Tips Needed 

Surviving Infertility Infertility, , , , , ,

Okay ladies! Its time for you to give me all the tips you have on intramuscular  injections like PIO and Del Estrogen.  I know if anyone has the best kept secrets its you all! Most doctors and nurses havent had those shots injected into their own ass, and although they give valuable tips, they are just not as valuable as yours Im sure. Experience is everything here! 

I did notice that my calendar says to do the PIO shots in the a.m. Im not sure why and need to ask.  Anyone else had the same? Might be an issue in the morning with mine and hubbys schedule if he has to do them for me. Anyone out there do their own PIO or Del injections? I must admit I did my own ass trigger shot because I hated the idea of someone else doing it for me. Although I pulled it off, it wasnt easy to do by any means. 

Until the Lupron Depot shots Ive had the past few months, no one had ever injected me in the butt. Lol.  Id much rather do my own shots, but I have a feeling its not going to be possible with these two. Can I do them myself? And what about heat, ice, position, etc.? Please inform! 

Keep in mind I have never done either of these two intramuscular injections before (just the trigger) so no info will be silly to me. All will be considered and appreciated.  I have only done Crinone with Vivelle/Estrace for my prior 3 transfers. Im thinking I will have my nurse mark the areas to aim for with a marker before I do the first one on my own?

Thanks in advance for taking the time to educate me in this area!

32 thoughts on “Tips Needed ”

  1. PIO shots can be scary but they are so worth it! Husband did mine every morning. I alternated cheeks every other day to keep one from getting more sore. We tried to warm up the oil before so it went in faster. I would just roll the bottle in my hands or stick it in my bra. Try to take your weight off the leg on the side you’re injecting and don’t tense up. I always had to rush to work afterwards so I never got to ice it. Good luck!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  2. I did PIO in the evening just before bed because it makes me tired!!! I lay down on my front on the bed so the muscle is completely relaxed. I tried standing up with Chris injecting me and laying down is much easier for the both of us! I iced the area for 5 mins before, I have never tried not icing it, but I could tell when I hadn’t iced it for long enough. Then I put a microwave heat pad on the area afterwards. I only bruised about 1 in 15 times. I tried doing it myself about 10 times – I just couldn’t do it! Next time I will do it!!!!! Personally I prefer the injection over the messy suppositories, I hope you do too!! 😊

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  3. I have been told to do PIO in the evenings. I did them two years ago with my successful IVF cycle and doing them again currently with a FET cycle.

    I alternated sides every night and tried to space out the injection sites the best I could. I have some extra “padding” back there so the injections don’t bother me too much. I just take it slow with the whole process and that seems to help.

    A friend of mine who just did a FET said to ice the injection site 30 mins prior to injection and that worked wonders for her.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  4. Hi,
    My husband always did mine too. We had the nurse draw circles on both sides as targets. Always draw back first on the needle to make sure there is no blood, otherwise you have to move the needle. We had that happen a few times. It took some time to learn some tricks. The first was to lean against a counter or something and take all of the weight off of the side where it is going. My second tip is an ice pack for about 45 secs to a minute before the shots. Then once you have been doing it for a while both sides will get pretty sore so I started to like a heat pack afterwards, I would have that in the microwave ready.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  5. I’d been working on a post about tips and just finished it this morning! If you get a chance to read it, let me know if you have any questions. To sum up, my husband did my shots while I was on the couch to take all the weight off the leg being injected. They weren’t great but not too bad.

    Great idea to look for tips so you can pick and choose the best ones that work for you.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  6. I’ve been a nurse for over 20 years and still had to have DH do the IM injections. Have the nurse mark the area for you. People typically give them too far down into the buttocks and that hurts much more. Rotate sides every day and try your best to stay away from hard spots. Warm up your tushy first with a heating pad and put the vial in your bra. Then, warm your tushy AS MUCH AS YOU CAN afterwards and throughout the day. I was lucky in that I had a computer job every few days so that I could sit on that heating pad.

    Your tushy will get VERY sick and tired of the mistreatment, but do not, I repeat DO NOT rotate to another site like the thigh. Yes, they say you can give it there. DH was unavailable one night at shot time and I was tired of my tushy hurting and being a rock hard mass, so I gave my own IM in the vastus lateralis muscle. I could not walk up and down the stairs for a week. BIG mistake.

    A word about ice. I understand why some ladies use ice. It numbs the area. However, it also decreases blood circulation and will tend to make the medicine just sit in the muscle instead of absorb into it, which is pretty much the whole point.

    I can’t answer your time of day question. My clinic always had us do shots at night. I just assumed it was because they always had us do blood work mornings before 11am. Similarly, I can’t answer your question about self-injection in the gluteus. I just don’t have the flexibility to get back there myself.

    Good luck to you! Don’t worry too much. It will all be fine in the end. And if not, it’s a great comedic story.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  7. I was given a window of 7pm to 11pm each evening to do it. I was advised to do it on the earlier side of the evening if I can because it allows more time to move around and help the meds go in. My nurse drew these circles on my behind so that Bob could aim. We just redrew the area when the circles faded. I don’t warm the oil like others do because my nurse specifically told me not to. But I don’t find it too hard for the oil to go in. Anyhow, I ice the area for about 10 to 15 mins to numb it, then Bob does the injection. The 90 degree angel is essential to make sure that it’s done right. After the injection, deep tissue massage the area with gauge for a minute or so, then apply heat on it. I have one of those hot water rubber bottle thingy and just put it on with a towel for about 15 minutes. I was advised to move around at that time so the meds go in better, but I sometimes just sit and watch TV.

    Bob hates needles and is afraid of blood, but he is able to do it every single night for me. It is much better for someone else to do it for you so you can really relax your muscles. I was worried about it for the longest time and it has become nothing after doing it for a while.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Oh and I do it lying in bed. I shift my weight to the side that is not injected so that the muscles on the injection side could be relaxed. And I actually appreciate PIO a lot more than suppositories now. It’s just one shot a day, much cheaper, and no more gooey stuff to take care of. So much cleaner.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    • Well I guess the silver lining to the am shot would be time to move around since I am off to work? Good to know about warming, I am going to bring up heat and ice at my next appt to see what they have to say about it. Hubby says he is more than happy to do it, so I think I am going to have to give in and take him up on it! Thanks so much for all the info. I hope u are doing well, thinking of you ❤️

      Like

      Reply

  10. Here are my tips for making it better: ice for 10 minutes while warming up the vial in your bra. Stand while you get the shot, take weight off the leg of the side you’re getting the shot in and turn that same foot inward. Have your hubs rub arnica gel (all natural bengay, I bought at Target) into the spot for 30 seconds. Then use a heating pad on the spot for 10 minutes. It didn’t work every time, but I literally did PIO injections for 11 weeks straight and they did get easier. The big thing is avoiding lumps!! Those make everything worse. Good luck!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  11. I havent had to start PIO yet but have talked with family who have under gone IVF and they said that they would warm the oil up in their hands first and then really massage the area after the shot, they didnt recommend ice which is funny since thats so common but she told me it just made the oil thicker and harder to move into the muscle. I will def. read through all the advice and hopefully when my time comes around ill know just what to do!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  12. Hey, I just finished 6 weeks or so of PIO (had to switch to it as pessaries weren’t being as effective as we needed them to be and my levels were dropping). I didn’t find it bad at all. Didn’t ice or use heat pads even! Once or twice I had a lump at the injection site but have no lasting effects from them. My husband did them for me. I think it’s easier that way as you have to dart the needle in quickly. I lay on my front on the bed which meant I was more relaxed. It hurt more if I stood up. My husband warmed it slightly by holding the vial in his hand for a bit first too. We always used the upper, outer quarter of the buttock – I found it hurt more if he went too low- and hubby always drew back to check for blood ( we never had any draw up). And that was it! It seems a lot worse than it is. I would definitely recommend someone doing it for you. I did mine in the mornings. It was just easier, and they wanted me to top up with a pessary in the evening to see me through the night. Good luck! PIO was overall better than pessaries for me. X

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  13. I found that laying down on my stomach was much more comfortable for me and easier for the hubby to inject me. Before the injection I would warm up the vial in a little warm water or between my hands, ice the spot and then I would lay a heating pad over the spot after the injection. You will definitely want to alternate between sides as my back did get very sore after a few weeks. My hubby did the injections for me as I am a wimp, but I do know other ladies who are champs and do the injections themselves. Wishing you the best. xo

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  14. I don’t want to repeat what others have said so I’ll just add one more thing. My husband used to massage the area after the injection to break up the medicine. I found that helped to avoid a lump in that area. Be prepared, I didn’t have extra padding either and I found that I swelled and filled out my shorts/pants way more than I usually did:) Always praying for you<3

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a comment