Ive been going to my doc now for about 6months to get my shots.  However, i have to pay HK$600 (nearly US$80) to get my shot since he is private.  I told him that for financial reasons i cant keep paying and if I could buy my own T and bring it to him.  He said that was fine but i would still have to pay HK$200.  I then asked him if he could teach me how to self-inject so in the long run iwouldnt have to keep coming back but hew said 'no, thats too dangerous.  You need professionals to do it"  But dont all FTM's eventually learn how to self-inject? Isnt it expected of FTM's to learn eventually? I asked him what happens if i wanted to travel or go overseas for awhile.  He told me that i should just skip all the shots until i come back!  I dont have a choice to see anyone else as the local docs dont know much about Trans issues and they would refuse to do it.  In the long run, financially, i couldnt keep it up - going to the docs.  I need to learn.  Isnt it the docs responsibility to teach their patients so they can be independant, and take care of themselves?

Hell yes self-injecting! I only had the first 4 or so done by the nurse and at the same time learned how to use the needle and draw the testosterone etc. then did about 3 injections with supervision and was given the go-ahead to do it myself at home.

That doctor just sounds like they want easy money >_< lol

Most transitioning people self-inject. I have no idea what your doctor is on about. As long as you know how to inject properly into the muscle, don't reuse needles, etc., it's not dangerous.

Sounds to me as if HK is completely backwards when it comes to trans-health care.    Obviously, it's better if you've got someone to show you how and make sure you are doing it properly, but in a pinch, if you can't get a doctor or nurse to show you, there are a bunch of videos on youtube that feature transmen showing how they do their injections.  This one is my favorite. (It's cheesy, but in a good way.  And it actually tells you more than I got from my medical professionals.)

Can you find another trans individual in the area who could teach you how to self-inject?  Maybe through support groups or something?

Hey Jamie, thanks for the vid!  Appreciate the help.

Quicksand.  There are no support groups here unfortunately but I do know an FTM who would be able to show me how to inject.  It would just be nice to have my doc show me how to do it u know.  I still want to keep my doc so he can write me my surgery letter when i need it.  Can tell u Hong Kong aint the place to be when transitioning thats for sure...

Easy money for them im sure.

You might also want to remind him that people with diabetes self inject all over the world...

He brought that up himself saying that 'if it was an everyday necessity such as diabetes then it would be ok but because its intramuscular its more dangerous and seeing as you do it once every few weeks its best u just come in.'  I dont know...

Hi Shelina,
Your doctor is such a prick to enmesh you. With $80 in my country you can have have hormones for 2 months.

ADVICE:
Whether Testosterone or Estrogen the techniques is the same. I started self-injecting Estradiol Valerate for more than 1 month now. I use a technique that a boyfriend nurse showed me and I wanna share with you and it's up to you to see if you wanna try it.

The safest place is the upper arm.

1. Clean the area you will inject with an antiseptic or just simply wash the area.

2. Prepare a mini-band aid.

3. Fill your syringe with the hormone.

4. Touch the tip of the needle to the part you wanna inject, then SLOWLY inject yourself. Once it reaches the optimum depth, press it to diffuse the hormone in your body.

5. When done, slowly remove the needle, then you put the band aid. The band aid must stay minimum 24 hours to avoid infection.


NEVER SELF-INJECT IN YOUR BUTT, MY NURSE FRIEND TOLD ME THERE IS A VEIN IN THE BUTTOCKS THAT IF YOU ACCIDENTALLY HIT IT, IT CAN PARALYSE YOU FOR LIFE!

Hey JoshB, you look 100% male, very handsome!

Unless you have a very practised and professional technique, no more than 0.5ml should be injected into the deltoid (upper arm muscle). Quads and glutes are larger muscles and it is therefore better to inject anything more than 0.5ml in them...

I've been self injecting since the first shot. My endo wants all his transpatients to learn how to do it themselves so they don't have to keep paying for injection visits and when they travel. He gave me instructions on it and answered any questions.

The first shots I would get bruising and pain for several days but I'm getting better. I get less or no bruising, less pain and it doesn't last as long. I inject every week. I could be wrong but I think most transmen do their own shots eventually. As long as you follow directions and keep things sterile you should be O.K.

Sorry guy, but it sounds like your doctor's just saying this stuff so he'll keep getting $$$.

Hitting a vein with a needle will not paralyze you for life.
You need to sever a nerve to cause paralysis of any kind.

Min's right. Your nurse friend is having you on or hasn't a clue. You don't get paralyzed from hitting a vein. And there's no more risk from shooting in the butt than anywhere else - if you're flexible enough, it's a good place to shoot T because of the lack of nerves.

Dennis

I can't imagine why any doctor would tell you not to self-inject. I've never had anyone else do my shots; the day I got my first T prescription, my doctor showed me how to inject, then had me do my first shot in front of her so she knew I had the technique down. It's much cheaper, and considering I'll have to do a shot a week until I die, pretty much, I don't think it would make much sense otherwise. If your doc won't budge on this, I'd recommend going to someone else.

SD

Same as above did the first shot in the docs office. Not sure why they Doc would not have you do it on your own, unless they just want the money.
Myles

Quote from: myles on September 19, 2009, 09:42:47 PM
Same as above did the first shot in the docs office. Not sure why they Doc would not have you do it on your own, unless they just want the money.
Myles

yeah, either he's grossly misinformed or he plans to milk you for years. besides the travel and money issue, you don't want to be dependent on him for your shots.

I think most FTMs in the US tend to get the first few shots done, then learn to self-inject. Then there are those who get a bit of counseling, it's just dead-on that I'm a man, know I'm a man, have known I'm a man etc so no quibbles about that, plus being low-income means, Here's your needles and stuff Bud, figure it out! So I read a ton on the Internet, PLUS I'd done a lot of watching while a vet tech years ago plus been on the recieving end of lots of needles in the Army etc so ... I just figured it out.

I'm having less trouble now that it's been almost 3 months, injecting weekly, with those oh-so-manly #22's. Yes I'm gonna try to get some #24's or so next order.

My doc said to use the leg not the butt too but mainly I don't feel good about twisting around that much, I may try it sometime but for now the leg works, I alternate legs. Last week's shot the needle was a bit dull and I'm stubborn and didn't want to change it out (some of 'em seem to be dull right out of the package) so I just felt it more than usual.

I'm NOT going to say "anyone can do this" but I AM going to say "it's a learn-able skill".

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Post Merge: September 19, 2009, 11:26:54 PM

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Let me say something, when you poke it in the skin will complain, that's it's job. The job of the skin is to raise the alarm if something pokes it. Once you're in the skin, and a skilled, sure, confident hand, the kind some docs and nurses have that can just give you a shot without your hardly feeling it, can make this almost a non-issue. When you're new you're gonna notice it, and the nice thing you'll learn is, once the needle has made a hole in the skin, the stuff under it has a lot less nerves, and of course the sides of the needle are smooth, you'll feel a "buttery" feeling as it slides in, and you may feel the needle nudging through layers below the skin, basically going from the fat layer to various thin layers of fascia the muscle bodies are wrapped in, no big deal. You may get a bit of soreness at the injection site the day or two afterward, but again no big deal, you won't be limping or anything.

There are tons of vids on YouTube of guys injecting too so you can learn from these.

I'm just grateful to have a sis that is a registered nurse and willing to stab me.