painful intramuscular injections
68 Replies
karriearm - May 4

???My husband and I have really had a hard time getting the right spot everyday for the progesterone shots. he has hit my Sciatic nerve in both sides and today, I swear he hit my hip bone! My hip and leg are so sore!
I know about the outer quadrant zone, but it seens to be hard to hit everytime!
Any tips would be appreciated![b][/b]

 

Fortyfour - May 4

Ouch. If he hit your sciatica he is going to low and to near the inner part of your butt. Ouch. Are you thin? That could be part of the problem. You have to be very thin to hit the bone or else he is not getting into the meaty part of the upper outer butt. If you are real thin they should give you one inch needles and not one and a half inch needles. As a nurse I have hit the bone with a shot but only with a thin person.

In nursing school we were taught to put our hands in a L shape on the butt. Our index finger was along the side of the spine pointing up ( not on the spine, on the side) and our thumb crossed over the middle of the butt. ( the thumb should be pointing out.) We gave the shot in the meaty part of the outer, upper butt between the index finger and the thumb. He should push on the area before he gives the shot to make sure it feels "meaty".

Not to scare you but you can have long term damage to the sciatica if he continually hits it. Plus there is not enough muscle there to absorb the med correctly. Let your doc know what happened so they can monitor you. See what you can take to get the inflammation out of the area.

I give myself these shot so I know how much they hurt and how hard the spot gets. It is no fun. Enough of my nurse/mother lecture.

 

karriearm - May 4

Thank you so much for that information. That really helped. I have been spotting on and off and I wondered if it could be that the medicine is not all being disolved and dispursed.

 

paige - May 4

Hey it's Paige what meds are they having you on currently?

 

meridithhasfaith - May 4

You may want to go visit the nurse and have her draw a bullseye with a permanent marker on the spot where you should have the shot. That should help if nothing else is.

Good luck

Meridith

 

paige - May 4

Good idea but have her draw a few since you have to find a new spot because of that painful shot lol. I think they should make the needles smaller and wateer based drugs instead of oil based those hurt!!! :)

 

tschus - May 5

We found that when DH gives me the Progesterone shots that first of all we put a numbing liquid on and let it sit to numb the area (like a liquid pain reliever, or anbesol). We do this first before preping the seringe. Then after we get the progesterone in the seringe and ready either DH or myself holds the seringe to "warm" the progesterone oil. This thins it out a little so the progesterone goes in easier. We wipe the area w/ alcohol prep, dart the needle in the upper meaty area and slowly release the progesterone. Right after the progesterone is in and needle is out DH massages the area. IM shots are not pleasant anyway, and all this doesn't make it totally painless, but we found for us it does help.

Hope this info helps.

 

karriearm - May 5

This is all very good advise! Thank you for taking the time to answer me. I am currently taking progesterone and will be for the next 30 days (especially since I have had some spotting)

 

ElizabethS - May 5

I had to chime in too.....I had my nurse draw two big circles on my butt, and my dh could give me a shot anywhere in that area. Thankfully, I have plenty of cushion back there to lessen the blow. Hang in there.

 

Fortyfour - May 8

Ice packs to freeze the area helps also.

 

SMS1129 - May 8

Wow, this sounds awfully painful. I haven't had to do any IM shots, just subcutaneous so far. I am terrible wth those kind.

Does everyone have to do these as part of IVF or only if your progesterone levels are low?

Sue

 

paige - May 8

hi Sms yeah I think we all gotta do it. The progestoerone holds the embryo in place so it's very important to do the shots. Honestly I don't think it's that painful doing it as after because it's sore. They say after to disperse the oil and help you can rub for a minute and lay on a heating pad. You really don't need ice becuase your not swelling. Plus heat moves oil based drugs into the muscle quicker. It's a little scary at first but you'll get use to it. :) Let me know how yours goes!

 

meridithhasfaith - May 8

Hi SMS

I have heard of some women being able to use suppositories for progesterone. I wouldn't have been one of them during my 1st ivf as my level dropped even with the injectible prog. oil and I had to double it to maintain my pg.
The reason for the supplements is that the corpus luteum (sp) which is a cyst that remains after the egg is released from the ovary is usually damaged by the needle aspiration of egg retrieval. In normal ovulation, the cyst that remains produces progesterone until the placenta from the pg does around 14 weeks. If the cyst is damaged by the needle aspiration of egg retrieval, you need to supplement progesterone for that time. There's no way to tell if your cyst was damaged during ER so they put everyone on progesterone who does IVF.
I have heard that PIO is better than suppositories and is absorbed better with more favorable results.

My shots weren't bad at all. DH did them and I don't even remember the pain or anything. It was minimal. I too have padding back there though so that may be why. lol

Good luck!
Meridith

 

paige - May 8

Hi Meridith did they have you do both. Tha's what they are having me do/ I feel really dosed up on progesterone right now. Plus my test is tomorrow and I am getting a lot of side effects. What side effects did you get off progesterone?

 

meridithhasfaith - May 8

Hi Paige
Good luck testing!!!

No, I had to do 100 of progesterone rather than 50 as with 50, it was dropping and I was cramping. It was all injection.
My side effects weren't bad at all. Moodiness, a little crampy. I basically felt like I was in PMS mode the entire time.

Gosh, let us know how you do! Praying for a positive :)

Meridith

 

paige - May 8

Thank you I will find out tomorrow afternoon. The progesterone I take is 200mg suppository and 2 I.u.'s injection

 

meridithhasfaith - May 8

Wow, I am racking my brain to remember how my progesterone oil shots went. I could have sworn they were done in increments of 50. 50 what, (mg. or cc's) I couldn't tell you now. It's been 7 years. But I remember it doubling cause I was cramping and my level went from 19 to 8.5.

Take care,
Meridith

 

Message:


You must log in to reply.

Are you New to the forum? Sign Up Here! Already a member? Please login below.




Forgot your password?
Need Help?  
New to the forum?

Sign Up Here!


Already a member?
Please login below.





Forgot your password?
Need Help?