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I'm prescribed test cyp 200mg every 10 for low testosterone due to chronic pain which results in me having to take enormous doses of opiates (and as I'm sure most of you know that shuts your test production down entirely). Before I started the therapy my total t was 122 free was like 14 (can't remember it was so long ago) so I started the therapy. Well I just did another blood test 4 days after my last injection (in the morning at Mayo which is where I get all my health stuff done and they are pro's.)and the labs came back with my total T at 159 and free very low as well. This leads me to believe either A. The test is being converted into estrogen which I don't think is the case as I'm obviously not taking supraphysiological doses and the goal with this dose would be for my levels to get up to somewhere around 800-900... or B. I'm not hitting muscle when I inject.
Here's how I inject. 3ml 25g 1-1/2 inch IM needle. Policy at mayo clinic is they no longer do any intramuscular shots in the butt because they don't want to take any risk or chance of hitting the sciatic nerve... now obviously if the shot is done right and the gluteal area divided into quadrants this should never happen but they decided to not do it anyways. So they now give IM's in the hip. My mother works at Mayo and so I'm shooting in the hip. I have spent hours and hours and hours looking up proper technique to hit the ventrogluteal which is where the preferred location is but I just can't seem to get it. So I moved back a little and tried the closest I could get to my hip in the dorsogluteal (still very far forward from the gluteus maximi in the ideal injection quadrant [though most of you probably know exactly where I mean, think just at the top of your leg right about 2 inches behind) and I can feel the muscle with my finger when I push against the skin but when I do the injection in the spot the finger print is on I can't seem to hit the muscle. And I know I'm not hitting muscle because once the needle pierces the skin and the pinching sensation dissipates there's no pain or feeling whatsoever as the needle goes in meaning it must just be going straight through fat cells all the way to its cap. And I do have fat on the area between my hip muscles and my ass. For the record I'm 26 6'2 and 205. In my college years I was 6'2 and 179 with 6% body fat no matter what I ate or whether I exercised or not.... I'm guessing the opioids (and I'm on very high doses) are responsible for the enormously quick 40lb within 1 week fat gain but that's just a guess.
Anyways my next thought was to just z-track the back hip area where there's fat so that there isn't as much fat in the way of the muscle and I can actually get the 1 and 1/2 inch needle to hit the muscle. And I do know for a fact it's not been hitting the muscle cause as all of you know there's a very distinct feeling when you get through skin and past fat (or if you don't have any) and the needle goes into the muscle.
Of course I am completely sterile. Use a 2-way to draw than the needle replaces the 2 way (that way I avoid having to dull a needle) sterilize the top of the vial pull the fluid then sterilize the top again. Then sterilize the area I shoot into and aspirate and if there's a vacuum I push. Sterilize again after and usually just leave the alcohol pad on it secured against my boxers unless I managed to hit a vein on the way in... than I'll Band-Aid after sterilizing. But damn does it take forever for 1 and 1/2 ml to push through a 25g needle since it's so viscous. Of course I could always get a larger gauge but I've had a huge fear of needles since I was 4 and even being able to give myself a shot every 10 days is great progress. But having to do blood draws.... ugh. fuck that.
Anyways was wondering if anyone had any advice. I know I could always have the pharmacy give me shorter length needles that were say 1/2 and inch and inject into my quads or my delts but everyone I've talked to says to stick with the hip muscle (ventrogluteal)... and you guys are the pro's so whatever you say will be what I go by. Thanks a lot for the help. And like I said I've spent countless hours memorizing and researching muscle location for IM injection but the whole thing changes when you either do it on yourself or you have a bunch of fat in that area.
Here's how I inject. 3ml 25g 1-1/2 inch IM needle. Policy at mayo clinic is they no longer do any intramuscular shots in the butt because they don't want to take any risk or chance of hitting the sciatic nerve... now obviously if the shot is done right and the gluteal area divided into quadrants this should never happen but they decided to not do it anyways. So they now give IM's in the hip. My mother works at Mayo and so I'm shooting in the hip. I have spent hours and hours and hours looking up proper technique to hit the ventrogluteal which is where the preferred location is but I just can't seem to get it. So I moved back a little and tried the closest I could get to my hip in the dorsogluteal (still very far forward from the gluteus maximi in the ideal injection quadrant [though most of you probably know exactly where I mean, think just at the top of your leg right about 2 inches behind) and I can feel the muscle with my finger when I push against the skin but when I do the injection in the spot the finger print is on I can't seem to hit the muscle. And I know I'm not hitting muscle because once the needle pierces the skin and the pinching sensation dissipates there's no pain or feeling whatsoever as the needle goes in meaning it must just be going straight through fat cells all the way to its cap. And I do have fat on the area between my hip muscles and my ass. For the record I'm 26 6'2 and 205. In my college years I was 6'2 and 179 with 6% body fat no matter what I ate or whether I exercised or not.... I'm guessing the opioids (and I'm on very high doses) are responsible for the enormously quick 40lb within 1 week fat gain but that's just a guess.
Anyways my next thought was to just z-track the back hip area where there's fat so that there isn't as much fat in the way of the muscle and I can actually get the 1 and 1/2 inch needle to hit the muscle. And I do know for a fact it's not been hitting the muscle cause as all of you know there's a very distinct feeling when you get through skin and past fat (or if you don't have any) and the needle goes into the muscle.
Of course I am completely sterile. Use a 2-way to draw than the needle replaces the 2 way (that way I avoid having to dull a needle) sterilize the top of the vial pull the fluid then sterilize the top again. Then sterilize the area I shoot into and aspirate and if there's a vacuum I push. Sterilize again after and usually just leave the alcohol pad on it secured against my boxers unless I managed to hit a vein on the way in... than I'll Band-Aid after sterilizing. But damn does it take forever for 1 and 1/2 ml to push through a 25g needle since it's so viscous. Of course I could always get a larger gauge but I've had a huge fear of needles since I was 4 and even being able to give myself a shot every 10 days is great progress. But having to do blood draws.... ugh. fuck that.
Anyways was wondering if anyone had any advice. I know I could always have the pharmacy give me shorter length needles that were say 1/2 and inch and inject into my quads or my delts but everyone I've talked to says to stick with the hip muscle (ventrogluteal)... and you guys are the pro's so whatever you say will be what I go by. Thanks a lot for the help. And like I said I've spent countless hours memorizing and researching muscle location for IM injection but the whole thing changes when you either do it on yourself or you have a bunch of fat in that area.
