Tips on PIO Shots

For those of you new to PIO shots, be sure to check out Luolin's post with great tips and her personal experience. She prepared me for having to do a PIO shot on my own on the road, and her advice really helped.

At first I wasn't going to do a shot myself at home with H around for support, but I was glad I did. It helped me gain the confidence I needed, and I did freak out a little like Luolin warned so it was good to have someone there to comfort me. I did the shot sitting down on the edge of my tub so that my hip/butt was a little more spread out than when I'm standing. Sitting also relaxed the injection site, which I do find helps when I'm standing. I had to take several deep breathes before I had the courage to stick the needle. When I finally did, I must have closed my eyes briefly because I didn't see it go in and when I looked up it was in, but a tiny smidge was still exposed. I pushed it in a little further, and that hurt for a second. The actual penetration didn't hurt at all. I started pushing the plunger, and I found it went in easier than I thought it would. H is always complaining that it's hard to get the stuff in, I guess compared to the other shots.

It was pulling the needle out that freaked me. The needle kinda pulled the skin up as I tried to get it out, and this caused me to pause. When I did, a little bit of blood started filling the needle, which caused more panic. I finally pulled it out, and the site started bleeding much more than when H does it. The sight of blood is what upset me. I'm a wimp when it comes to blood. The site hurt a lot--more than normal.

When I did the shot on my own tonight, I did not have to mentally prep myself as much to take the plunge. This time I watched the needle go in all the way, and it was painless. I find injecting my left side is much less painful than the right side. I was able to pull the plunger up a little to check for blood vessels, and when it didn't move (which is noomal)I went ahead and started injecting. Everything was fine. This time I pulled the needle out faster and didn't look as I did it. I still got a bigger drop of blood than when H does it, but I didn't freak and the site didn't hurt at all.

For those of you who have been doing your shots since day one, I bow to you. I'm proud that I am strong enough to do this since I have a strong aversion to needles, but I am happy to let H do 99% of it.

Other good news is that the PIO shots have not made my hips nearly as sore as they did the first few days. One of my secrets is to have H lightly massage the area each night before I go to bed. He enjoys looking at my bum (LOL) since thats' all the action he's getting right now, and the massage seems to prevent the next day soreness. If I get a BFP, I don't think I'll have a problem continuing the shots for all those weeks. Let's hope!!!!!

TMI Quick symptom update:
-Still have a headache
-Had bad cramps n and off all day, though this evening's cramps seem to be due to an upset bowel
-My stomach feels sore--like I've been doing sit ups. This may be from the constipation I've had on and off since retrieval
-There's still a creamy goo down below that is not normal for me right before my period--no sign of spotting at all
-The ladies are still living large, and I'm happy to report the extra veinyness is still there--must have been bad lighting before. Minor soreness.
-Have I mentioned that I have had a huge appetite for the past 3 days? I out-eatted H on Friday and Saturday, and that's with an all you can eat dinner!
-Moody

Thanks for all of your support. It helps sooo much! I figure if I'm going to wait until my beta on Friday, I should remain positive. I feel like I have enough "symptoms" to be hopeful that a little more is happening than just the PIO side effects, namely the cramps, hunger, and headache. (Motel Manager, your encouragement helped!)

Good night, all...I will be flying tomorrow, so will check in again on Thursday.