doing injections

[NoahsArk]

how do I get over my fear of needles, i'll be on trt soon. just wondering I don't wanna to the doctor ever week lol

 

[Flyboy84]

I had a big problem with this when I started TRT about 18 months ago. I developed a routine where I would inject every Friday night. I'd come home from work, have a couple drinks and a shower to calm down, then get it over with. Some other things you can do are to inject with the smallest needle that oil will flow through. Most prescription tests are cotton seed oil and they flow fine through 25 guage. You can also get a topical analgesic to numb the injection area.

After you do it a few times, it becomes just another thing; especially after you start to notice the benefits. At roughly 6 weeks, the quality of life improvements were so big, I'm not sure how I lived before. It definitely isn't the funnest part of my week, but I'll never go back.

Good luck and learn to use the advanced search on this forum, there's tons of great information and experiences here going back for years; it's definitely helped me.

 

[faytrain1]

Do subcutaneous injections. Small needle no pain

 

[Hyde]

27g insulin syringes can draw and push oil just fine if it’s a needle size thing. That’s what I use in my delts and pecs. Or quads if your doctor shows you, but I avoid them personally due to the abundance of nerves in certain areas of quads.

I use 25g in glutes for larger injections; glutes are terrific as they are tough and have very little PIP generally besides your first weeks of shots (virgin muscle unaccommodated to injections always hurts for a while). The needle needs to be longer than you think, so don’t let the length scare you. You will barely feel the initial prick. Using a big mirror can help you see what are doing. Laying in front of one, or leaning against the wall on the opposite foot of the glute you are pinning in front of a mirror make it easier to see.

You just have to go for it; it does get easier as you get used to it and you will get comfier with it, maybe even begin to look forward to your shots because you know the benefits it brings.

Always let your alcohol fully dry over the swabbed site before you pin so it doesn’t sting.

 

[CasperKValentine]

Brings back memories. I remember sitting on the toilet seat for about 5 mins with the syringe working up the courage to stick it in my leg. You just need to get past the first time. Each shot gets easier and it honestly only takes a few pins and you start getting used to it. Not long after that it becomes no big deal.

 

[hyperCat]

When I first started injections, I had to go to my doctor so a nurse could show me how. So there I am sitting in my underwear and she shows me how to draw the oil. Well she kept the same needle which was a 1.5 18g (I’m pretty sure that’s what it was). F$ckin huge needle, and she’s saying to just plunge it into my thigh like throwing a dart. I said the whole needle? She was like yep. I knew right then it was going to be a long morning . I hesitated over and over. After about 15 minutes she said she could just give it to me in my glute, but I wanted to start doing it myself to save trips to the doctor. After about 15 more minutes, I finally jabbed it in. I was surprised it didn’t hurt that much, but the whole experience was a little embarrassing. But lemme tell ya, the pip over the next 3 days was brutal. Could barely walk. Learned real quick what a 1” 23g was, and later what a 5/8 25g was for my delts. I also use that for quads when I want to rotate sites, and barely feel anything. It becomes just another thing to do every week.

 

[SkRaw85]

When I first started injections, I had to go to my doctor so a nurse could show me how. So there I am sitting in my underwear and she shows me how to draw the oil. Well she kept the same needle which was a 1.5 18g (I’m pretty sure that’s what it was). F$ckin huge needle, and she’s saying to just plunge it into my thigh like throwing a dart. I said the whole needle? She was like yep. I knew right then it was going to be a long morning . I hesitated over and over. After about 15 minutes she said she could just give it to me in my glute, but I wanted to start doing it myself to save trips to the doctor. After about 15 more minutes, I finally jabbed it in. I was surprised it didn’t hurt that much, but the whole experience was a little embarrassing. But lemme tell ya, the pip over the next 3 days was brutal. Could barely walk. Learned real quick what a 1” 23g was, and later what a 5/8 25g was for my delts. I also use that for quads when I want to rotate sites, and barely feel anything. It becomes just another thing to do every week.

She was laughing her azz off at the bar that night with her coworkers.

 

[Kronic]

damn y'all gotta use big needles for the oil huh. I was thinking how much better the 31 gauge is compared to 29 but y'all are doing 25 ha! (I'm just doing water based stuff)

 

[Hyde]

damn y'all gotta use big needles for the oil huh. I was thinking how much better the 31 gauge is compared to 29 but y'all are doing 25 ha! (I'm just doing water based stuff)

You won’t get oil through a 31. I mean maybe if you backload it and heat it you could push it, but you don’t have enough hours in the day to wait to draw oil through a 31.

Even L-Carnitine, which is water-based, I use 28g slinpins because 29g just takes forever, but 28 is an acceptable increase over 27g. Peptides go fine with 29-30g.

27g is the smallest I use to push oil, provided the shots are 1ml or less. 25 or 26g if it’s 1.0-3.0ml.

 

[Pswain78]

I used 25g for about 6 months then switched to 27g and it was so much easier and pretty much painless. About 2 weeks ago I bought some 30g 5/8” and they are 100% painless and so easy to use. I will never inject with anything larger.

 

[Rocket3015]

It will get easy over time, don't sweet it!!

 

[Azziko]

the best thing you can do is just not be a pussy. Put it in there like a dart, release the test and take it out. You make it harder by worrying about it so much.

 

[Kronic]

the best thing you can do is just not be a pussy. Put it in there like a dart, release the test and take it out. You make it harder by worrying about it so much.

"like a dart" couldn't this bend the needle if done wrong?

 

[SkRaw85]

Lol

 

[Hyde]

the best thing you can do is just not be a pussy. Put it in there like a dart, release the test and take it out. You make it harder by worrying about it so much.

Yeah honestly this is well said. Like pulling a bandaid off when you aren’t comfortable with it all yet. Slip it in and push.

 

[Rocket3015]

"like a dart" couldn't this bend the needle if done wrong?

Could, but I have never seen it happen !!

 

[Dizaster]

I think Sub Q is less scary than into muscle. I started with Sub Q with a 27guage 1/2" and I was as terrified as anyone, but after your first pin it is never the same.
Here are some tips.
A) Wait until the alcohol you use to clean the site has dried. If still wet when you pin it will sting like hell.
B ) The only pain you feel is the prick at the skin. You don't feel anything once it pierces through..
DON'T dart it in... Just slowly press the tip of the needle to your skin, you will feel the point, but you realise it is not that bad. Then just slowly press a little firmer, which doesn't cause any extra pain, and suddenly the needle pierces and starts going in and you feel nothing...
If you can handle that initial feeling of the point touching your skin (not even going in), the rest is a breeze, and painless.
C) To at least make the first shot easier, if your syringe doesn't have a fixed needle (changable tips), draw with one needle, then remove that and replace with a fresh one to do your pinning. The fresh tip will be sharper and go in easier.
D) Choose the smallest needle required to pin with. 27 guage is fine for subq and leaner areas if doing IM. Half Inch also is fine for Sub Q and Shallow IM.
E) As I mentioned, injecting in to belly fat seems less intimidating than muscle, but when I switched to IM I chose the Ventralglute site (basically just below your hip bone), and I actually found this was less painful than belly, and actually in my body anway, some parts of that area have basically zero nerve endings and sometimes I don't even feel the needle prick, so that is an option too over IM..
F) Inject slowly. I inject slow and pause regularly just to give the oil a bit if time to disperse. I have never hand post injection pain, apart from my very first IM shot which was a dull ache for 2 days.
Gentle and patient is a good way to operate.
G) If you are really shitting yourself, taking a couple of pain killers 45 minutes before injection will dull the 'prick' to 'mind' connection and you'll just feel the physical part less than you would normally. You'll only need to do this the first time.
H) Get into a comfortable position and relax before injecting, make a coffee while your drawing your oil etc, and sit down and have a sip while your getting ready to pin, put a youtube video on to watch etc... Just, relaxing..


You could make your first shot worse than need be by using a thicker longer needle than needed and going into a more difficult or painful site,, but it can also be very easy and you'll never look back after the first shot.

I get excited for pin days now and it's part of a relaxing morning routine for me... I was as terrorized as anyone to do my first shot... I am STILL terrified of blood tests and getting flu shots etc and can't watch anyone else sticking a needle in me,,, but doing it to yourself just becomes normal almost right after your first successful shot. Just the mental 'knowing' you can stick a little metal thing into your skin and be 100% fine afterwards, it gets you over the fear immediately.

 

[Smont]

"like a dart" couldn't this bend the needle if done wrong?

Unless you're part rhinoceros it's not going to bend the needle. I have bought really cheap 30 gauge slin pins before and they occasionally would kind of bend to one side slightly if I moved it around too much while it was already inserted, but the act of sticking the pin itself in is not going to bend it

 

[Smont]

Just don't go bargain shopping for the absolute cheapest pins you can find, purchase them from a reliable medical supplier if you're worried about that happening

 

[Rocket3015]

You may just look forward to it after awhile

 

[Smont]

You may just look forward to it after awhile

That's what happened to me, then after months of daily pins you start getting sick of it lol

 

[Rocket3015]

That's what happened to me, then after months of daily pins you start getting sick of it lol

YEP !