My Syringes came in via mail today and so I did my first injection right away. Since Im doing Monotherapy I started with 5mg to see where it leads me. This was also the first time injecting myself with anything. It was kinda scary, but next time it will be way easier.

51 Comments
cows_are_underrated@feddit.org · 21 pts · 259d
Definitely gonna reward myself with some cake for lunch
Berengaria_of_Navarre@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 259d
Cake is a useful supplement for hip and ass growth.
Duke_Nukem_1990@feddit.org · 19 pts · 259d
Awww I remember my first injection. Good job cow friend! :3
cows_are_underrated@feddit.org · 14 pts · 259d
Thanks :3
WalrusDragonOnABike@reddthat.com · 18 pts · 259d
Congrats on the first one! I wish you many more successful stabbings! Or slow pushing needle through skin if that's more your style.
cows_are_underrated@feddit.org · 12 pts · 259d
I did the slow way. To afraid to eventually break the needle of.
Filetternavn@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 12 pts · 259d
U won't break the needle by inserting it into yourself, skin and fat are far too flexible to provide ample force to snap it! Take it from a girlie who has been on E since January (and has taken medications subcutaneously for over 4 years), it's a lot less painful with a single, quick motion!
cows_are_underrated@feddit.org · 13 pts · 259d
The pain was basically non existent, so it is fine the way I did it.
sulfidedisburseangledafternoontipper@piefed.blahaj.zone · 4 pts · 259d
I do two subq injections a week. It's honestly kind of a lottery. Sometimes it's painless, other times it stings something awful. Way better than 2-3x daily pills tho.
ElfBean@fedia.io · 14 pts · 259d
Make sure you check your levels every so often. I started on 5mg and it turned out to be way too much so I had to half it
cows_are_underrated@feddit.org · 8 pts · 259d
I will check them again in about 5 weeks
ElfBean@fedia.io · 7 pts · 259d
Good, good. Here's hoping everything goes well and you adjust to stuff fairly quickly :)
DaPorkchop_@lemmy.ml · 4 pts · 259d
I was just about to say this! I've been doing 4mg Ev / 5 days for about a month, got my latest results back just hours ago and it would appear that my trough level is slightly above the recommended mean level of 1100 pmol/L. Definitely going to have to cut back a bit...
Filetternavn@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 1 pts · 256d
Yeah, I started on 4mg Estradiol Cypionate as monotherapy, and I'm down to 2mg and it still may be too much. It's definitely different for everyone
PieMePlenty@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 259d
This came into my feed and I'm unsure what this is about. I see insulin needles and a bottle that says essential oil? Are you injecting this under your skin OP? Please help me understand.
cows_are_underrated@feddit.org · 26 pts · 259d
The bottle contains estrogen. Since its not from an official source the label says something different for stealth reasons
PieMePlenty@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 259d
Thanks, that's what was confusing me lol. Good luck.
Kalcifer@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 258d
:( I wish It didn't have to be like this. I hope you stay safe 🩷
recursive_recursion@piefed.ca · 12 pts · 259d
Congrats on your journey!💪🥳🎉
cows_are_underrated@feddit.org · 7 pts · 259d
Thanks :3
soupsoupsoup@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 7 pts · 259d
Congratulations! You are basically using exactly the same supplies as me when I started about 5 months ago :3
hazl@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 7 pts · 259d
Congratulations! 💙
cows_are_underrated@feddit.org · 7 pts · 259d
Thanks :3
Catpurple@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 4 pts · 259d
I've been on injections for over a year now, with an HRT prescription from planned parenthood rather than DIY (for now, anyway...) Blood tests show stellar results, last one was like 27 units (pg/mol or whatever?) of T and 280 units of E. Measured at the uh, whatever it's called, the halfway point between injection days.
The first time I did it, I was surprised how little pain there was, following guidance on how to do it right. Pinching around where you'll inject distracts your nerves so they don't notice the jab, at least when doing it in the thigh like I do. It's super easy, though I gotta be nice and calm and collected or I get too shaky or risk forgetting a step (I recently opened a new vial, but got distracted and drew from it without wiping the stopper with an alcohol wipe first, dumb mistake to make!)
Diurnambule@jlai.lu · 4 pts · 259d
Good luck on your journey, I wish you best success and happinesses
hildegarde@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 2 pts · 259d
Congratulations! I'm incredibly happy for you!
QuinnyCoded@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 233d
what kind of needles are those? I haven't seen anything like it in the US
cows_are_underrated@feddit.org · 2 pts · 232d
Just standard Insulin syringes with needles.
Therobohour@lemmy.world · -2 pts · 259d
cows_are_underrated@feddit.org · 17 pts · 259d
Im doing DIY, so no one who can stop me
Therobohour@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 258d
WalrusDragonOnABike@reddthat.com · 15 pts · 259d
That's just how it is? Someone else mentioned DIY, but that's how it works via prescription as well.
Also, as someone whose done injections of an unrelated medication (not insulin either) in a hardware store bathroom without alcohol wipes, there are far shadier places to be doing injections.
Therobohour@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 258d
That is true but there is far better places to be doing too
Filetternavn@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 13 pts · 259d
I mean, people inject insulin daily, so how is this any different? Spoiler alert: it's not. These are insulin syringes they're using, and based on the needle length, they're definitely doing it subcutaneously, just like insulin. Diabetics can't pay for a nurse to inject them every day, nor should they. Subcutaneous injections are incredibly easy to administer; you just inject the medication into the fat layer (not a vein).
ramenshaman@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 259d
Type 1 diabetic here. Seems legit to me. Carry on.
Therobohour@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 258d
Therobohour@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 258d
Gwen@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 2 pts · 258d
Therobohour@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 257d
Filetternavn@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 2 pts · 256d
Lack of gender affirming care for gender dysphoria has been shown to lead to significantly increased risk of suicide. If you're unaware, suicide is deadly, so yes, it is life threatening. Over 40% of transgender adults in the US have attempted suicide in their life. Transitioning, and specifically implementing gender affirming care like hormone replacement therapy, has been shown to significantly decrease the risk of suicide. So yes, HRT is a life saving treatment.
As someone with chronic health issues that I've been hospitalized for multiple times that would also certainly qualify as "life threatening", I am in no way "insulted" by gender dysphoria being called life threatening. In fact, now that I am properly medicated for my health issues, I'd say gender dysphoria is the second most deadly thing in my life. It's only usurped by Borderline Personality Disorder (which cannot be treated with medication), which has a completed suicide rate of 10%, and up to 85% of people with BPD are estimated to attempt at some point in their life.
Please stop attempting to minimize and illegitimize our problems. The only thing "insulting" happening in these comments is your fear mongering and blatant dismissal of trans issues.
EDIT: This released a few minutes after I commented, and I found it to be incredibly topical to this comment: Hormone replacement therapy lowers suicidality by nearly 70% among transgender youth
Gwen@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 1 pts · 256d
recursive_recursion@piefed.ca · 10 pts · 259d
DIY estrogen itradermal/subcutaneous injection is actually safer than it looks especially if the person doing the injection knows the process and has already practiced on an injection dummy first.
It might look shady at first glance but it's actually pretty straightforward.
Therobohour@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 258d
Filetternavn@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 2 pts · 256d
My professional training for subcutaneous injection when I started them over 4 years ago was done through a phone call. It's not rocket science, it's genuinely hard to fuck them up. You aren't finding a vein, as it isn't an intravenous injection, you aren't even at risk of hitting a vein (like with intramuscular). You're just injecting into the fat layer. The injection leaves a depot of medication in the fat that is absorbed by fat cells very slowly, usually over the course of multiple weeks in oil-based suspensions.
I have never once messed up a subcutaneous injection, and I've done them while blackout drunk before. It is significantly riskier to use an EpiPen on someone, and those are commonplace (and I'm not talking about the effects of epinephrine, I'm talking purely about the safety of injection). I cannot get it across just how incredibly hard it is to fuck up a subcutaneous injection. OP is not at any risk here; you're manufacturing fear in a place that should be celebrating OP. Please stop; it does nothing to help anyone.
GalacticSushi@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 1 pts · 259d
hddsx@lemmy.ca · -4 pts · 259d
Filetternavn@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 17 pts · 259d
I've been self-administering medications subcutaneously for over 4 years, with a prescription. It's genuinely really hard to fuck up a subcutaneous injection, and watching a single video on how to do it (or reading a nurse's guide like I did) is more than enough to understand it. Subcutaneous injection is an injection into the fat layer, so it does not involve hitting a vein or muscle. The most common points of administration are the abdomen and the thighs. Here are the steps, for reference:
I know that's a lot of steps, but I promise the process is really simple and intuitive after you've done it once. I went into an extreme amount of detail.
ClockworkOtter@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 259d
Do you write SOPs for work or something?
Filetternavn@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 4 pts · 259d
No, I just have a natural tendency to be incredibly verbose and specific, and this is a process I've been doing for years now, so I'm hyperaware of how to do it
DaPorkchop_@lemmy.ml · 1 pts · 217d
I know this is old, but I remembered this comment today and figured I'd ask since you seem to have some idea what you're doing. How exactly do you prevent medication from leaking out after injection? I'm injecting (or trying to inject) 1ml estradiol valerate, and I've tried leaving the needle in for up to 30s, holding the skin pinched the entire time the needle is inserted, injecting faster or slower, but seemingly every combination I try results in multiple large drops leaking back out within a few seconds of removing the needle. Like, enough that it looks like nearly half of the fluid is coming back out. Is this something you've ever experienced?
Filetternavn@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 2 pts · 217d
My Estradiol Cypionate is 40mg/ml, so I only have to use 0.05mL. 1mL is a large injection, and I'd say that much fluid would likely require intramuscular injection. What concentration is your EV? Are you doing monotherapy, or are you on an anti-androgen? What length needle are you using? Are you releasing the pinch after inserting the needle and before depressing the plunger? Have you tried injecting at a 90° angle for a deeper depot? Those are the places I'd start. If you're on an anti-androgen, you should be able to lower your dose to something closer to standard cisgender female estradiol levels.
I'm assuming based on your dosage that you're doing monotherapy with a 5mg/mL EV vial, which would make subcutaneous injections difficult. Is this DIY? Because I'd choose to get something of a higher concentration if it's DIY monotherapy, as that would solve the problem outright. I'm not gonna send any links, but if you happen to stumble across a company called Open Gate Labs, they may solve your problem *wink*. If you're going off a prescription though, volumes that high are often injected intramuscularly. If you're prescribed, I'd bring this up with your doctor.
I've also been injecting a different medication—adalimumab—for 4 and a half years now, and that comes in at only 0.4mL. Very rarely I'll have a single drop come out, which is a negligible amount, but that uses an autoinjector, so I have very little control there. I'm gonna get my prescription switched to pre-filled syringes at some point if I can because I honestly hate the autoinjector. My point is, however, that I've never had to deal with a volume that large while injecting. Even my loading dose for adalimumab was 2 double concentration 0.4mL syringes injected into different spots, so I was still only dealing with 0.4mL depots.
You could always try posting in the DIY HRT community on Blåhaj, and maybe you'll come across others who are injecting volumes that large that could help more.
DaPorkchop_@lemmy.ml · 1 pts · 217d
Thanks so much for the reply! I seem to have forgotten about the decimal point, I meant to write 0.1ml (the syringes I use have markings in 10ths of a milliliter, so I just fill it up to the "1" mark and forget what unit I'm working with...). I'm injecting Ev @ 40mg/mL using ½inch, 26 gauge subq insulin needles, and yes I'm doing DIY monotherapy. I've tried releasing the pinch both before and after depressing the plunger, to no avail.
I haven't tried injecting at a 90° angle, I'll give that a try for my next injection tomorrow and see how it goes! (assuming I can find enough fat on my body to do that... I am very underweight)
The Blåhaj DIY community is new to me, I will definitely try asking there if my experiment tomorrow fails. Thanks again!
Filetternavn@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 2 pts · 217d
For me, the area that works best is a ring around my belly button from 1"-3" away from the belly button. If you're underweight, you should ideally be using a 45° angle, as you likely aren't going to have the fat depth to comfortably do 90° with a 1/2" needle. You only need to keep the needle in for about 4 seconds after bottoming out the plunger; any longer is superfluous (and probably quite uncomfortable). I will say that while I highly doubt it's relevant, I use 30G 1/2" needles and have never gotten any drainage from my E shots while following the steps I outlined in my original comment. But I'm also at a mid-healthy range weight, and don't have trouble finding a fat pocket to inject into. I will warn you that thighs will likely have less fat, if you were injecting there. And I just remembered, depressing the plunger slowly may help (like over the course of 3-4 seconds), so if you were going fast before, then that may be something to try! Otherwise, I'd ask on the DIY community for advice, as I've never encountered this problem myself. My only further advice if nothing I've recommended works is to try intramuscular. It's a very loose feeling with it being a deeper injection that it would be less likely to leak out; I don't know if that holds up in reality.
And I feel like it goes without saying, but I may as well offer the advice: make sure the needle is fully inserted, and not partially inserted, because that could most certainly cause problems.
cows_are_underrated@feddit.org · 12 pts · 259d
Its just subcutaneous so theres not to much that can go wrong. Also im doing DIY, so whos gonna stop me.
hddsx@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 259d
Well you are braver than me by far. I would be terrified to fuck up
cows_are_underrated@feddit.org · 8 pts · 259d
That's why I recommend getting Insulin Syringes. They aren't that painful and you barely feel it at all.
WalrusDragonOnABike@reddthat.com · 5 pts · 259d
How so? Seems less dangerous than auto injectors people use for other medicines. Autoinjectors are less pleasant for self-use (but more pleasant when using on others - granted I never tried using a syringe on someone else, but I don't know if I even could outside a serious emergency).
hddsx@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 259d
I would be terrified if breaking the needle
WalrusDragonOnABike@reddthat.com · 5 pts · 259d
Seems like that would be pretty hard to do? Guess I could try doing that next week though? Not in my skin of course. I'm terrified of the needle, but that's not a concern that seems realistic without some extreme circumstance, like a car suddenly busting though the wall and hitting you mid-injection.
hddsx@lemmy.ca · 4 pts · 259d
I completely acknowledge that this could be an irrational fear
moody@lemmings.world · 4 pts · 259d
The needles are made of stainless steel which is very strong. Worst case it may bend, but it should remain functional so it's not catastrophic if it does. You can still finish what you're doing before disposing of it.
I'll admit that my only experience with using them myself was clearing out sample vials that needed to be shipped internationally. So I had to use a needle to drain everything out of the vials, which involves poking the needle into the vial several times. I've done it many times, and only bent the needle once, and the seal on the vial is much tougher than skin.
GalacticSushi@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 3 pts · 259d