What size needle are you using? I alternate between the 22.5 gauge 1.5" and 23 gauge 1". Also, try putting a heating pad on the sore area for about 20 min. It does get better, I know that's hard to believe, but eventually it will all just become numb
Some of us have more trouble than others tolerating the shot. I'm a nurse so I know I'm doing it right BUT my hips can get so sore they hurt all the time. I ended up asking for a prescription of EMLA cream. It's a lidocaine cream that numbs the area. You put on a very small dab, cover it with a plastic (I use a sandwich baggy & tuck it in place with my pants), go about your business for 45min to an hour, then get the shot. I can't even feel it go in most times. So then I just have the residual soreness to deal with. For that I make sure I massage the area while in the shower & before I go to sleep to work out some of the lumps & bruises. Heating pad can help too, but make sure not to get too hot as that's bad for the embies.
Your MD gave you good advise to not ice the area. That will end up destroying your hips because it makes the oil take longer to disperse. Also some women actually end up with frost bite damage on their rear ends.
Take care & good luck,
2ndtimer
That's weird b/c my RE said icing it helps. I've been icing it for about 2 minutes while DH prepares the shot...he gives me the shot- I BARELY feel it go in. Then I sit on a heating pad on low for about 5 minutes afterwards....no problems. Today, I decided to try other people's advice- heat it for a few minutes before and after- HOLY COW! It hurt today! Maybe the ice is ok b/c I'm not doing it for long so it's really just numbing the outer layer of skin a little bit. All I know is I'm going back to my original routine!
Hello,
When i was going through my IVF process my doc gave me progesterone that was water base, not oil base and the needle was much smaller because of that.
May be you can ask your doc to give your prescription for water base, it is sooo much better.
Vlada.
I ice the area for 20 minutes prior to the shot and I do not feel a thing. Dh rubs the injection area afterwards for a few minutes so the prog. doen't clump. I never feel anything so that works for us!
Another very important thing is to release the medication slowly. One of the things that hurt the most is the expansion of the tissue, so if you release it fast the tissue expands very fast and has no time to find a place to be dispersed so it hurts. So make sure it is released very very slowly, that will help a lot
Vicky
4th IVF 09/07....:D BFP !!!! :D....Benjamin born 06/18/08
[img]http://b1.lilypie.com/s07Tm5/.png[/img]
Hi there!
I feel your pain when it comes to the PIO shots! On my first round of IVF for the first 5 or 6 shots, I was using 25 gauge, 1 1/2 inch needle, and let me tell you....I couldn't move the next day!!! I didn't have pain DURING the shot..it was like a few hours AFTER. It was the most painful process though the whole IVF, and I was so miserable, I just wanted to sit and have a good cry! Once I sat in a chair, I honestly couldn't get up!! I talked to my ER, and he said that due to my size (I'm about 120 pds. 5 4") that I could use a 1" needle. Let me tell you...that was the best news EVER. He assured me that the meds will still go where they need to go, possibly the needle was just too long and going in too deep. After changing needles I have had no pain what so ever. I don't need ice, I don't need heat. The rest was a breeze! I can still feel where the needle went in if I press on that area afterwards, but pain is next to nothing, and now that I am currently doing a FET, I am not dreading them one bit. So, it doesn't hurt to ask, I am sure glad I spoke up!!!
Good Luck to you!!
Me and DH 30
lots of clomid
3 iui's w/gonal-f-bfn
2 fresh ivf-bfn
2 FET-bfn
We're a mystery :(
My nurse gave me a small tub of ointment that will numb the skin. I think its the same stuff that dentist use on kids before they give a shot. Anyway, My DH puts a small amount, lets it sit for a minute then rubs it off with alcohol. I never feel the shot...it's like magic!
Also, you mention your butt hurts..but this shot actually goes way above your butt, and into your hip. That was my problem...I was actually giving this injection in my rear, as opposed to where I was supposed to!
A lady on here said this a while back..and this is what I did.
Nurse circled two area's where it should go (one on each side). I went home and got a pair of granny pants...circled on the undies where the shots should go, and then cut those circles out. Put on the undies, and hubby could choose where to give the shot. I only needed the underwear a couple of times, and then I knew where.