I used to be the patient who had to lie down before getting a shot of anything because there was a serious possibility I might faint. In fact, my friend’s mom once tried to do some acupressure on my neck using a sharp pen, and despite the fact that it never actually punctured my skin, I fully passed out on their kitchen floor.
Now, I’m injecting myself with needles constantly, and am totally over it — in the stomach, thighs, butt cheeks, both subcutaneous (just under the skin) and intramuscular (right in the muscle). And here’s proof that exposure therapy REALLY works: I’ve actually gotten so bored with these injections that I’ve begun timing myself, to see how fast I can administer a Lupron shot from the moment I unbutton my pants to the second I put the alcohol swab on my skin to stop the bleeding.
My times so far:
Jan. 2: 1 min, 42 sec.
Jan. 3: 1 min, 33 sec.
Jan. 4: 1 min, 30 sec.
The secret to speed largely comes down to whether or not there are any air bubbles in the syringe, and also how fast the alcohol swab packet tears — sometimes it’s a nice, clean break, but other times it’s like wrestling with a stubborn packet of cereal. Of course, my hubby has warned me many times, “THIS IS NOT A RACE”, and I obviously don’t want to sacrifice my health or risk getting the dosage wrong. But honestly, we need to inject some fun into these infertility routines (see what I did there? inject? Eh? Eh?)! Maybe I should add a fun soundtrack, too, like Flight of the Bumble Bee!
What do you guys do to make injection time inneresting?
Yeah, Science! 
My husband would do my butt injections for me. We made it slightly more fun by joking about my bare ass in the air and then counting the shots down. “One down, 69 to go!” we’d cheer. Not nearly as fun as timing the process, though. I wish I would have thought of that!
L.
O.
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To this whole post!
(that’s all I have to say)
You are my hero. I am a total needle phobe and although I forced myself to do a few Luprons (just to prove I could) I eventually decided it wasn’t worth the stress (full on panic reaction with pounding heart, quick breathing, shaking hands, etc) so now M does them. If he’s not around at some point, you can come over and do mine for me, how’s that?
Deal! I’m kind of getting to be a pro… :)
Good for you for making it fun! Love it! Dan and I had a pact where he owed me one hug, one kiss and a little neck rub per shot. That’s an incentive! :)
When I had to give myself Lovenox injections I used to reward myself with a pat on the back and a Lindor truffle (or two or three or seven). I would literally pat myself on the back, say “Good job, Sarah!” and then eat my hard-won chocolate. K thought I was crazy, but it made the injections ten times better!
Haha, I love this! Don’t know why I never thought of a reward at the end of it… I guess a baby would be a pretty good reward, but let’s be realistic. :)
I’m impressed. I still have to lie down and haven’t had the nerve to do any injections myself. The only improvement is I don’t get lightheaded and can get right up – I used to have to stay laying down for a while. I once passed out in my uncle’s dermatology office because I WATCHED him stick a needle in someone else. Yeah. I don’t even have to be the one getting poked to feel faint.
That is so impressive! Not only your speed (wow!) but also your ability to do this with a sense of humor!! Any PIO shots yet? That is what I really need tips on!!
Yes! I’ve totally stabbed my own butt with a PIO shot, multiple times… it’s totally easy, once you get the hang of it. Just watch a couple of the YouTube tutorials first. I only had one mishap (where the needle flew out of my hand and landed in my knee… long story), but generally they’re totally doable!
The only fun thing we did was compare the pain to recent injections in the past. Several times, I said, “great stick, honey!” And I meant it!
When I did my own, I didn’t time them, but I would race myself to get them done as quickly as possible. I am MUCH faster than my husband at giving PIO shots ;)
God I hope I can get to a point when I can be this flippant about injections. They just scare the bejesus out of me at the moment.
I found it helped to kind of smack-talk myself into it… like, “This isn’t going to kill you, it’s barely going to hurt, and it’s not as if you have cancer, so just get the fuck over it!” That’s what I kept saying in my brain, but you also have to be quick about it and not sit there with the needle poised over your tummy for 10 minutes. The less build-up, the better. :)
I fully support adding the soundtrack, as long as you create and widely distribute a short movie. I would watch it so many times.
Can’t say I miss the injections.