Hellobee Boards

YouTube! No, seriously! That was my teacher for the couple of IM injections I had to give myself after a fresh transfer. So far, I've given myself all of my PIO injections for my frozen transfer.

What works for me is to get everything laid out on the bathroom countertop, where we have a big mirror. I half-sit on the countertop and clean off a spot on the muscular part (upper outer quadrant) of my butt cheek. Relax, insert the needle quickly (it only hurts at the skin), then pull back to make sure there's no blood (if there is, pull out, change needles and try a different spot). Inject slowly and wait about 10 seconds after you're done to remove the needle. Then hold gauze, apply a bandaid, and you're done. A little massage afterwards can help it to disperse and if you want to ice first, it can be pain-free pretty much 100% of the time (about 50/50 without the ice, but it is an extra step)...also maybe there is less chance of bruising if you ice!

You've got this!

From my friend's mom, who was a home care nurse and needed to make sure she could do this for the elderly without much pain:

Warm up the oil! Stick it in your bra for a while (I did about five minutes). It is easier to inject when it's warm.

Scrub the area with an alcohol pad- HARD. It made it hurt less for me that way. I scrubbed for about fifteen seconds.

My DH did mine, so this might not be applicable to you, but he would blow on the area right before he stabbed me- the evaporating alcohol and the quick blow makes the area cold, which (for me) helped with the pain.

PIO sucks, but I was so glad I did it as opposed to the suppositories. It helped me to KNOW that it was in my system, which calmed my fears, so less stress, yada yada.

I haven't done them myself, but when DH does them, I always put my weight on the opposite leg so that the muscle the injection was going into was as relaxed as possible.

I've also always found these injection videos helpful:
http://www.freedommedteach.com/eng/index.html

@Leialou: I posted this a little while back on a post started by @FliegepilzHut: I used to give myself my shots (for the most part).

Start of old post:
Yes I did PIO myself entirely on the right side. Eventually I did rely on my husband for the left side days just to push the plunger. To me that was the hardest part (since the oil is thicker and had resistance, and I'm right handed so it was hard to do with my left).
What I did was stand in my bathroom. I got everything prepped and ready and heated the oil up a bit. @spaniellove: gave me that tip! I would put the heating pad on while I prepped the shot and then Id wrap the syringe in the heating pad for a minute or so. Don't want it to be hot! Just warm. You can usually see the oil has become more liquefied.
Then I would go back into the bathroom and lean against the counter (while standing). I once read that it helps to relax the leg of the side you are injecting on. Relaxing the muscle makes it hurt less. I did the hip/butt area. My doc showed me an area that was high and "outside" enough that I could turn and easily reach/see it.
So I would put most of my weight on the non-injection leg and slightly bend the injection side leg.
Wait for the alcohol to dry completely! It stings less.
Hold the skin taught with your non dominant hand, and use your dominant hand for the injection itself.
Then I tried to do the "dart" motion they recommend. I'd give myself a 3 count windup (lol) and then I'd try to inject it as straight as possible and as quickly as possible.
This might be hard to explain but I'll try:
I would hold skin flat/tight with my left hand around injection site and inject wih my right (my dominant hand). Then once the needle was the whole way in id grab the barrel of the syringe with my left (letting go of the skin) and moving my right up to the plunger. Pushing the plunger down with my thumb was easiest for me.
Go slowly because you don't want to develop pockets of the oil.
Once the plunger was the whole way down, I'd get the gauze ready in my left hand and pull the needle out quickly and straight.
Immediately put the gauze on the injection site and massage in circular motion for a few minutes. Then I would lay on the heating pad while I watched tv or did my makeup (eventually doc wanted me to do it in the AM). Then massage some more.
Hope this helps! It sounds like a lot but honestly it wasn't so bad and I really got used to it! The hardest part was running out of injection sites about 7 weeks in. I also asked my doc about the thigh and they really didn't recommend it, said it was more painful/sore for walking and stuff.
Feel free to ask me any questions. I'd wish you luck but you'll do fine

End old post:
For me, I didn't ice beforehand. One, because I didn't notice much of a difference. Two, because I eventually got lazy and it was one unnecessary step I could cut. And three, because (in my head) I worried if the skin/muscle was cold it would make it harder for the oil to disperse. I didn't read that anywhere, it was just my own kooky logic.

Good luck!

@Leialou: I am getting them weekly at my OB office (I am a chicken and didn't want to do them at home) and the nurse found this awesome new numbing cream that I apply an hour before. The difference between the way the shots feel now vs. before is incredible! It is called Lidocaine and Prilocaine Cream and it may be worth asking your doctor about! It is safe for pregnancy, so I would assume it would also be safe for TTC!

Also, my experience has been that the bigger the needle, the easier the experience. Because the oil makes it so thick, with a smaller needle it takes a really long time to inject, so I would go with the biggest one you can handle. I think the ones my nurse is using are 18 gauge. The initial shot hurts more with the bigger needle (although with the numbing cream I don't feel it at all!) but it hurts less later.

Good luck!! They definitely aren't fun, but now that I have adjusted they don't bother me nearly as much. I have had 13 so far...7 left to go!

@pinkb: It helps that the nurse does it and I can't see it. It definitely hurts without the cream...but the injection only lasts like 2 seconds instead of like a minute with the smaller one...so I try to suck it up haha

I haven't started progesterone yet (just delestrogen which is a IM injection every 3 days) and now I'm getting anxious about the PIO. I think I'll start PIO on Friday or Saturday since my lining check is Friday.