Medical Need to Give Myself a Shot

Ms. Haiku

I found out from my cardiologist that I can have a tattoo, but as I have a stroke history and other cardiac issues I have to do some things. I usually take blood thinners, and that would stop before the tattoo, and resume after it. Instead I have to take a shot that I give myself. EEEEEEEEEEEEK! I'm sure I can get over it. I have had this shot done to me (lovenox) whenever I stay overnight in a hospital, but the thought of it is making me sweat. I'll get over it. I'll get over it. I'll get over it. It's all about the purple stickman tattoo.

Anyway, have you had to get over giving yourself shots? Oi! EEEK!

PJ_Soul

I've never given myself a shot, but I have given myself a (successful) tattoo, and I can say that when I did it it hurt WAY less than when a professional did it for me!! And it was in the same spot too, so placement wasn't the issue. I feel that it was because I had the control. Maybe it will be the same with the shot. After this you may want to give yourself all your shots from now on, haha.

Ms. Haiku

PJ_Soul said:

I feel that it was because I had the control. Maybe it will be the same with the shot. After this you may want to give yourself all your shots from now on, haha.

hahahahaha 

SPEEDY MCCREADY

Ms. Haiku said:

I found out from my cardiologist that I can have a tattoo, but as I have a stroke history and other cardiac issues I have to do some things. I usually take blood thinners, and that would stop before the tattoo, and resume after it. Instead I have to take a shot that I give myself. EEEEEEEEEEEEK! I'm sure I can get over it. I have had this shot done to me (lovenox) whenever I stay overnight in a hospital, but the thought of it is making me sweat. I'll get over it. I'll get over it. I'll get over it. It's all about the purple stickman tattoo.

Anyway, have you had to get over giving yourself shots? Oi! EEEK!

I give myself a shot every day. No big deal. 
Don't get me wrong, I am not thrilled about it, but 75% of the time I don't feel a thing. 

brianlux

Maaaan, what a rip off.  I've poked, stapled, cut, contused, bruised, shocked, sprained, and broken myself, and all I ever got out of it was some scars.

I hope it goes well, Ms Haiku.  Just be careful!

Jason P

I had to do this last year for a few months.  My advice is to lightly poke around to find a spot that is less sensitive.  Insert slowly and Inject slowly (over 30-60 seconds) and you shouldn’t feel much discomfort afterwards.   if you go quick, you will disrupt muscle tissue which leads to a little soreness that usually goes away after 15 minutes.   

After a week it will become routine. 

If all else fails, recite this quote from book Dune:

“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”

  

Ms. Haiku

Jason P said:

I had to do this last year for a few months.  My advice is to lightly poke around to find a spot that is less sensitive.  Insert slowly and Inject slowly (over 30-60 seconds) and you shouldn’t feel much discomfort afterwards.   if you go quick, you will disrupt muscle tissue which leads to a little soreness that usually goes away after 15 minutes.   

After a week it will become routine. 

If all else fails, recite this quote from book Dune:

“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”

  

Thank you for the idea of inserting slowly as I had planned to go fast and get it over. I'll have a stop watch and time it as you suggested.

I have a plan. I will think of three people who I had crushes on in high school, and say their names (insert (first person's name), push in medicine (second person's name), take needle out (third person's name). I will reexperience the embarrassment of high school and it will block out any attention to the pain. 

High school was good for something!

Jason P

Ms. Haiku said:

Jason P said:

I had to do this last year for a few months.  My advice is to lightly poke around to find a spot that is less sensitive.  Insert slowly and Inject slowly (over 30-60 seconds) and you shouldn’t feel much discomfort afterwards.   if you go quick, you will disrupt muscle tissue which leads to a little soreness that usually goes away after 15 minutes.   

After a week it will become routine. 

If all else fails, recite this quote from book Dune:

“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”

  

Thank you for the idea of inserting slowly as I had planned to go fast and get it over. I'll have a stop watch and time it as you suggested.

I have a plan. I will think of three people who I had crushes on in high school, and say their names (insert (first person's name), push in medicine (second person's name), take needle out (third person's name). I will reexperience the embarrassment of high school and it will block out any attention to the pain. 

High school was good for something!

It does help to have a routine!  

The insertion doesn't need to take super long ... kind of the speed you would dip your finger into hot water.  When injecting, just go slow enough were you don't feel the injection ... if you feel it that is an indication that muscle tissue is being agitated.  After a week or so you will have a good feel (literately) for it.   And I usually set aside 10-15 minutes to sit on a couch afterwards ... that seemed to help avoid discomfort.   Once I got the speed down, I only sat for around 5 minutes afterwards.  And it kind of helped me to keep a little pressure over the injection spot with my hand during the cool down. 

Remember to swab the area with an alcohol patch/cotton ball prior.  I think the website for lovonex has an instructional video with delightful corny music. 

The key thing is that you can do this.  You are strong.  And gosh darn it, people like you!

Peace

oftenreading

Jason P said:

I had to do this last year for a few months.  My advice is to lightly poke around to find a spot that is less sensitive.  Insert slowly and Inject slowly (over 30-60 seconds) and you shouldn’t feel much discomfort afterwards.   if you go quick, you will disrupt muscle tissue which leads to a little soreness that usually goes away after 15 minutes.   

After a week it will become routine. 

If all else fails, recite this quote from book Dune:

“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”

  

I love that quote. It has served me well over the years.

Ms. Haiku

Jason P said:

The insertion doesn't need to take super long ... kind of the speed you would dip your finger into hot water.  When injecting, just go slow enough were you don't feel the injection ... if you feel it that is an indication that muscle tissue is being agitated.  After a week or so you will have a good feel (literately) for it.   And I usually set aside 10-15 minutes to sit on a couch afterwards ... that seemed to help avoid discomfort.   Once I got the speed down, I only sat for around 5 minutes afterwards.  And it kind of helped me to keep a little pressure over the injection spot with my hand during the cool down. 

Remember to swab the area with an alcohol patch/cotton ball prior.  I think the website for lovonex has an instructional video with delightful corny music. 

The key thing is that you can do this.  You are strong.  And gosh darn it, people like you!

Peace

Thank you! Yes doggone it, people like me!

PureandEasy

Ms. Haiku said:

I found out from my cardiologist that I can have a tattoo, but as I have a stroke history and other cardiac issues I have to do some things. I usually take blood thinners, and that would stop before the tattoo, and resume after it. Instead I have to take a shot that I give myself. EEEEEEEEEEEEK! I'm sure I can get over it. I have had this shot done to me (lovenox) whenever I stay overnight in a hospital, but the thought of it is making me sweat. I'll get over it. I'll get over it. I'll get over it. It's all about the purple stickman tattoo.

Anyway, have you had to get over giving yourself shots? Oi! EEEK!

Hi Ms. Haiku, been a while.  Nice to see you!!  Regarding your post . . . Oh hell no, gives me chills just thinking about you having to do it.  I've given blood over 130 times and I have NEVER seen the needle, I just look away.  Can't imagine having to give myself a shot.  Hell no!  Good luck to you though!

Ms. Haiku

Shots are done. It was much easier than expected. Overall, the shots went in quicker than expected, and I didn't need to try a mind game to handle it. I tried to go slow, and the time I was quickest I had the most "pinching" pain afterwards. It went away in less than an hour. Only one time did I bleed, but that stopped quickly. If the tattoo goes well tomorrow I wouldn't be against getting another tattoo and going through this again. It is not a pleasant experience, but it is doable. 

lastexitlondon

Best of luck. Show us the results tomorrow. I'm sure it will go just fine.

HughFreakingDillon

PJ_Soul said:

I've never given myself a shot, but I have given myself a (successful) tattoo, and I can say that when I did it it hurt WAY less than when a professional did it for me!! And it was in the same spot too, so placement wasn't the issue. I feel that it was because I had the control. Maybe it will be the same with the shot. After this you may want to give yourself all your shots from now on, haha.

you tattooed yourself??

PJ_Soul

HughFreakingDillon said:

PJ_Soul said:

I've never given myself a shot, but I have given myself a (successful) tattoo, and I can say that when I did it it hurt WAY less than when a professional did it for me!! And it was in the same spot too, so placement wasn't the issue. I feel that it was because I had the control. Maybe it will be the same with the shot. After this you may want to give yourself all your shots from now on, haha.

you tattooed yourself??

Lol, yup! When I was like 18, with a needle, a lighter, and some India ink. It turned out super well! I didn't look like a prison tattoo at all, haha. It was just small, like probably smaller than a loonie, on my ankle bone. I loved it. I did it because I was in some assembly at school shortly before graduating high school and I drew on my ankle out of boredom, and really like what I drew, so on impulse I just tattooed it on there when I got home. Unfortunately, I chose to get a professional tattoo a couple years later, and I really couldn't think of another place on my body where I wanted it, so I got that on top of my own. I quite regret that. I wish I had just gotten the new one on the other leg. :(

HughFreakingDillon

*for our American friends, a loonie is the slang term for a Canadian one dollar coin (it has a picture of a loon on it)

Poncier

HughFreakingDillon said:

*for our American friends, a loonie is the slang term for a Canadian one dollar coin (it has a picture of a loon on it)

Now do twonie.

PJ_Soul

Poncier said:

HughFreakingDillon said:

*for our American friends, a loonie is the slang term for a Canadian one dollar coin (it has a picture of a loon on it)

Now do twonie.

Oh, we did, in 1996. But it is spelled Toonie.   Apparently they cared more about matching it to loonie than they did the numerical meaning, haha.

GlowGirl

PJ_Soul said:

Poncier said:

HughFreakingDillon said:

*for our American friends, a loonie is the slang term for a Canadian one dollar coin (it has a picture of a loon on it)

Now do twonie.

Oh, we did, in 1996. But it is spelled Toonie.   Apparently they cared more about matching it to loonie than they did the numerical meaning, haha.

Did that not catch on - unlike our super popular $2 bill 

Ms. Haiku

So, that was painful. As I have the experience of giving myself shots I handled it like a boss. My breathing only slightly changed as the artist tattooed me.

The artist convinced me to do it in black because of the fading difference from purple. It is classic looking. 

I'll post an image soon.

lastexitlondon

Well done. Take a picture as soon as you can tattoos look best straight after they are done 

Ms. Haiku

Beauty!

lastexitlondon

Perfect 

PJ_Soul

GlowGirl said:

PJ_Soul said:

Poncier said:

HughFreakingDillon said:

*for our American friends, a loonie is the slang term for a Canadian one dollar coin (it has a picture of a loon on it)

Now do twonie.

Oh, we did, in 1996. But it is spelled Toonie.   Apparently they cared more about matching it to loonie than they did the numerical meaning, haha.

Did that not catch on - unlike our super popular $2 bill 

Yup - loonies and toonies aren't going anywhere. Standard currency. The toonie actually replaced the $2 bill (and the loonie replaced the $1 bill), which we had forever. They switched because coins last forever while paper money only lasts 6 months in circulation. Of course now all our bills are made of polymer, so they fixed that problem too for $5+.