Giving yourself the Progesterone shot after embryo transfer

[needlephobic]

Hi i am having an embryo transfer next week and i have to start my progesterone shots this friday. my husband is out of town, so the first 2 I have to do on my own. Has anyone given these to themselves? i am needle phobic and the needle is quite long and freaks me out! i know just thinking about a great outcome may help mentally, however self infliction of pain is difficult. I've been told to ice it so the area will be numb, but wont you still feel the needle once it hits your muscle? Any help or advice would be greatly apprecaited. Thanks!

[kerpupples]

After watching my DH do my shots long enough I was able to do my own when the need arose. I found that the numbing of the ice hurt more than the needle itself so I eventually stopped icing...but if it will decrease your fear factor, I say by all means, ice! You'd be amazed how much you actually don't feel the needle when it goes in. It's the knots afterwards that can get you. If you hold the syringe in your hand for a few minutes before the shot to warm the oil and put a heating pad right on the injection spot immediately after, it should greatly reduce your knots.

I have to do my own again next week when I go on a business trip. So you're not alone!

[Fluffypuppygal]

So far I have been lucky, and DH has done all of mine, but here are the back-ups I thought up as "just in case," since I also have a needle phobia...

1.) Copy the instructions and get two close friends prepped on how to give IM shots. Let them know the time you need them and that you will give them 24 hours head's up if they are going to be called for help!

2.) As long as the vial is clearly labeled and you call in advance, many clinics won't have a problem helping you out once in a blue moon with the injections and usually won't charge anything as long as you bring all the supplies. I have a PCP who is close and opens at 8am, so if they know in advance that I need the help, they usually will make time for me since I don't need to see the doctor.

I'm not sure what to do about shots when you are out of town. That would be tricky!
Good luck!

[iriecricket]

Hi Needlephobic. Like you, my husband has a needle phobia so I pretty much knew from the beginning that I would be self-injecting the progesterone. I didn't find it to be all that bad. The hardest part is getting the needle to break the skin -- I often found that some needles went in easily while others seemed to be more dull. On some days, it seemed like holding the needle at an angle made breaking the skin a little easier. Then, I would straighten the needle out so it went in at a right angle. Once the needle has broken the skin, the rest of the injection is pretty easy. I didn't use ice or heat packs and thankfully, had no reactions to the progesterone. Since I'm right-handed, the shots were obviously easier on the right side but the left side isn't unmanageable.

This probably sounds funny but I can't watch a needle go into my arm when someone else is drawing my blood, etc. However, because the IM shots don't require you to puncture a vein, the "gross factor" just isn't the same.

Good luck!
Lynn

[loopie]

hi needle

I was lucky enough to have dh give the PIO shots to me, however along with my prescription of progesterone in oil, my doc prescribed "lidocaine cream" - I would put this on the injection site and cover it with a small piece of plastic wrap and wait for about 20-30 minutes until the spot was numb and voila! couldn't feel that big old needle a bit! - this was super helpful as I had some severe nerve damage to that area due to back surgery

as for assistance with the injection itself- ask your RE or RE nurse if you could have them do it just for those 2 days- even if you have to pay- not knowing what to expect as dh wont have even given you a shot yet - you don't want to risk not getting your progesterone correctly after all you've already been through!

best of luck to you and for a successful BFP

cheers

loopie

[4fanops]

I was told not to ice before injecting progesterone, because the cold does not allow the medication to absorb into the muscle. Ask your MD for a lidocaine cream to numb the area prior to injecting. I was told to apply heat to the area before and after injecting to prevent build up in the muscle! Good luck.