#injection tips

[red-bat-arse]

Injection Tips for Needle Nervous

From someone who had to deal with a fear of needles while learning how to do testosterone shots. To be clear, I'm 28 years old and have been doing weekly IM injections in my thighs for 18 months.

PREP -Listen to the information given for the possible injection sites; you may prefer or find it easier to deal with IM vs SubQ based on the options your doctor gives you. If you're able, schedule at least 6-8 injection days of clinic visits so a nurse can teach you how to inject properly, and you can take your time absorbing. If you're still nervous, try purchasing a 'shot blocker' since they can help with not feeling the needle. If it's the possible pain that bothers you, I used to pinch hard at the area with my nails to sort of say 'that's what you're expecting, see, it's not that bad!' This technique has also helped me with getting my blood drawn, which to go on T you'll have to deal with as well.

ROUTINE -Once I left the supervision of the clinic nurses and started injecting at home, I made sure to establish a routine. You'll need to find your own, and here's mine for reference; with a little wiggle room (like doing it in the morning if I know I'll be busy in the evening) I stick to the same rhythm every week. Set up my station, use the toilet (you don't want to be antsy handling a needle), press play on a song and wash hands, then my draw system [sanitize stopper, draw, switch needle size, get rid of air bubbles, adjust to relax, sanitize thigh, breathe, inject, pressure with a tissue until the song ends], then I clean up and put the needles immediately in my sharps box. It really helps to know exactly what you're getting into so unexpected changes (like injecting while a little drunk, I don't recommend this but it might happen) are easier to handle.

DISCIPLINE -I put on a 5 minute song and do my whole routine in that time, it works for me. Too short and you'll feel rushed, too long and you might procrastinate, so get into the habit. I give myself a four hour window and as soon as I feel like I could do it, I go for it.

CHILL -As mentioned, I put on a song, for me stoner metal or blues works the best since it soothes and zones me in. I do my shot in the evening so if I freak out a bit I can just go to bed. I put on my comfiest layers and have a treat after, too.

EXPERIMENT -While there are aspects of it all you must do a certain way, you won't always know the best way to do things for yourself of available options even once you've been taught, so let yourself feel it out. I was shown the quick jab method at first to get over my hesitation, but now I find I feel it less if I insert the needle slowly. I switched from 25G to 22G needles when the smaller size proved more difficult to inject due to the consistency of testosterone, and I also found a shorter needle length got rid of some residual anxiety over the actual insertion part. I used to do everything in the morning and now I solely do it in the evening. You can change some parts of the process to make yourself feel better! 

FRIEND -I've got an assistant who sits on my other leg while I go through my routine, his name is Snippers;

And I've found I'm less jittery with him there and my heart races less in the preamble to actually piercing skin. I keep him with me afterwards especially if I had a harder time than usual, which can happen even after doing this a long time.

And lastly;

BELAY THAT -Give yourself an out. Besides a situation like if I run out before my prescription can get refilled, I told myself I could skip one (1) injection per year, if I was having a super bad time and just couldn't. So far I haven't had to use it -at the most I've just waited until the next evening. My doctor has said that's fine and I don't have to inform her if I skip once, but that might not be the same for everyone. Either way I think giving yourself breathing room is essential to take the pressure off -self-injecting might be affirming, but it isn't always fun or easy!

I also think it should go without saying that these tips are things that have helped based on my own personal experience from the past year and a half. It's fine if they don't work for you or you don't think they're helpful at all -the trans* experience is wide and varied. I'm also not giving anyone medical advice -always learn how to properly administer your medication from a professional. Here is an article about general HRT self injection that may be some help.

But, if you do have difficulty with needles, hopefully this gave you some tips and tricks that could make the process feel more manageable.

[whump-is-my-drug]

You should check Soviet Jeans it has lots psych ward whump

Thanks for feeding my psychiatric whump obsession. I gladly appreciate your tip ❤️

[deus-ex-mona]

i miss renrennnnnnnnnn

[atissi]

if you are 1) currently in a university where your student healthcare covers hormone therapy, and 2) in a good financial, emotional, and social position to start hormone therapy, i would recommend pursuing it. because in my experience, it's a huge pain in the ass to get an endocrinologist once you're on your own

[moe-broey]

Idk if I'm gonna be able to articulate this on the fly like first thing in the morning, but. I think my ENTIRE body of work is This: Examining how family ties, bonds or lack thereof, the good and bad AND ugly, seep into every facet of who we are and how we come to interact with others. How sometimes, a family tie (or again, a Lack of one), will sometimes bleed into how you act and treat specific people. Will bleed into how you CONNECT with those people (or, will be the very reason you fail to do so).

HOWEVER. HOWEVER. THERE IS A DELICATE LINE. A BALANCING ACT. You CANNOT just simply attribute fanon flavored ideas of found family to such characters. That's too simple, and sometimes, is a complete disservice to the specific character you're working with. I am once again bringing up Chilchuck. YES, him being a dad Absolutely seeps into how he treats his party. But if you call him the party's dad, you're Insane. Do you know ANYTHING ABOUT THAT MAN???? He would prefer you didn't. But I digress. He strikes a fascinating balance, between having The Qualities and ESPECIALLY expressing his care for his party in a Really Specific divorced (separated.) father of three fashion, but that does Not make him a "dad friend". He's a professional. He's on business. He's going home at the end of the day, and at the end of this adventure he's thinking of setting up a shop. I wanted to keep this more vague and broad but like. The Chilchuck example REALLY DOES perfectly articulate What I'm trying to get at, here. He's the perfect encapsulation of How his family shapes him, how that bleeds into his relationships with others, vs Who he is as a person.

How we were raised, our family ties, whether you adhere to it or you've fallen FAR from the tree -- you still fell from that stupid fucking tree. It's in your blood. Literally. It gave you shape, whether you liked it or not. And sometimes some things just set off weird domino effects, that also affect us irrevocably forever.

WHICH IS. TO SAY. I have no fucking idea what I'm talking about. I'm always trying to figure that out. Found family is/can be real, you're not strictly bound by blood if you don't wanna be. BUT. The bullshit I'm constantly on, is trying to figure out how to balance all that without slotting everyone into reductive roles. I'm gay and I seek to destroy the nuclear family. Not attempt to recreate nuclear family 2.0. You CAN reconstruct What Family Is/Means from the ground up, but you have to accept that things are going to get Weird. Because you're Queer. You are fundamentally incompatible with the status quo and normalcy, the solution is NOT assimilation and palatability, the solution is to just. Get weirder. And be fluent in canon. Okay. I love you

[transkholins]

had to go to the campus clinic today for what we in the business like to call a "classic matthew knife mishap." the doctor was about to do some chemical cauterization to stop the bleeding and told me it would hurt. "how bad," i asked. "i don't know, because we normally do this with the area numbed," he said. then he asked me if i knew any creative swears because he was "always looking for new ones."

[givemedamage]

i’m so fucking excited for T!!!! my planned parenthood appointment is at the end of the month. i’ll be doing sub q injections i’m pretty sure. i was wondering, if anyone’s equipped to answer, how much testosterone can i buy at once? i’ve tried to google buying T in bulk but unshockingly the only results have to do with Bulking Muslces on T and stuff related, lol. i live in California and i’ll be paying out of pocket for the appointment and stuff, and i’ll try to use goodrx too if the pharmacy allows it, but i noticed on the goodrx app that i can make my quantity like, 12 vials? is that just there because? or can i actually purchase 12 vials to shirk going into the pharmacy frequently? obviously i’m fine w asking planned parenthood or the pharmacy when tbe time comes, but any advice or tips or help here would also be very appreciated

[montammil]

Sorry I've been so busy lately, I promise I'll get up to asks and writings soon!

Recently I've got a new job (hopefully a less stressful one too), and the thing I'm excited about most: testosterone!! :DD

Anyway, thank you for your patience, sorry again!!

[femmefatalevibe]

How can nasolabial folds and mid check lines be eliminated?

You can try Vitamin C serums, exfoliation, and facial exercises (also called face yoga) to prevent/minimize these smile lines to some degree. However, treatments like microneedling, Botox, and dermal fillers can rehabilitate these creased folds in your skin for a smoother, youthful, and plump look.

Hope this helps xx

[beepboopbupbip]

I was doing repairs on the P03 bot and my brain said "children's surgery" and now I'm about to preform repairs on him AND a robot plushie.

I really need to get my ass out the hospital-

[paranoidgemsbok]

this country fucking sucks im gonna try and donate blood tomorrow what is the best way to not pass out

[matoitech]

accidentally spilled testosterone on my counter today cuz i had the bottle tipped down when i took the needle out of it for some reason lol oops. the injecting needle was fine it had just dripped from the bottle itself

[sensible-tips]

Quick Tips for Injections

According to Stealth Bros & Co, provider of luxury medical storage options for transmasculine folks, “...going slow isn’t the answer [to a painless injection]. To reduce pain inject fast at a 90 degree angle for IM [injections] and a 45 degree angle for SubQ”

I like to say “quick jab ain’t that bad; slow poke ain’t a joke”

[mechawolfie]

i cant do anything today i have to emotionally prepare for my testosterone shot (<- could probably do it right now if he wanted to but hes scared)

[skinsimpletrue]

7 Best Temporary Instant wrinkle Remover For Youthful Skin

Do you have a big event and don't have time to get a wrinkle removal treatment? Or you want to know about the best instant wrinkle erasers to keep them in your beauty arsenal. Either way, we've got you covered. 

[zeb-z]

Why am I here, just to suffer? Everybody posting has access to Star Wars: The Bad Batch- Season 2 Vol. 2 (Episodes 9-16) [Original Soundtrack] except for me