which way works for you.

This is good advice! For a really long time I was injecting while sitting in my desk chair (feet flat, knees bent at 90 degrees - usual sitting position), and I think it had a lot to do with the soreness I had afterwards. I switched to sitting flat on the floor with my legs straight out. Not only does it make it easier to grab some leg meat to inject into if you're on the smaller side and not using the z-track method, but I've also found that it does not leave me sore at all afterwards.

As far as bleeding, it really seems to be hit or miss for me. Rarely (maybe once a quarter) I bleed a lot. I always use a bandaid afterwards, so I've taken to unwrapping it and having it sitting face up on my leg while I inject just in case. More regularly, I seem to either get a tiny pinprick of blood or nothing at all.

This thread reminded me that I am short on bandaids. So thank you

band aids and alcohol prep pads

I cannot inject myself so kudos to you for being able to, no matter how long it takes you.

I'm not sure why doctors will have some people inject in the thigh and others in the back between the hip and glute, but I know the injection site has to do with the pain level.

My friend gets his injections in his thigh. His wife helps him because he has anxiety now but also, he can only be okay with the shot if it's slowly injected. His wife can't just shoot/dart the needle in or he almost passes out.

For me, I get my shots in he back between my hip and glute. I have my girlfriend give me my shots as well as him. However, she needs to dart mine in or it hurts too bad. I've only had four shots so far and the first one was done by the nurse to a how my girlfriend what to do. My girlfriend did my last shot slower than usual and it hurt bad. But if she darts it in, I don't even feel like no matter what my anxiety is like.

So with that being said, maybe mention to your doctor about the pain in your thigh and see if he recommends moving the injection site. It depends on the person and I think the amount of body fat determines the better area for the shot.

Thanks for the advice. I'll try sitting flat on the floor, because I typically do it sitting normally. Also I only know the method with pulling skin tight, is there another why to try it?

I don't know about darting it in, also. Nobody but me can really touch or handle my needles and I don't trust them anyway. I dont trust myself either. I know that if I try darting it in myself, I'll probably freak out and end up not doing it. I would have my doctor do it and it's fine, but I don't know if I can. I also tend to jump when it's suddenly injected, despite me knowing a shots coming. Don't know if that's good since when I jump I flex my thighs a lot, usually shaking out the jitters.

I will also try being a bit smoother. My friend has offered to help me out if I'm having difficulties, actually giving me said shot. He does it in his arm though and my arm is quite small (the needle being about 1/3rd my forearms width!). I'll try the butt shot too. I was told to shoot directly in the spot with the most muscle and that would be my thighs, thanks to six years of track. I know I got a pretty big butt. Like lots of space, maybe thats where I should be shooting at .

And thanks Arch. The picture was taken when I was in college, a few months ago. Used their gym every night, from 2100 until close (so either 2230 or 2300). Going back now that I got the money and time. I'm a pretty short guy and not the biggest, I need something to make up for that!

Quote from: LJfusion on June 15, 2016, 07:16:36 PM
So with that being said, maybe mention to your doctor about the pain in your thigh and see if he recommends moving the injection site. It depends on the person and I think the amount of body fat determines the better area for the shot.

This is what I was going to suggest.  I inject in my butt, and it doesn't hurt at all.  I tried my thigh once and no thank you!   Yeah, it can be difficult to twist around like that, but it's doable.  Also, it really isn't hard to avoid hitting the sciatic nerve (the thing people worry about so much).  There is a VERY large area of the buttock that is nowhere near that nerve and it's actually the part easiest to reach when you are twisting around.  The nurse taught me to put my index  finger on what I guess is the bottom of my pelvic bone (the bone in your hip area just above your thigh--I suck at biology) and put your thumb on your butt cheek (like you have your hands on your hips).  This is the general area you inject.  You can also imagine the buttock divided into four squares and the upper square closest to your front is where you inject.  Like I said, it's a pretty large area and it hurts a lot less--that might help minimize the anxiety.

Quote from: LatrellHK on June 16, 2016, 11:50:43 AM
Thanks for the advice. I'll try sitting flat on the floor, because I typically do it sitting normally. Also I only know the I was told to shoot directly in the spot with the most muscle and that would be my thighs, thanks to six years of track. I know I got a pretty big butt. Like lots of space, maybe thats where I should be shooting at .

My doctor said that if you miss the muscle every now and then and just inject in the fat that it doesn't make a huge difference in the absorption of the T so it's really not the end of the world.  You can also just ask your doc to write you a prescription for longer needles.

I wonder whether a chaise longue would be the perfect place to sit. Just as you don't want your knee completely bent, you might not want your leg completely straight. You might be more relaxed and comfortable if you have the leg relaxed and the knee slightly flexed (a couple of degrees?) and supported by a pillow underneath. But I would ask a doctor or nurse about that.

Lattrell, I don't have a needle phobia, but I found that I adapted quite quickly to self-injecting. I became clearer about my routine, I became more adept at injecting, and I became MUCH less nervous. I imagine that you will enjoy some of the same benefits even if you are somewhat needle-phobic. But practice takes time, of course, and you might find yourself plateauing or even, as you have described, losing ground. But don't think of it that way. As with any skill, your performance will be uneven at first. This effect is normal.

I also felt more accomplished after switching to once a week. My comfort level rose, but not just because of the extra practice. I found that doing a weekly shot was a psychological boost. For one thing, I was getting T twice as often. Even at half a dose, I felt as if I were getting more! But just having a weekly ritual made a big difference to me. Biweekly was an event; weekly was a routine. I like that routine.

Quote from: LatrellHK on June 16, 2016, 11:50:43 AM
Thanks for the advice. I'll try sitting flat on the floor, because I typically do it sitting normally. Also I only know the method with pulling skin tight, is there another why to try it?

I was taught to make the shape of a 'C' with the hand that won't be holding the needle (typically your non-dominant hand) and with that, grab about 1-2" of leg and squeeze to make the skin/leg meat bunch up. Then inject into that. I actually didn't know that putting the skin flat was a thing until I had a really bad bout of needle anxiety and started watching videos of other guys injecting. I have yet to try it myself, since what I do works fairly well for me.

I want to switch to subcutaneous injections but my doctor says she doesn't know enough about them to feel comfortable with it

Okay. I'll try bunching the skin up first on my left thigh since the next shot will be there. And if I still freak out, I'll try the butt method. Hopefully one of the methods work.

I find that you don't need to dart a needle in to the point that sucker is going all the way in but you just want to get past that initial skin breakage or else it hurts trying to slowly poke yourself. After it breaks skin then you can slowly insert it the rest of the way.

Yesterday I took mine when I got home from work. I did it standing up like someone else suggested and it worked out a lot better for me. only took me a few seconds and it didn't hurt as much. No more sitting on the toilet here.

Funny things about muscles... they move. If you are tense when giving the shot all sorts of moving may be going on. I had issues early on with this. All it took was one not so good shot to get me totally anxious for the next 3-4 which all went badly which....

You also may be going through 2 different muscle groups with them moving in different directions. Exactly where you do the shot and how long the needle is makes a difference. Initially you go through fat then hit muscle and maybe another muscle with a little low resistance spot in between the two. Tense up the leg or move it at all and...  

Quote from: JoanneB on June 18, 2016, 02:04:52 PM
Funny things about muscles... they move. If you are tense when giving the shot all sorts of moving may be going on. I had issues early on with this. All it took was one not so good shot to get me totally anxious for the next 3-4 which all went badly which....

You also may be going through 2 different muscle groups with them moving in different directions. Exactly where you do the shot and how long the needle is makes a difference. Initially you go through fat then hit muscle and maybe another muscle with a little low resistance spot in between the two. Tense up the leg or move it at all and...  

That might be the resistance I'm feeling then. I usually poke in, am fine, then halfway through I feel pain and once I get through that (which is like I'm breaking skin again) it's fine. Mostly.

Sat on the floor and bunched up the injection spot today. Thanks for the suggestion cause it didn't hurt nearly as much! Went in smooth, and only pinched twice. Felt the sting that usually comes when I get halfway through but that didn't even hurt as much. Guess I'll be doing this on the floor from now on.

Quote from: LatrellHK on June 21, 2016, 10:31:14 AM
Sat on the floor and bunched up the injection spot today. Thanks for the suggestion cause it didn't hurt nearly as much! Went in smooth, and only pinched twice. Felt the sting that usually comes when I get halfway through but that didn't even hurt as much. Guess I'll be doing this on the floor from now on.

Yay! Glad to hear it all worked out for you man!

Arm injection Video


Z track very effective and will reduce residual swelling pain and fluid loss from the shot,


My advice is to use the two needle technique so the needle going in your skin isn't blunted and aspirate before you inject. This is where you insert the needle, pull back on plunger a bit (there should be resistance to this and it snaps right back) then inject if there is not pain, blood or any fluid that is not the medication. This insures you aren't to close or in a blood vessel to a blood vessel (blood or fluid), nerve (there would just be pain).

I know its bad to say if your afraid of them but sometimes a longer (not fatter) needle is better if it means getting the medication where it's supposed to be. Also might want to try standing with the leg propped up on a chair like your tying your shoe. This way you lean most of your weight on your other leg but your injection leg is flexed but not engaged being strained like standing or sitting with you feet at 90*angle. I would be careful with the butt injections (no pun intended) simply because there are lots of nerves there.

Get used to the procedure and be methodical about it, it will get quicker and you will be better at it, hence less pain. I'm not injecting T myself yet (can't wait)  but have been giving IM injections for 11 years or so I'm quick and my patients barely feel it.

Good luck boys message me if you need encouragement or more tips