Hi Guys!

Today was my fourth injection and I freaked out a little. I did everything as I always do. Aspirated the needle and what not but this time I felt a sting when I darted the needle in and figured that it is just what happens sometimes. Pulled the plunger back and there was no blood but a bubble went through the liquid so I got worried. I ended up not pushing the whole dose because I was freaking out about the air bubble but when I pulled the needle out there was a lot of blood which has never happened before. It stopped but I am completely anxious now.

Has this happened to anyone before? i tried getting a hold of my doctor to talk to them but their number isn't working

That wasn't a bubble per se, rather you pulled a vacuum. Sometimes bleeding happens after and sometimes you hit a nerve which always sucks.

Are you in pain? Do you feel unusual? If not, probably fine.

I'm not in any pain and don't feel any more unusual than I already do. Someone at an Urgent Care told me that I probably hit capillaries on the way in or out. It's incredibly stressful

I hit something once and blood spurted about 4 feet. Made quite the mess but overall no damage done. Weird stuff happens sometimes. I typically keep a small piece of toilet paper and a bandaid nearby and I hold the toilet paper close up as I pull the needle out. Most of the time, there's no need for it. But once every 3-6 months there's usually enough blood to warrant it.

on my 10th month of my injections, I did everything as usual and I must have hit something because when I pulled the need out after pushing the dosage, there was blood every where.  after a few minutes, it stopped and I had a nice hematoma.  I kept an eye on it but nothing came of it.  I guess it happens from time to time.  I have also hit a nerve multiple times and it does feel and look weird when your muscle twitches but from reading other guy's posts it seems to also happen from time to time without much issue.  Good luck! 

Quote from: FTMax on January 12, 2017, 07:47:35 PM
I hit something once and blood spurted about 4 feet. Made quite the mess but overall no damage done. Weird stuff happens sometimes. I typically keep a small piece of toilet paper and a bandaid nearby and I hold the toilet paper close up as I pull the needle out. Most of the time, there's no need for it. But once every 3-6 months there's usually enough blood to warrant it.

Gosh! The doctors really don't prepare anyone for stuff like this happening. I had some gauze nearby thankfully but man it scared me half to death. I suppose as long as you do everything right and you know you're not in a vein it is something. Watch me me incredibly anxious next week but I appreciate your help! Having people to talk to is a great help

Quote from: VictorMike on January 12, 2017, 07:53:50 PM
on my 10th month of my injections, I did everything as usual and I must have hit something because when I pulled the need out after pushing the dosage, there was blood every where.  after a few minutes, it stopped and I had a nice hematoma.  I kept an eye on it but nothing came of it.  I guess it happens from time to time.  I have also hit a nerve multiple times and it does feel and look weird when your muscle twitches but from reading other guy's posts it seems to also happen from time to time without much issue.  Good luck!

Ouch I heard that hitting a nerve is painful. Glad you're okay Thanks for replying. It helps to know that others have gone through some crazy stuff and everything turned out alright.

Getting blood squirting out is simple, you nicked a vein on the way in. Sometimes I get a stream shooting a few inches out. pretty cool when you think think about it. As long as it wasn't you!

As for the pain... After 7-8 years of sticking a needle into my thigh, this 'Scientific Method' engineer cannot understand why this is so. I have no clue why aside from now and then you nick a nerve, just like the vein example above. I can feel the needle tip going through the fat, hitting one muscle, some pain, going deeper, hitting another muscle, still pain (the first one most likely).

Luck of the draw. If it happened in a doc's office you'll complain about the PA doing it.

If you do thigh shots like I do, DO NOT tense you leg up. Make sure you hit the right  muscle groups. And....

Do you know about the 'Z' Track?  Essentially sliding the top of layer of skin off to the side before you inject. When you let go after after injecting and withdrawing (DO NOT Before, it will hurt), that layer of fat and skin will most seal off the tunnel to the mother lode of the "Elixir of Life". Oh.. Also whatever blood for the most part that may squirt out

Quote from: JoanneB on January 12, 2017, 08:14:00 PM
Getting blood squirting out is simple, you nicked a vein on the way in. Sometimes I get a stream shooting a few inches out. pretty cool when you think think about it. As long as it wasn't you!

As for the pain... After 7-8 years of sticking a needle into my thigh, this 'Scientific Method' engineer cannot understand why this is so. I have no clue why aside from now and then you nick a nerve, just like the vein example above. I can feel the needle tip going through the fat, hitting one muscle, some pain, going deeper, hitting another muscle, still pain (the first one most likely).

Luck of the draw. If it happened in a doc's office you'll complain about the PA doing it.

If you do thigh shots like I do, DO NOT tense you leg up. Make sure you hit the right  muscle groups. And....

Do you know about the 'Z' Track?  Essentially sliding the top of layer of skin off to the side before you inject. When you let go after after injecting and withdrawing (DO NOT Before, it will hurt), that layer of fat and skin will most seal off the tunnel to the mother lode of the "Elixir of Life". Oh.. Also whatever blood for the most part that may squirt out

I was shown how to do the thigh injections. He basically said that you're looking to do the injection somewhere along the center of the thigh and not too far to the outside. I didn't know about the moving the skin part at all. Just to dart it in and check to make sure no blood entered the syringe part before pushing the T in. I think I might have tensed up this week too. Will definitely try to hold the skin and thank you!

I've been injecting once a week for fifteen months now. I'd say about fifty percent of the time, I've gotten to the point where I can inject without feeling a single thing--not even the pinch of the needle breaking the skin--and on -most- other attempts, I just feel the initial prick.
Those other random times, though? Holy ****, ouch. I always know I've screwed up when the initial push is followed by an intense sting and a warm rush of blood when I pull out. My HRT specialist said it's common and usually caused by nicking a vein/nerve upon entry or shortly thereafter.

I know this sounds stupid, but I've found that relaxing my leg and 'poking' potential sites with my finger prior to injecting has helped exponentially in pain reduction. There are certain areas that just don't have as much sensitivity, and those are typically the areas that don't produce any feeling/bleeding whatsoever upon being stuck.

Quote from: Stone Magnum on January 12, 2017, 08:37:20 PM
I know this sounds stupid, but I've found that relaxing my leg and 'poking' potential sites with my finger prior to injecting has helped exponentially in pain reduction. There are certain areas that just don't have as much sensitivity, and those are typically the areas that don't produce any feeling/bleeding whatsoever upon being stuck.

I do this! Just a firm poke around the area to see where hurts least that day. It does really seem to help.

2 weeks ago I did mine and I hit a vein. Blood shot across my bathroom and all over my bathroom rug. I get so anxious still after 2 years of doing this every 2 weeks. I also can't push it in fast I have to do it super slow which is even worse lol. I think some people get used to it and some just don't.  I also wipe the cap of my needle with an alcohol pad and then start pushing around areas on my thigh like others do. Whatever area kind of stings is what I try to avoid :p. I have also had blood go into the syringe lol. I've messed up so much but hey it's working still.

Quote from: Stone Magnum on January 12, 2017, 08:37:20 PM
I know this sounds stupid, but I've found that relaxing my leg and 'poking' potential sites with my finger prior to injecting has helped exponentially in pain reduction. There are certain areas that just don't have as much sensitivity, and those are typically the areas that don't produce any feeling/bleeding whatsoever upon being stuck.

I once heard of a nurse who when given injections in the rear would deliver a slap with the hand before injecting. This pretty well prevented you from noticing the injection.

Quote from: FTMax on January 12, 2017, 08:41:38 PM
I do this! Just a firm poke around the area to see where hurts least that day. It does really seem to help.

Hahah, I'm glad I'm not the only one. I got the 'wtf are you doing' face one day when my fiancée walked in on me.
I just made eye contact and kept poking.

Quote from: Dena on January 12, 2017, 09:28:10 PM
I once heard of a nurse who when given injections in the rear would deliver a slap with the hand before injecting. This pretty well prevented you from noticing the injection.

"Want me to show you a little trick to take your mind off that shot?"  - Nurse Payne

Here's a good question.

If you do hit a vein and have blood in the syringe do you discard it all and start over?

Quote from: Silver Centurion on January 12, 2017, 11:58:33 PM
Here's a good question.

If you do hit a vein and have blood in the syringe do you discard it all and start over?

Personally, I don't; I do, however, replace the needle. The type of needles I use have a 'screw on' feature so it's pretty easy to switch it out quickly.
Once a needle punctures something, it becomes a lot duller than one would think. That's just a personal preference, though, because it's perfectly safe to use the same needle twice during one shot session.

The tiny amount of blood in the syringe really isn't going to do much when immediately re-injected. You may have a small bruise in the area where the blood gets trapped under the skin, but otherwise it won't hurt you.

Quote from: Silver Centurion on January 12, 2017, 11:58:33 PM
Here's a good question.

If you do hit a vein and have blood in the syringe do you discard it all and start over?

I don't reuse any of my needles/syringes. I use one larger gauge needle tip with one syringe to draw up the T, then I switch to a smaller gauge needle tip with the same syringe and inject. Regardless of how the shot goes, everything that was used gets tossed once it's over. If something goes wrong while I'm trying to stick the needle in and there's a problem, I may switch the needle tip if I feel like it's been "contaminated" (like once I dropped it on the floor by accident and there was dog hair on it).

I don't aspirate prior to injecting though, so maybe someone who does feels differently about it.

Yeah I use one needle to draw then screw it off and put on another needle to inject with. I can't believe that I didn't ask my doctor about whether or not you can use the T if you drew blood into it if you swap for a new needle to try again. At the time I didn't think about things like that I was too excited and anxious. I'm definitely going to do the pressing the cap on my thigh to see how it feels trick!

I had the same problem yesterday, also my 4th shot. I did everything normal but when I pulled the needle out a ton of blood came out! it ran down my leg and stained my underwear pretty badly. The blood didn't bother me but the fear of injecting into a vein got me concerned. I called the nurses line at my doctors office and she asked me the same questions "does it hurt? did the bleeding stop? how are you feeling? can you wiggle your toes and move you leg normally?"
She said I probably just went through a vein or capillary and if I wasn't feeling anything funny after an hour I was going to be ok.
Really happy my doc has a nurse over the phone. Got medical attention without having to leave the house