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Fear of Needles
I'll be the first to admit my stomach sank to my toes as the RN explained to me my medication regimen whose main participant was subcutaneous injections. You want me to stick that where??
Most of you will giggle when reading this knowing you've climbed the Mount Everast of needles and now scoff at its original intimidation. To those of you looking at the tip of a needle for the first time, it can be scarry. I remember asking myself at the clinic "What have you gotten yourself into???" and wondering for just a moment if it was too late to back out.
Two injections in the morning and two in the evening. I could handle the evening injections, but morning? I don't think I wake up until I finally get to work, make less to give myself a shot! I'm lucky if I get breakfast in the morning!!!
The first Injection
I was originally going to make hubby give me the injections but he seemed too squirmish. Interesting how so many men are so squeamish when it comes to needles! I think we both had a little trouble sleeping that night knowing what was coming in the morning. When I got around to it in the morning I tried to do it myself, but just stood there with the needle about an inch away from my stomach. I deducted that there had to be an invisible force field there so I decided see if hubby would have any better luck penetrating the invisible force field as it was apparently too powerful for me.
I braced onto the door of the bathroom and shut my eyes tight as hubby asked me if I was bracing for impact. I grimaced at his attempt at humor and took the needle back from him and decided once more to try it myself. Pinching my tummy and giving my valiant last attempt effort I finally got the needle in with one fail swoop.
To my surprise I couldn't feel a single thing! I Figured perhaps the pain would come from pushing in the medication, but I didn't feel anything then either.
Other times it did 'sting' a little bit more, but nothing more than a bee sting. After a while I actually began to look forward to my injections, as crazy as that sounds. My husband would kind of coo for me and ask me if I felt okay and was always there with alcohol swabs and became an expert at mixing my medications for me.
I found the best tip was to pinch a large lump of tummy area with my thumb and forefinger tight enough to feel more pain from the area I was holding my skin than the needle entering my skin.
The first one is ALWAYS the hardest! After that you'll become a pro!!
Most of you will giggle when reading this knowing you've climbed the Mount Everast of needles and now scoff at its original intimidation. To those of you looking at the tip of a needle for the first time, it can be scarry. I remember asking myself at the clinic "What have you gotten yourself into???" and wondering for just a moment if it was too late to back out.
Two injections in the morning and two in the evening. I could handle the evening injections, but morning? I don't think I wake up until I finally get to work, make less to give myself a shot! I'm lucky if I get breakfast in the morning!!!
The first Injection
I was originally going to make hubby give me the injections but he seemed too squirmish. Interesting how so many men are so squeamish when it comes to needles! I think we both had a little trouble sleeping that night knowing what was coming in the morning. When I got around to it in the morning I tried to do it myself, but just stood there with the needle about an inch away from my stomach. I deducted that there had to be an invisible force field there so I decided see if hubby would have any better luck penetrating the invisible force field as it was apparently too powerful for me.
I braced onto the door of the bathroom and shut my eyes tight as hubby asked me if I was bracing for impact. I grimaced at his attempt at humor and took the needle back from him and decided once more to try it myself. Pinching my tummy and giving my valiant last attempt effort I finally got the needle in with one fail swoop.
To my surprise I couldn't feel a single thing! I Figured perhaps the pain would come from pushing in the medication, but I didn't feel anything then either.
Other times it did 'sting' a little bit more, but nothing more than a bee sting. After a while I actually began to look forward to my injections, as crazy as that sounds. My husband would kind of coo for me and ask me if I felt okay and was always there with alcohol swabs and became an expert at mixing my medications for me.
I found the best tip was to pinch a large lump of tummy area with my thumb and forefinger tight enough to feel more pain from the area I was holding my skin than the needle entering my skin.
The first one is ALWAYS the hardest! After that you'll become a pro!!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Dreams-Matched & Preggy on -
well done jenn..
im not needlephobic by any means-as long as its some one else giving it,but the thought of having to do it to myself.....nahhh..think i will pass and just hope ive definately missed the diabetes rung on the family ladder.
good luck and well done
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Permalink Reply by OhioSurroMom on -
Just dropping by to check in on you and found this thread!! LOL
You are too cute! I've always just applied an ice pack for 5 minutes before injecting and no pain at all! Love those sub-q. Now the IM injections are another story!! I use EMLA cream and wouldn't have it any other way.
I have a HUGE needle phobia. The ice eases the fears a bit with the sub-q and the EMLA takes the fears away for the IM injections. I also give myself all my injections. After the first few transfers, I did allow DH to give me a sub-q injection. By transfer #7....my son was injecting my PIO. lol It's amazing how 'used' to things you get after awhile.
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Permalink Reply by 4 chayrez on -
Yeah needles are just so fun. The sub-q needles are a piece of cake. Its the daily PIO & twice a week estradiol injections that are the hardest to get used to. Even after five cycles I still cringe at the feel of them and the nice hot, burning, lumps they leave. Talk about a sore butt!!!
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Permalink Reply by Jenn on -
Well, I must admit that now I have a new fear to look forward to. All of my previous injections were SubQ... Even the HCG trigger shot. Now I am working with a different clinic and I, thinking I'm the expert by now, said to the donor cordinator nurse "And these will all of course be subq injections for this cycle?" and she said "All of them except the trigger shot... that will be Intromuscular"
AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!
I haven't done Intromuscular before! When I told her my trigger shot with the last clinic was subq she said "Are you sure that was subq? All HCG trigger shots should be Intromuscular" I responded by saying that yes, it WAS (hubby and I had watched the video beforehand and it was indeed subq). Anyway, I had an excellent response to it because even the embryologist said I had an above average response. So, I obviously didn't do it wrong.
BUT now it doesn't matter... and I will have to face the Intromuscular shot. I've been told you have to insert it into the muscle of your buttox (LOL) and then draw the syringe back to make sure there is no blood to ensure you've not hit a vein. And then if there is no blood in the syringe you're OK to inject the medication.
Anyway, I'm nervous about it. I got the subq shots down pat... but this is something new to me that I will surely not be looking forward to.
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Permalink Reply by Cara on -
You poor thing! All my projesterone shots were intromuscular with my first transfer last fall, and I gave them to myself twice a day for 6wks when I then miscarried. They switched me to suppositories after our second transfer this spring, but yeah those shots were not fun! I alternated sides and had bruises, but in a way I got used to it. You'll be ok, it will be over quick!
GS to L&B edd 11.27
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Permalink Reply by OhioSurroMom on
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Jenn,
Keep in mind that not all clinics have the same protocol. I did have one cycle that "needle free" and the only needle was immediately following transfer. They gave me a PIO injection, because they didn't want me doing the suppository that evening.
I know I said it before, but ELMA cream is a good buffer.
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